Case of most interest besides JtR poll

As Hanratty was innocent, it has to be the A6 murder. No other case comes close when considering the complexity and interrelation of the evidence. It still polarises opinions to this day.

Reg

[sdreid]

My inspiration for this list was "Colin Wilson's 10 Strangest Unsolved Murders in History" in The Book of Lists #2 (1979). His list included Jack as well as Axeman, Texarkana, Borden, Torso, Dahlia, Wallace and Thames that I picked here. He also listed The Melbourne Mystery, about the 1953 murder of Shirley Collins, and The Brighton Trunk Mystery, about the unidentified dead woman found in train station luggage in 1934.

I subsequently learned about Gatton and thought it was worthy.

In a footnote, he named two contemporary case that he thought were too recent to be included. They were the Yorkshire Ripper, since solved, and the Zodiac which I now included.

He also named 5 cases that almost made the list. They were Hall-Mills, Green Bicycle, Le Touquet, Luard and Esther Pay.

[sdreid]

Remaining unsolved, I wonder if JtR will still be the top of the heap 100 years from now. There's no way to know what new case might crop up between now and then but somehow I think it will be. Barring some fantastic new case, the only other way I can see it falling is if there is so much emphasis on it that people finally get sick of hearing about it and move on to Zodiac or whatever.

[sdreid]

Hi DG,

I don't know much about Mary Meyer. The Original Night Stalker is certainly one of those cases that has the potential to develop its own momentum with the phone call, surviving victims, large number of murder victims and all the evidence but to no avail. A good movie about the case could thrust this killer into legendary prominence I think.

[Doppelganger]

i voted for zodic but the Mary Meyer case & Original Night Stalker case also interest me:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_Night_Stalker

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/death12.htm

[sdreid]

If it's still unsolved, I wonder if JtR will still be #1 one hundred years from now or if something like Zodiac or some case that hasn't even occurred yet will take its place.

[Malcolm X]

Zodiac would be interesting

[robhouse]

I think the jonbenet ramsey case is pretty interesting...

[sdreid]

I wonder if it's a coincidence that the two most "popular" listed cases just happen to be the two cases most recently depicted in a movie.

[sdreid]

It might be interesting to know why a certain case interests you more than other unsolved cases.

[sdreid]

BTW - The 1971 book naming Sullivan as the killer was Lizzie Borden, the Untold Story by Edward Radin.

[BLUE WIZZARD]

sdreid,

You have really got my curiosity up now, I'm going to read the trial transcript and get back to you.

BW

[sdreid]

Hi Blue,

I think Lizzie probably did it but that opinion is not unanimous. The TV program I first saw mostly accused Sullivan and gave mistreatment as the motive. I haven't read Radin's Book but he blames Bridgette as well.

[BLUE WIZZARD]

sdreid,

What motive would Bridgette Sullivan have to kill Mr & Mrs Borden?

Lizzy Borden had a hatred of her father and step mother to kill them both.

Hatred for her father more than her step mother.

BW

[sdreid]

Nor did I really consider cases where a conviction is nonexistent but were there is virtually no doubt as to the perpetrator, such as Belle Gunness and Eugene Butler.

I don't consider L. Borden to be in that category because many accounts have been written pointing the finger of suspicion at other suspects, most notably the maid Bridgette Sullivan.