Blogs

It has been almost 130 years since the ghastly and gruesome murders of women in the East End of London took place, all at the hands of someone who has now become one of the most mysterious and notorious killers of all time. The reign of terror that autumn was one that gripped our nation’s capital and then as quick as he appeared, he was gone.

Jack the Ripper was dubbed the world’s first serial killer and, even today, is considered one of the most well-known names in true crime history. Surrounded by notoriety and a lack of experience and precedence from the police, the killer disappeared without a trace and was never caught. The families of the Whitechapel murders never saw justice.

We might never know who killed those women, or we could have known it all along – nestled in amongst all the Jack the Ripper theories there could be a stone cold killer staring us in the face.

Having inspired popular culture over the last century, many confuse the very real crimes of Jack the Ripper with the fictional tales of Hannibal Lecter and the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.  A serial killer of such magnitude evading police capture is unheard of these days, but for those that are aware of how real these murders were, the Jack the Ripper theories are well and truly alive and kicking.

With hundreds of suspects questioned and the police still baffled, criminal profiles worked today can merely point towards who the Ripper might have been, but unfortunately, we are likely to never know the truth. Regardless, the Jack the Ripper theories still come in, thick and fast.

Some of the most popular Ripper theories include:

• The Royal Ripper – the grandson of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert Victor was believed to have caught syphilis from a prostitute and sought revenge in a fit of infection induced rage. The fact the Ripper was never caught is believed to have been down to a cover up due to his status
• The Ripper Doctor – Anyone who killed the way the Ripper did surely must have had medical knowledge or training. This theory is also linked to royalty; however, in this case, it is believed that Prince Albert married a prostitute and the queen wanted those in the know taken care of – by family physician Sir William Gull
• Painting the Ripper – a 19th century painter Walter Sickert was fascinated by the Ripper killings and went on to paint many of the crime scenes with surprising accuracy. Patricia Cornwell backs this theory, stating that the ripper letters sent to police and the media were on paper Sickert used, and was produced by his father making it highly uncommon
• The Business Man Ripper – A series of murders in Texas were remarkably similar to the Ripper killings, even down to the fact the killer was never caught. A travelling merchant, James Maybrick, was present in both cities when the murders took place

While these handful of Jack the ripper theories are certainly interesting, there are much more. Perhaps you have your own theory?

Join us on our daily tour and share your theorem with like-minded individuals, Ripperologists and true crime expects alike.