Whitechapel Ripper Whitechapel’s streets are stained. Stained with blood as crimson as red stuff. In 1888, a mysterious man donned the name “Jack the Ripper” and proceeded to haunt Whitechapel, London. He was the hunter, and the shadowy streets were his hunting ground. Leaving only three letters--were they really his?—Saucy Jack remains one of the most intriguing serial killers of all time. The utmost important thing to consider when profiling a serial killer is his modus operandi. Jack the Ripper commonly hunted a specific selection of victims: middle-aged women that worked in the prostitution business. His victims all shared similar traits such as age, occupation, marital status, family life, and relationship patterns. The first of the victims was a forty-four year old prostitute by the name of Mary Nichols, who was murdered on the night of August 31st, 1888. Compared to the next woman, Nichols lacerations were barely mild. Coining the term Ripper for a reason, Jack slit the throat of all his victims to disable them from calling for any help. As the pile of victims …show more content…
The deterioration of his syntax and the increasing violence of the murders proves that Jack the Ripper’s mental state was shifting into a less coherent form. It became more bestial and animalistic, similar to his writing. Regardless of the writing, all three letters still maintain a tone of arrogance, but with each letter, it sounds more sadistic and less personal. Unlike most serial killers, save the Zodiac, the Ripper uses letters to keep in touch with authorities, only to taunt them even further. Not only did the Ripper harass the authorities, he deceived them into spreading his notoriety. Fame. Notoriety and thrill were Jack’s drive. Eventually, the officials posted his letters to the public, only to inadvertently create a more sustainable reputation as London’s most fanatic