How Jack the Ripper Became the Most Famous Serial Killer

Though his story is true, Jack the Ripper tale is really the stuff that legends are made of. And, though his crimes are not particularly especially unique, or more horrific than other serial killers since, he remains the most famous serial killer of all time.

Jack the Ripper wasn’t the only serial killer to target prostitutes. Robert Pickton, who most people have never heard of, killed more than 60 prostitutes; compared to Jack the Ripper’s five to eleven. Prostitutes, in fact, are some of the most targeted victims of serial killers. This is often because they are so easy to pick up, and because they often won’t be reported as missing for quite some time.

And, Jack the Ripper’s murders aren’t the only unsolved serial killer crimes, either. The Zodiac Killer, who terrorized northern California during the late 1970s, has never been found, and there are certainly other serial killers that have never been brought to justice.

Jack the Ripper’s murders were savage – but no more so than other serial killers like Ted Bundy, who decapitate several of his victims and kept their heads as souvenirs in his apartment. Bundy also admitted to visiting his victims’ bodies at the dump site after death, applying makeup to them and having sex with them until their remains became too decomposed to do so.

Jack the Ripper terrorized London during 1988. The exact number of women he killed is unknown. He killed in the White Chapel area of London, which was a known area of violence and prostitution. Though he may have killed more women; five victims are referred to as the canonical 5. These five murders are presumed to have been committed by the same perpetrator because of the similarity of the crimes. There were eleven total murders during the time; but most experts believe the other six were killed by other murderers and are not likely linked.

The five women attributed for certain to Jack the Ripper were all killed by a cut throat, and all suffered abdominal mutilations. Three had organs removed.

Jack the Ripper has become the most famous serial killer, likely for several reasons. The first is that the media and the public became so fascinated by the murders. The name “Jack the Ripper” came from a letter sent to the police in which the supposed murderer identified himself this way. However, the letter has been determined a hoax, and may even have been sent by a member of the media to try and bring further attention to the story. Yet the name “Jack the Ripper” was solidified as the murderer’s moniker.

The virtual intractability of the murders also contributed to the hype. Over time, a list of more than 100 names has been accumulated of possible suspects. However, police were never even close to charging anyone.

Finally, the fact that the murderer seemed to appear out of the fog, under cover of night, to kill quickly and then to vanish also fueled the stories and the mystery that surrounds the crimes.

In spite of the fact that these murders are not by any means the most horrific or unique in serial killer history, Jack the Ripper appears to be forever locked in our history as the world’s most famous “boogeyman”.

Phyl Zerkle writes on enrolling in a master in forensic science program.