Jack the Ripper

Lexi Barton
Criminology 112

Summer 2016

SKF 1

Jack the Ripper is known to be both one of the most famous and infamous serial killers in the world. Jack the Ripper was thought to have as many as 11 victims, five of which were confirmed. His victims were all lower class women from a bad neighborhood who had turned to prostitution. The first of his victims was Mary Ann Nichols, age 43, in the year of 1888; she had been found in the street by police where she laid dead with her throat slashed and her abdomen wounded. Nine days later police found the dead body of another prostitute from White Chaple, Annie Chapman, age 47, throat slashed and body mutilated just like Jack's first victim Mary. The next two women's lives were both stolen from them on September 30th 1888 just hours apart. The first of the two that Jack the Ripper had robbed of life that night was Elizabeth Stride, age 45, found in a yard but unlike the others her body was not mutilated and led to doubts about his responsibility. An hour later police found his fourth prey in the city of London, body mutilated just like the first two, Catherine Eddowes, age 46, laid with her womb and kidney cut out. At this point all of his prey similarities; they were all in their mid to late 40's, they had all been married or in long term relationships, three of the four women had children and they all had taken part in prostitution. The fifth and last confirmed prey however did not completely fit the profile. Mary Jane Kelly was only age 24, a single widow with no children but had to turn to prostitution in order to pay her bills. She was found inside her room by her landlord’s assistant on November 9th, a gory scene, her body was brutally mutilated and strewn apart and could only be identified by her hair and eye color. Jack clearly victimized these women because they were prostitutes. The “less dead” is a term that criminologist Dr. Steven Egger coined to try explain the phenomenon of all or most victims of serial killers, most being marginalized people in society, “throw-aways”, often vunerable victims such as runaways, elderly, injured, single women, and even prostitutes. That being said, one could consider these five women “less dead” by Dr. Steven Egger’s definition because they were prostitutes who were a lower part of society.