Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - Jack the Ripper Special - Pt. 1

Episode Date: November 7, 2017

He's the world's most famous killer. But how could a series of crimes committed in a few weeks in 1888 still be so famous nearly 130 years after the fact? In the first episode of this special series, Unsolved Murders Hosts Carter and Wenndy join Serial Killers hosts Greg and Vanessa to explore the most infamous anonymous killer the world has ever known: Jack the Ripper.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Eight little whores with no hope of heaven. Gladstone may save one, then there'll be seven. Seven little whores begging for a shilling. One stays in Hennig court, then there's a killing. Six little whores glad to be alive. One sidles up to jillings. Jack, then there are five.

Four and whore rhyme, all right. So do three and me. I'll set the town alight, ere there are two. Two little whores, shivering with fright. Seek a cozy doorway in the middle of the night. Jack's knife flashes, then there's but one. And the last one's the ripest for Jack's idea of fun. You know where he lurked.

Can you spare some change? You know whom he killed. Fancy a drink, love? You know what he did. You even know him by name. The Ripper strikes again! But what you don't know is what troubles he most. Who was he?

And why did he do it? Like many before us, we will embark on an odyssey of investigation into the slayings of history's most notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper. But that's not all. We will also explore the psychology behind his actions, some of the most gruesome murders known to mankind. We can speculate with some authority to try to understand his motivations

and perhaps what catalyzed them. His story of terror is dense, yet his actual crime spree was short-lived. Experts have deduced that he was only active as a serial killer for 10 weeks. murdering at least five women, all sex workers, from August to October of 1888 in and around Whitechapel, England, one of the most miserable and destitute slums of Victorian Europe. This time frame is comparatively shorter than that of other famous serial killers. Perhaps that's one of the reasons he remains such a notable figure of unbridled evil in darkness, the damage he was able to inflict in only a few months.

That and the social and cultural maelstrom he left in his life. wake, which continues in spirit to this day. Jack the Ripper has become such a symbolic force in history and in popular culture that he has risen to nearly mythological proportions. As society continues to give life to his violent and macabre story, we strengthen its lasting power, proving, once and for all, the eternal draw of the serial killer. Hello, and welcome to a dual edition of Unsolved Murder's True Crime Stories and Serial Killers. You're listening to the first episode of our three-part Jack the Ripper special. I'm Carter Roy.

And I'm Wendy McKenzie. We host Unsolved Murders each week. For the serial killers fans out there, Unsolved Murders is a modern twist on old-time radio that delves into the mysteries of true cold cases and unsolved murders. If you haven't heard it yet, you can listen and subscribe on your favorite podcast directory. Well, I've certainly listened and subscribed. I'm Greg Paulson, host of serial killers. And I'm Vanessa Richardson, the other host of serial killers.

Every week our podcast glimpses into the minds, methods, and madness of the most notorious serial killers. Subscribe and listen as Greg talks listeners through the life and crimes of a serial killer every week. And my partner in crime, Vanessa, provides psychological analysis. This week, Vanessa is the psychological voice as we try to pull back the cerebral layers of Jack the Ripper and attempt to pinpoint his motivations. It's important to note that Vanessa is not a psychologist or psychiatrist herself, but has done a plethora research on this subject. Especially this subject, Jack the Ripper has fascinated me for years,

and I can't wait to dig into the inner workings of his twisted psyche. You're not alone, Vanessa. In fact, a cult following has developed around the story of Jack the Ripper, which has given birth to a technical term for those who investigate his crimes. You mean ripperologists? That's right. Ripperologists. Those who study the White Chapel murders

can range from serious scholars looking to unmask the killer once and for all to those who just consider themselves Jack the Ripper enthusiasts. I suppose we fall somewhere in the middle? I don't know. I like to think of myself as a serious scholar of the macabre. Regardless, we can't examine Jack the Ripper

without understanding the time in which he lived. And more importantly, the setting of his vicious and terrifying crimes. So travel back with us to the year 1888. Victorian England. Queen Victoria, the woman who redefined the English monarchy, had been ruling for over 50 years. And believe it or not, she would actually play a role

in the Jack the Ripper investigation in its later stages. Royal England, however, was a far cry away from where this story takes place, White Chapel, London, part of a region known as East End. Whatever darkest terrors lurked in your childhood nightmares could never compare to the daily reality of this area. unbelievable poverty, rampant crime, a plethora of diseases. The slums of East End were like

hell on earth, and in the winter, not nearly as warm. The infant fatality rate was staggering. 55% of children died before the age of five. Life was literally a daily battle for survival. The streets were unbearably wet, cold, noisy, and full of treacherous threats. cops would only venture these streets in groups, no less than four people at a time. That's how dangerous it was. Women had to adapt to the violence and become quite hardened and brutal themselves.

In fact, most, if not all, would carry guns and knives when going out at night. In quite the brave new world. While the English climate was moist and dank, the social climate of East End wasn't much better. Tensions were constantly in the air as stifling as the putrid scent of horse droppings and body. An influx of Jewish immigrants into the region began a trend of xenophobia as well as anti-Semitism.

Many British locals feared the outsider but also hated him. And there was a societal belief at the time within England that because Jewish immigrants accepted less money for jobs that they were taking all the opportunities from their English neighbors. The bottom line was, no matter who you were, native or immigrant, life was fairly miserable. And this was before an unbridled psychopath terrorized the streets of Whitechapel. Considering this place was so atrocious, I wonder, Vanessa, what was the psychological impact of this milieu? I mean, could Jack have been a product of his environment and just acting out as a response to it? That's very possible.

But then we have to assume that Jack emerged from this environment. We're not positive he even lived in East End. There are theories that Jack was actually an upper-class citizen who lived outside of White Chappell. but traveled there to snare his victims more easily in the slums, where policing was lax and it was basically a criminal free-for-all. But there's also a theory that he lived very close to the locations of his kills. Within the last few years, crime experts have used a computer algorithm and geographical profiling to try to pinpoint the location of Jack the Ripper's home.

Wow. They can do that? Apparently, yes. They use Jack's movements around East End to come up with the hypothesis that he lived at Flower and Dean Street, smack in the middle of the slum region of Whitechaple. That's incredible. Dr. Kim Rosmo, who used to work for the Canadian police force, led this digital age investigation and came up with this conclusion. Here's a direct quote. I would be very surprised indeed if the Ripper had not had some involvement with Flower and Dean

Street. He might have lived there, drank there, picked up prostitutes there. He might have even had a relative there. There's a high chance it was within his area of activity. This would make sense for another reason, what criminologists deem the serial killer's comfort zone. This refers to the concept that killers tend to kill where they feel most comfortable. This may mean in close proximity to their homes or where most of their day-to-day activity

takes place. In other words, their first instinct is to hunt in territory they know best. It gives a sense of confidence, whereas a new or foreign environment may make the killer feel like he or she is not in control. Okay, that makes a lot of sense. So for arguments sake, let's say Jack was indeed from East End. How would that impact him emotionally and psychologically? Well, if you witness the daily struggles firsthand, such as poverty, disease, crime, and, let's

face it, utter hopelessness, this could translate into a strong and desperate desire for a better life. This could mean desire for more money, more comfortable living arrangements, more opportunities. This discontent, which starts as a desire for something one doesn't have, festeres and turns into anger and resentment. If he didn't have an outlet for these emotions, such as drinking or fighting, or even positive outlets like art or writing, he may have channeled all this rage and aggression into its most violent form, murder. Grotesque, brutal, almost savage-like murder. We can't ignore the fact that newspapers in circulation referred to East End as the Abyss.

and had been doing so for some time. This place was one of the most dreadful and crime-ridden areas. And there wasn't much reprieve from it. Except what I already mentioned, drinking and fighting. These were daily rituals for EastEnders. Yes, like Starbucks in contemporary America, a myriad of local pubs dotted the street corners, offering cold beer and cheap gin.

That's right. Although money was scarce, the gin was plenty. And people often wasted what little coin they had on this stiff nectar. The more people drank, the more their tensions and desperation bubbled to the surface, which manifested in constant violence. And there wasn't much solace away from these threats. Most residents didn't own or rent property. They rented beds.

Buildings, known as lodging or Doss houses, lined the streets offering twin beds to sleep in. And I'm guessing these beds weren't of the postropedic variety. Hardly. The word soft and clean do not come to mind when pictures. these beds. Because most inhabitants couldn't afford a room or an entire flat, they spend each day trying to scrounge up enough money for a meal and a stiff drink, and somewhere to lay their heads at night. The poorest of the poor, who couldn't even afford to rent a bed, were given the cheapest

option to sleep upright standing against a rope tied across a wall. What? I'd never be able to sleep standing up. You say that now, but if you were tired enough. You're probably right. Families who could afford a place to rent stayed in single-room flats that measured about 10 by 12 feet. Sometimes, as many as nine people lived in this claustrophobic space. Well, where would they sleep? Right there in the room. Probably piled onto each other like a wolf pack to keep warm. Where would they eat?

That same room. And sometimes, if the parents worked from home, they'd use a section of the room as a workspace. It's almost unimaginable. This was the common existence for most people in East End. Yeah, jobs were limited, times were desperate, so it's no surprise that women turned to sex work. It's the cold night. I got something that can make you warmer. It's estimated that out of over 450,000 people in East End, there were about 1,200 sex workers working during the time.

Jack the Ripper began his killing spree. But he was about to make a small dent in that number, a dent that would leave a lasting impression. It's important to note that there are actually 10 murders that can be attributed to Jack the Ripper, but there are only five that have been deemed canonical. This means that researchers believe that these murders were committed by one man known as Jack the Ripper, whereas the other murders could have been Jack or other killers entirely. For the purpose of this series, we'll be focusing on the canonical five victims, as they're known. But before we meet Jack's victims, let's explore the geography of East End.

This element proved very integral to Jack's slings and how he carried them out with such dexterity and efficiency. The maze-like complexity of East End streets and alleyways, most notably its tiny passageways between lodging houses and shops, made it easy for him to carry out his killings and sneak out undetected. That makes me wonder, do we think he improvised his escapes, or did he know the blueprint of the area like the back of his hand and planned accordingly? Very interesting thought. Like had he studied them beforehand, or was he lucky simply weaving in and out of alleyways heavily veiled by the cloak of night? Well, I'd like to think he knew his way around the city to some degree. But when it actually came time to evading detection, there was some thrill of having to think on his feet as he turned a corner or slid through a passageway. But it's hard to say for sure. Regardless, he accomplished what he set out to do. We'll return to our story in just a moment from the Parkast Network.

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Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right. And now back to our story. Jack's first of his five victims was Mary Ann Nichols. Nichols was 43 years old and a mere five foot two inches.

She had dark skin, brown eyes, and dark hair, speckled with gray. She was the daughter of a blacksmith and apparently was fairly close to her father. In 1864, she married a printer named William Nichols and eventually bore him five children. However, the two separated on and off until they finally called it quits in 1880. Apparently, their woes stem from Mary's love of alcohol, which her father acknowledged as well. Once she split from her husband, she abandoned the rest of the family too and began working at Lambeth Workhouse. Workhouses such as this one were established in the Elizabethan era and existed to provide food and shelter for the destitute, elderly, and ill, in return for unpaid work. However, by 1887, Nichols was no longer at Lambeth.

Instead, she was broken homeless, which led to night sleeping in Trafalgar Square. She was eventually sent back to Lambeth, where she met the matron of the workhouse, who found her a respectable job as a domestic servant at an estate in the country. This was a huge opportunity and step up for Nichols. However, it wasn't long that Nichols took a different path. She stole expensive clothing from her employers and fled. And she was soon back in East End, sharing a rented room with three other women and soliciting herself for money.

August 30th, 1888. It was a day like any other, except for a particularly tumultuous case of lightning and rain, which colored the afternoon skies of bleak gray. It's hard to say what Nichols did that day and night when she walked the streets of East End, but based on her track record, we can assume she engaged in some quality drinking. By 12.30 a.m. the next morning, August 31st, Nichols was seen leaving a pub called the Friing Pan. She made her way to a lodging house where, once inside, she warmed herself by a fire. You'll have to pay for a bed if you want to stay by that fire.

I'm afraid I'm a bit short today. Well then, you'll have to find a house that accepts a smile instead. Move along now. Oh, I'll soon get my Doss money. See what a jolly bonnet I've got now. Oh, it's a fine hat. Now off you go. Nichols left the lodging house and began walking the streets again, stumbling a bit of

bit from her many drinks at the pub. Once at the corner of Osborne Street and Whitechapel Road, Nichols rested against the wall of a grocery store. At this point, her friend and roommate, a woman by the name of Emily Holland, approached Nichols. She told her to go back to the lodging house and talk the house deputy into letting her stay, but Nichols refused. How'd just to soon find a gentleman willing to offer the necessary funds? And so, Nichols and Holland parted ways. Right before Nichols, ventured onto a path off the main road, where she was hoping to find an eager customer.

But what she found was much more horrific. 3.40 a.m. Charles Cross was walking to work. It was still dark a couple hours before sunrise, and something caught his eye, a bundled up tarp. But as he approached, it soon became apparent. That's not what he was seeing. Dear God, come and look over here.

There's a woman. I believe she. She's dead. No, I can feel something. I think she's breathing, but it's very little if she is. No, I don't think so. There's not much to do. We should find a constable then.

This way. Only a few minutes after the two men left, police constable John Neal on patrol approached the scene. He kneeled down to inspect the body and discovered something the other two men hadn't. The woman's throat had been slit. A moment later, another constable walked by. John? For God's sake, go fetch a doctor.

Eventually a doctor arrived and examined the body briefly and then had Nichols taken to the morgue. A spot of congealed blood from the neck wound had slowly moved towards the gutter at a slug's pace until it was washed away by a neighbor's son. Little did they know how much blood was about to run through these streets. The murder of Marianne Nichols was mild in nature compared to Jack's future victims, but it started the conversation. This was the first sex worker that would die at the hands of Jack the Ripper. It's a common question because we can't help but wonder. Why did Jack target sex workers? Well, Greg, one major theory is that he wanted to rid society of this form of sexual corruption.

He didn't morally agree with women selling themselves for money. In fact, it may have disgusted him so much that he took to killing them. Like a vigilante trying to remove a black mark from society's scorecard, he took it upon himself. to eliminate one form of evil from the earth. So that's one theory. Yes. The second theory is more general. He had an urge to kill, and his easiest targets were sex workers.

Why? It's simple. These women were voluntarily venturing into dark alleyways and corners to conduct their business. They needed the dimly lit spaces and privacy to commit their sexual acts. Imagine Jack accepting a sex worker's solicitations. She thinks she's in control, leading him into the doctor. darkness. But in reality, she is actually making herself more vulnerable in creating her own snare, allowing him to strike when she's most unprepared. Now, this theory, although it's interesting

and certainly seems to play a role in the narrative of the killings, feels a little unsatisfying. I agree. Jack was probably much more complex than that. This brings me to the third theory, which revolves around the psychological concept known as mother hate. We know that childhood plays a pivotal role in shaping an individual. And where does childhood begin? With the mother. She literally brings a person into being, into the world, and has the closest relationship with her child in the majority of cases. So the way a mother treats her child, specifically her son, greatly affects how he will view himself, the opposite sex, and the world as a whole. If a mother or mother figure treated her son poorly, let's say with physical or sexual abuse to go to one extreme, there is a

strong possibility that this child would develop a powerful hatred and resentment toward his mother. And that's where it starts, but hardly where it ends. This mother hate can balloon out to include hatred of all women in general. Crime writer Stephen Michaud refers to this as malignant misogyny. Every female in existence becomes just an extension of the mother the child so vehemently despises. And the same goes for women who were mistreated by their fathers. When these women grow up, men become the end. And many of the abused girls either avoid men completely or take out their anger by sexually exploiting men in an eternal quest for power or control.

This idea of mother hate was a very popular theory when discussing Jack the Ripper's intention to kill sex workers. And it makes sense because we don't know exactly who Jack the Ripper was. We have to speculate. We can propose that maybe he had a terrible and dysfunctional relationship with his mother and began a killing spree spree as a symbolic way to get revenge on her. Because his victims were specifically sex workers, and not just women in general, say, from different occupations, we can also infer that Jack may have had a sexually confusing relationship with his mother.

What do you mean by that? Well, maybe she abused him sexually, or maybe he was attracted to her, which hypersexualized him too early. If he had these inappropriate feelings for her, they could have transformed into guilt. You're not supposed to love your mother like that. that. And so he began a cycle of trying to destroy over and over again his mother or what she

did to him or what he consented to do with her. The Jack the Ripper FBI profile conducted many years later in 1988 alludes to this idea of a dysfunctional relationship with his mother. It states, quote, he came from a family where he was raised by a domineering mother and a weak, passive, and or absent father. In all likelihood, his mother drank heavily. His mother drank heavily. and had enjoyed the company of many men. As a result, he had failed to receive consistent care and contact with stable adult role models. The fact that 100 years later, the FBI was still investigating the case is incredible. And lucky for us, we can use this profile of the killer,

continually adding to it as we go to help us decide the identity of Jack the Ripper. Yes. Now, one interesting thing to note about that excerpt from the FBI profile is a suggestion that his mother was an alcoholic. As we'll come to discover, all of Jack's victims had a history of excessive drinking, which caused them many problems in life. It's fair to say that drinking was common in the London slums in the late 19th century, but I think it's also important to note that Jack's victims all had become slaves to the substance, even before they were sex workers living in the East End.

So maybe he targeted his specific victims because they shared the alcoholic trait like his mother? It's certainly possible. Well, now that Jack has... had one murder under his belt, he was ready for another. And this time, the unfortunate victim was Annie Chapman. Chapman was born in 1841, which would make her 47. She was the illegitimate child of a soldier named George Smith and a woman named Ruth Chapman. In 1869, Annie Chapman actually married one of her mother's distant relatives,

a coachman named John Chapman. When John acquired a job working for a wealthy couple who lived in a lavish mansion, he and Annie stayed on the estate grounds in an apartment above the stables. But it didn't take long before Annie developed a pesky drinking habit. This created problems for her husband, whose job it was to interact with and serve the wealthy elite. Eventually, her habit escalated. She was arrested several times and known throughout the area as a drunk. It became too much for John to bear, so he and Annie separated.

She went to London, leaving her two children with John, who sent her a weekly allowance, so she could get by. But in 1886, the allowance stopped. Annie's husband had died. And now she was truly on her own. For a while, she tried to survive by selling flowers on the streets or doing whatever crochet work she could get. But it wasn't enough.

So she turned to sex work. The days leading up to Chapman's death are well documented. A couple of nights before her murder, she had gotten into a fight with a woman by the name of Eliza Cooper. Chapman left with a black eye. Then she spent the next day with one of her regulars, a laborer by the name of Ted Stanley. The following day, she wasn't feeling well

and procured some pain pills that she wrapped up in a small piece of paper. She shared a drink with a painter named William Stevens and then took to the streets to find some money for a bed that night. She was last seen heading towards a church. What the hell? When a man by the name of John Davis stepped outside as a part,

department that morning. He discovered Annie Chapman, slumped next to a dilapidated fence. She was dead and her body was badly mutilated. Please be advised that the following information is disturbing and intended for mature audiences only. Like Nichols, Chapman's throat had been slit, almost down to the spine. But there was more. Her stomach had been opened with a knife. Her intestines were removed and strewn over her shoulder. Her uterus was missing and so were parts of her vagina. vagina and bladder. The killer had most likely taken the body parts when he left. When Chapman was examined, her swollen face and protruding tongue suggested that she had been suffocated before her throat had been slit. When detectives came to the scene, they questioned the neighbors and other citizens. Elizabeth Long,

who worked at Spittlefield's Market, reported what she had seen. It was about 5.30 in the morning because I had just heard the clock from the brewery chime. I looked up, and I saw a man and a woman talking. Can you describe the man? It was hard to see him. He was facing the other direction. But I did manage to get a look at his profile. And?

He was dark. A foreigner, I think. And his clothes? He wore a brown, deer-stalker hat, and a dark coat. How was his appearance? Fairly genteel. And his age? Oh, I don't know.

Maybe 40? Is there anything else you can tell me? Well, they were talking first. What were they talking about? Not sure. All I heard was a man say, will you? And the woman answered him with a simple, yes. Chapman was taken to the mortuary where she was examined by the reputable Dr. George Bagster Phillips.

There is much bruising about the face. These bruises around the eyes are older. These on the chin and sides of the jaw are fresh. The murderer must have held the victim's chin to push back the head, so he was able to make the incision across the throat. Her swollen face and extended tongue suggests suffocation prior to the incision. Can you estimate the time of death? Due to rigor mortars, I would say she has been dead for at least two hours.

All right? These incisions are... What? Well, they were made very cleanly. Almost expert, I'd venture to say. I think whoever did this has a fair amount of anatomical knowledge. What are you saying? He could be a doctor?

Yes. Or a surgeon. He worked quickly in a poorly lit environment and must have felt the immeasurable pressure from the potential threat of someone stumbling upon the scene. Considering all this, he demonstrates almost exquisite skill with a knife. And so, this is how the theory emerged that Jack the Ripper was a doctor. And some Ripperologists still maintain it to be true. The idea that Jack had some medical knowledge also made it into the FBI.

FBI's 1988 profile, which stated, he sought employment where he could work alone and indulge his destructive fantasies in jobs such as a butcher, morticians helper, medical examiner's assistant or hospital attendant. So by this point, we know he targets sex workers, possibly due to a mother complex, and he may have had medical training or work in the medical field. What else do we know? Well, Chapman was the second murder victim, and by now we can start to see a pattern forming with his M.O. and his ritual or signature, as it's also called.

For those of us not well-versed in serial killer lingo, can you explain, Vanessa? Of course. M.O. refers to the Latin term modus operandi, which simply translates to mode of operation. This covers how a particular serial killer operates, how and where they hunt, how they carry out their crimes, and how they make their escape. So what can we say was Jack's M.O. at this stage? Well, we know that his hunting grounds, as they're called, were the slums of East London. He went out late at night wearing dark, inconspicuous clothing

and used the shadows to his advantage. He then scoped out a possible victim, a lone sex worker, potentially one who looked particularly desperate to earn some money at the time. Maybe he approached, maybe he waited for her to make advances. Either way, he probably indicated

he was interested in a sexual rendezvous. They would go into a dark corner or passageway, and Jack would survey the location, making sure no witnesses were around, then he would strike. He strangled the victim first, incapacitating her, then slit her throat. It seems that's where he stopped with his first victim, Marianne Nichols. But for Chapman, after slitting her throat, he went on to other mutilations, cutting open her stomach and then going for her genitals.

So there was obviously some escalation between his first crime and his second. Absolutely. What would account for this? The most common answer is that early in his or her criminal career, a serial killer will experiment with the act. Maybe the first kill is the quickest because there's some insecurity wrapped up in it. Like maybe the killer is thinking, can I really pull this off? What if someone catches me? Exactly. You have to remember that the first kill for a serial killer is a very powerful crossing of a threshold. The first time, it's new and frightening territory, but it's also exciting.

And once the act is successfully completed, that excitement remains. embedded in the emotional and psychological and even physical makeup of that person. And that's when killing becomes like a drug, driving the murderer to reach desperately for the next even greater high. So for Jack, could it have been that only cutting the throat of his first victim was his way of testing the waters? Yes, I think so. And obviously he liked what he did and he got away with it.

So for his next kill, instead of simply dipping a toe in the cold river, to continue your metaphor, he put his entire foot in. It's more of a rush, and it's definitely more satisfying. My question is, why the intestines? Why did he remove Annie Chapman's innards and drape them over her shoulder? Well, now we're getting into the realm of ritual and signature. These terms, often used interchangeably, refer to the specific details of the killing, such as unique mutilations, or a sign left by the killer at the crime scene. In Jack's case, the removal of the intestines and the placement on the woman's shoulder is a very specific choice, and we'll see he continues it for some time. Disemboweling his victims became a pivotal part of his signature. We can look to other serial killers for their own

unique signatures. There's the aptly named eyeball killer. Charles Albright, also a sex worker, killer, murdered three women in Texas from 1990 to 1991. He earned this moniker by skillfully removing the victim's eyeballs. Seriously? Where did that? signature come from? It may have originated with his fascination with taxidermy. As a child, he would torture and kill small animals and then stuff them himself. Think about the cold dead eyes of a stuffed fox or squirrel. I'm guessing that's not a typical extracurricular activity? No. And when he was finally caught it in prison, he would spend his days in his cell drawing pictures of

female eyes. But signature can also refer to an object left behind by the killer. Correct? Right. In that type of scenario, the signature is more like a calling card. Let's take a look at some of the most famous and fascinating serial killer calling cards. Starting around 1997, across 11 U.S. states, someone began targeting white college-age males and drowning them in bodies of water. It is believed that about 40 murders may be attributed to the same killer or killers. In over 12 of the cases, a symbol was left near the crime scene, a hand-painted, smiley face. And so this killer, or these killers, came to be known as the smiley face killers. Very fitting. The famous Zodiac killer who we featured on both unsolved murders and serial killers

may be the most popular example of this phenomenon of the signature. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he murdered at least five people in Northern California, but claimed to have taken many more lives than that. He didn't leave a calling card at the crime scenes per se, but is most closely associated with what has become his literal signature. The Zodiac killer famously wrote letters to various San Francisco newspapers. He would sign them with a peculiar symbol, a circle with a jagged cross running through it. That image became synonymous with him and his crimes.

And then there's Randy Kraft, aka the scorecard killer. Between 1972 and 1983, Kraft raped, tortured, mutilated and murdered, at least 16 men ages 13 to 25. He kept a coded record of his kills with references to the victims in the trunk of his car. The list contains 61 names and phrases which refer to the traits, initials, or locations of his victims. That doesn't seem like the smartest idea. Like keeping a diary of all your murderous conquests. Right.

Kraft was found guilty and then formally sentenced to death on November 29, 1989. He remains on death row at San Quentin State Prison. There's something else we can examine when thinking about Jack the Ripper's method of killing. Generally speaking, serial killers can be grouped into four different categories based on what drives them to kill. The first type is known as the visionary killer. These are people who are basically driven by psychosis. They may hear dark voices or have violent visions that push them to kill and destroy. The second is the mission-oriented murder.

This person generally kills because of what he or she believes to be a moral crusade. Then there is the hedonistic killer. He or she kills for lust. The act of murder itself is a huge turn on. And finally, there is the control-oriented serial killer. Taking the lives of victims gives him or her an intense sense of power and control, which is actually more gratifying than anything, even sex. So which one is Jack?

I think he's all four. And the reason for this is that because he was never caught, we don't have any real answers. All we have are the details of the gruesome remains of his atrocious acts. Yeah, that's a really good point, Vanessa. If we look at what he did targeting sex workers, we could say he was a mission-oriented killer, ridding the world of what he saw as unholy or corrupt. Right. But considering that he mutilated the female body to such a degree and took precisely female parts like the uterus, this suggests to sexually perversely. undertone. This would then reflect the hedonistic type, right? That's right. And since he targeted sex workers who were vulnerable because they were women and were alone and in the dark, he was easily

able to assert power over them. Exactly right, which would speak to the control-oriented category. The fact that he strangled them first also suggests how much he craved to feel dominant. There's one other type of the four we haven't touched on. The visionary killer. Yes, Greg. Is it possible that Jack? was simply insane, driven by voices commanding him to carry out these horrific crimes? I think so. Yeah. So do I. When we think of Jack as all of these put together, he's very much like a mosaic of every serial killer archetype. Speaking of serial killer archetypes and ammoes and signatures, there was something found at Annie Chapman's crime scene near the body. Investigators picked

it up, thinking it could be a helpful clue. It was a torn piece of envelope which bore the seal of the Sussex Regiment, which was the symbol of an infantry unit of the British Army. On the other side of the scrap were two things, the letter M, seemingly written by a man, and a post office stamp dated London 28 August 1888. The investigators jumped at this finding, thinking that Chapman's murderer was possibly a soldier. So investigators went to the military camp of the Sussex Regiment and interrogated some men. But what they discovered was that the envelopes with the military seal were common in the camp and in the post office of the nearby town.

And so what police believed could be a valuable piece of evidence essentially turned out to be nothing. Chapman had found a scrap of paper on the ground and used it to wrap up her medications when her pillbox broke. And just like that, the trail was cold again. It was revealed later, though, that Annie Chapman had been suffering from a severe medical condition, which is probably what caused her pain in the first place. She actually didn't have much time to live. But sadly, what little time she did have left was stolen from her by the anonymous killer stalking the streets of Whitechapel.

Our story will continue in a moment after the break. Ryan Reynolds here from MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I do. and have one of your assistance assistants assistants switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required.

Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. And now back to the story. By this point, with two brutal murders fairly close together in time and location, The press began its literary crusade to expose the horrors of East End and its terrifying new foe. Now, it's important to understand that Jack the Ripper was the first serial killer covered by the press. Which means we can't deny that it played a pivotal role in the creation of him as a killer,

and ultimately, as the dark legend he would forever remain. At the time the murders began, there was such a clear divide between the classes. The prevailing public view was that West End was made up of the middle class who lived in wealth, cleanliness, and civility. But East End was a breeding ground for the squalor of society, the darkest vices imagined. But there was something else associated with East End, and that was the concept of the foreigner. As mentioned earlier, many immigrants had migrated to East London in search of jobs and opportunity. Citizens living in West End and other middle and higher class areas of London, were primarily in a state of xenophobia,

which is an intense fear or dislike of people from other countries and cultures. This social malaise would be illuminated by the Jack the Ripper case through various publications. These papers aimed to expose the problem and address the unbearable conditions of East End, as well as the suspicion that Jack was a killer from a foreign land. Of all the publications at the time, it was the star that would become most famous for reporting on the,

the Whitechapel murders. So we can acknowledge that because the press had become such a powerful mode of information, as England neared the turn of the century, Jack the Ripper in turn became a powerful representation of the serial murderer. How the press sensationalized his crimes is one of the reasons he has left such an indelible impression on society as a whole. Right. And around the same time that the press began covering the Whitechapel killings,

a new investigator entered the scene. Of all the authorities involved, his name is the one most linked to the Jack the Ripper investigation. 45-year-old Inspector Frederick Aberline came from Scotland Yard, which is just the fancy name for the British police force. Aberline was originally a clockmaker who joined the force in 1863. He quickly rose through the ranks and in 1873 became an inspector who, through his experience and dedication, was well-versed on East End and all its criminal prowess.

And so, when it was time for authorities to choose a new leader, Aberline was at the top of their short list. He quickly took charge of the ground investigation. Walter Dew, a young detective at the time, alluded to Aberline in his memoir. Inspector Abeline was portly and gentle speaking. A type of police officer, and there had been many, who might easily have been mistaken for the manager of a bank or a solicitor. He was also a man who had proved himself in many previous big cases. His strong suit was his knowledge of crime and criminals in the East End, for he had been for many years the detective inspector of the White Chapel Division.

So basically, before Scotland Yard, East End was his stomping ground. Exactly. And now it was almost as if Aberline was coming home. We have a killer in our midst. What do we know about him? He hates prostitutes. Oh, that is conjecture. We know he has attacked and killed two prostitutes. Whether he hates them or simply finds them easy, The prey is another matter. What else do we know? He strikes late at night or early in the morning.

He chooses secluded locations and he leaves quite efficiently. Yes. What else? He's cunning. Maybe. Or perhaps the issue is not what he is, but rather what we are not. Sir? We need to cover more ground with more men. That's a given. But what will make the difference? We need men who are alert, focused. We need men who see better in darkness than in light. We need men who feel more comfortable in corners and doorways.

We need men who think like this Whitechapel butcher. Is that understood? Yes, sir. Understood. Let's gather who we have and rally various men from the surrounding areas. It's time we take this seriously. When Aberline arrived on the scene, he had a newspaper article to contend with. The Star had recently published an article detailing the exploits of a man known only as the Leather apron. He was a local criminal, his identity unknown, that the sex workers of East End feared and hated. He came right up to Missy May and put a knife to her throat. I saw it all. He told her to give whatever she had in her pockets. Or he'd let her open right there. Has he ever accosted you? No. He hasn't. And he better have the mind not to. The leather apron would approach sex workers

and threaten them with a knife as he demanded. They give him whatever money they had on them. His moniker came from the leather apron that he wore when he came in contact with these sex workers. Well, don't for a moment think this was an odd item to wear. See, in working class London, many tradesmen worked in jobs that required the use of a leather apron. It was eventually believed that the man was a shoemaker. With the announcement of the leather apron and the suggestion that he could be the Whitechapel murderer, came a wave of fear and anger. This caused mobs to take to the street.

in search of this elusive and troublesome figure. And this created even more mayhem in East End. But the search for the leather apron proved fairly fruitless. That is, until Sergeant William Thick pursued a man he thought was a viable suspect. Sergeant Thick, a dedicated and capable detective, was once described by Walter Du, as an unholy terror to the local lawbreakers. Not too shabby of a reputation. Right.

Well, apparently, Thick had an in with various criminals, and believed, he had a lead on the identity of the leather apron. Another inspector had filed a police report about a man suspected to be the criminal all of the authorities were after. And Thick knew where to find him. So on September 10th, 1888, Thick paid a visit to a man by the name of John Pyser. Yes? Mr. Pyser, I am arresting you on suspicion of committing the murder of Annie Chapman.

John Pizer was a Polish Jew who worked as a bootmaker. He had a leather apron and was suspected of threatening several sex workers. And get this, he had a prior conviction for a stabbing offense. As Sergeant Thick hauled him away, there was a vapor of hope in the air. Sir, we have the leather apron in custody. Excellent. It was a hope that John Pizer was indeed the man responsible for the ghastly Whitechapel murders. You there.

Are you new? Yes. Keep to the main roads. Make sure there's light where you are. He has come for ones like us. A hope that East London could be done with this unmitigated terror. But sadly, as we know, it was only the beginning. Don't forget to subscribe to Unsolved Murders and Serial Killers on iTunes,

Google Play, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Spotify, or any other podcast directory. If you like what you hear, leave a five-star review. Or tell us what you think on Facebook or Twitter at Parcast. Network. A new episode of serial killers comes out every Monday. A new episode of unsolved murders, true crime stories, comes out every Tuesday. And next Thursday, we'll continue our investigation into the infamous Jack the Ripper. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time. If we live, till next time. And until next time, have a killer week. The Jack the Ripper special was created by Max Cutler. It's a production of Cutler Media and as part of the podcast network. It's

Produced by Ron and Max Cutler, sound designed by Ron Shapiro with production assistance by Joel Stein and Maggie Admeier. And written by Jessica Molo, the Jack the Ripper special stars Carter Roy, Wendy McKenzie, Greg Paulson, and Vanessa Richardson. The amazing cast of voice actors includes by alphabetical order, Mike Caposi, Kimberly Holland, Harris Markson, Manuna Ryan, Steve Pinto, and Brooklyn Sarver. What was your college soundtrack? The sound may have changed a bit. but the vibes remain unmatched. Let your student remix their own college soundtrack at Rutgers New Brunswick. Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors,

where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence. I've seen something in the road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping bed and there was a full of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something. I'm Jordan Sillers. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.