Join Julia (NoTrueLady), Thomas (FTWard) and Bina007 in the second part of their investigations into the Whitechapel Murders of 1888. In this part, they discuss the main serious suspects in the Jack the Ripper case, some crackpot theories, and the cultural impact of the murders.
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Further reading on Jack the Ripper:
[Paul Begg’s book] A concise rundown of the facts with no spurious finger-pointing
[Emily Marsh] The woman who might’ve spoken to the author of the From Hell letter
[The Crawford Letter] The letter that mentions that Druitt’s family consider him to be the killer
[The Kosminski book] The best researched book making the case against Kosminski
[The Devil and the White City] A superb book on H H Holmes and the 1893 Chicago World Fair
Cultural echoes:
[Pandora’s Box] The 1929 Louise Brooks movie in which Lulu is killed by Jack The Ripper
[Penny Dreadful] The contemporary TV show featuring Jack the Ripper as one of many aspects of gruesome Victoriana
[The Crimson Petal and the White] Michel Faber explores everything bizarre about Victorian attitudes toward women, sex and prostitutes
Vassals of Kingsgrave 
Hi guys, I really enjoyed listening to the Ripper podcasts. However, I have to take issue with your characterisation of many of the suspects as ‘mentally ill’, ‘possibly schizophrenic’ or ‘listening to the voices’. From my reading on serial killers, most are perfectly ‘sane’ psychopaths, -organised and logical in getting their jollies from hurting and killing others. Most people with serious psychosis are simply not rational or organised enough to evade detection for any length of time. Your appear to be perpetuating the myth that mentally ill people are naturally violent and dangerous because of their illness, this is not true. Of course most psychopaths are not serial killers either, they are bankers and business people- ruthless and self absorbed in a different way.
Hey breness,
Great comment!
I am pretty limited to undergrad Psych classes but I just wanted to say I do not think any of us meant to imply that people suffering from mental illness are inherently violent or dangerous.
I specifically mentioned “listening to voices”, though I don’t believe I stated it, in context of Aaron Kosminski as a suspect.
We know from his asylum records that he suffered from aural hallucinations and was directed by voices. For example they told him to refuse food and eat scraps out of the gutter. I did argue that it was possible that earlier in 1888 it his mind may have been more organized and rational.
My preferred suspect is Druitt. I did say that he had a history of mental illness and suicide in his family. IF he was the killer, I would expect that on the surface at least he was outwardly perfectly “sane”.
I would not feel comfortable presenting myself as someone that knows how a serial killer’s mind works and I hope I did not come off as such or in any way offend anyone on this issue.
Thanks for listening!