Is there a criminal profile of Jack the Ripper?

Answer 1

Yes. Using modern criminal profiling can narrow the list of most common suspects and shed new light on the killer. Starting with what most people think was the first victim, Maryann Nichols (aka Polly). This was probably not the Ripper's first victim. This was almost without a doubt a white male, early to later 20's in age. He most likely had an above average IQ, possibly genius. He most certainly had a strong hatred of women and anyone else that did not meet is intellectual level. He had a strong contempt for authority figures (police). Although no proof of rape was present these crimes were sexual in nature. The killer probably did not know the victims, and they may have been chosen at random, the wrong place at the wrong time. The east end prostitutes made an easy target.

There seems to be a lot of dispute on the age of the Ripper. Most people think of him as an older man. These crimes were very daring and risky. Someone in their 20's is more likely to take chances like this than someone in their 30's or 40's. We all get more cautious with age. He had physical strength and knew the east end of London very well. He was able to escape undetected because he knew all the nooks and crannies of Whitechapel and Spittelfields.

There is also no evidence that the Ripper was educated as a doctor. He may have had a general knowledge of basic anatomy, which could have been learned by anyone who could read. There were anatomy books that were easy to obtain even in the Victorian era. I think some suspects can be ruled out.

The queen's doctor for one. Sir William Gull was 70 years old at the time of the murders. He was recovering from a stroke that left his right side weak. It is highly unlikely a partially paralyzed 70 year old was roaming the dark streets of Whitechapel hacking prostitutes to pieces. The next is the Queen's grandson Prince Albert. He was a timid, quite person, sometimes described as meek. And at the time of several of the murders he was not even in the country. Sir William Gull, the coachman Netley, and the Duke of Clarence were named as suspects by author Stephen Knight, whom fabricated evidence in his books or falsified information in order to promote his own theory that the Whitechapel murderer was a Freemason.

James Maybrick is next. He was a British business man and an arsenic addict. He was in his 50's at the time of the murders and was suffering physical problems due to his addiction.

Aaron Kosminski seems more likely than most of the above suspects but Kosminski, though he had great contempt for women, truly was mentally ill. Aaron Kosminski was not Jack the Ripper. Though Scotland Yard recently named this man as the Whitechaple murderer, the evidence pointing to him as the killer does not substantiate the claim. Kosminksi was in a state mental institution at the time of the Francis Cole slaying. In addition, the medical evidence shows that Kosminski was likely to have been autistic as well as mentally incapacitated. This being the case, he clearly could not have been the Whitechapel murderer based on three factors. 1) As an autistic, Kosminski would have been incapable of interacting on a social level with the victims the way Jack the Ripper was known to have done. 2) Mentally incapacitated, Kosminski would not have had the anatomical knowledge displayed by the Ripper and 3) Kosminski fit none of the descriptions given by the witnesses. Despite Scotland Yard's aggrandizement that they have solved the case, they have named the wrong man. Kosminski is cleared.

The Ripper may have been suffering from APD (anti-social personality disorder) but he was not insane. The Ripper's crimes took a steady hand and a clear head. I think we have ruled out a Jill the Ripper.

Then there is George Chapman, and he was in fact hung for murdering several of his wives or girlfriends. Chapman poisoned his victims. Chapman remains a person of interest because he lived in the Whitechapel district during the time of the murders, he had anatomical knowledge, and he very closely resembles the description of the man seen with victim Mary Kelly. Many would posit that he could not have been the killer because he poisoned his victims; however, killers often change their methodologies either due to curiosity or to avoid detection. Chapman remains a very definite maybe.

And lastly there is Druitt. He committed suicide in the Thames River at about the time of Mary Kelly's murder. Druitt was a suspected homosexual that had been dismissed from his teaching position at a private boys academy, most likely for inappropriate behavior toward his male students. The Ripper might have been a lot of things but he was most likely not a homosexual. These crimes were committed by a heterosexual white male. This may not tell us who the Ripper was but it helps to tell us who he was not.

Answer 2

Criminal signature is a behavior or pattern of behaviors that the criminal does above and beyond what is needed to carry out the crime. The taking of trophies is considered by some to be 'signature' behaviour. For Jack The Ripper the taking of trophies was part of his unique signature. Arranging or staging some of the crime scenes was also signature behaviour. An example would be the Annie Chapman crime scene. The killer arranged some coins and other small items of the victim's at her feet in a way that was clear to police that they were put there in that way for a purpose. Of course only the killer would know what purpose arranging these items in this particular way meant. It was something the Ripper did beyond what was necessary to carry out the crime.

The MO, or modis operandi, can change and evolve with each murder, but the signature behaviour will remain the same throughout. This is clear when looking at the Ripper's killings over time. As is common in serial killings, the brutality of the crimes escalated over time. As did the frequency of the killings. And the way he carried out the murders, throats cut first from behind and then mutilation of the bodies is the Ripper's MO. From the murder of Martha Tabram to Mary Kelly's death, his technique got more brutal and frenzied. This is the difference of MO and signature.