Method Behind The ‘Madness’

There are a fair few theories surrounding Jack the Ripper suspects,  and a further list of victims. However, today, we will look at the nature of the killings. Not why the Ripper targeted this demographic, mind you, but more how the prostitutes were murdered and the reasons behind this.

The Whitechapel Murders of Jack the Ripper offers a sustainable theory, to say the least, which we will discuss in this article.

The Nature of the Killings

So, we know some of the victims were strangled to near death, and their throats were slit. This isn’t to forget the ghastly mutilation that followed. But why did the Ripper cease asphyxiation before leaving his victims to die of blood loss?

Well, the site mentioned above claims that if the Ripper’s victims had, in fact, died of strangulation, when the incision in their throats was made, the blood would drain only due to gravity. Instead, by keeping the prostitutes alive, the heart continued pumping blood around the body, causing significant blood loss, arguably a lot faster.

Also, by strangling the victims first until they were unconscious, it allowed the serial killer to move them into the correct position and the blood to flow in a different direction, to ensure the culprit walks away clean of blood.

This may have been the Ripper’s ticket to success in terms of avoiding the authorities.

But why would staying clean and a body drained of blood be so important? Well, to begin with, draining the body of most of its blood ensures the killer can remove organs without being covered; this makes sense if this was the intention of Jack the Ripper all along.

Secondly, being completely clean of any blood splatters enabled the killer to escape with ease, without attracting any unwanted attention from the public and those who found the victims.

This is just a small insight into the  method behind the Ripper’s ‘madness’ – if he was, well and truly, mad at all. For more information, please feel free to join us on our Jack the Ripper walking tour based in the East End of London!