Interesting show on National Geographic channel today which had some modern forensic pathologists, forenensic pyschiatrists, etc. examine the case.
The leader turned his attention to reports of some similar cases that occurred in NYC after the Whitechapel murders stopped—on the thory that serial killers don’t stop voluntarily. A German seaman was caught and confessed to the NYC crimes and the rest of the show focused on proving the German was possibly in London at the time and was the Ripper.
This conclusion conveniently bypassed the parricipants earlier conclusions that someone without medical training of some kind couldn’t possibly have performed the mutilation and precise removal of organs in the dark and in a short time.
The show also revealed that at least 103 people have been named as suspects as the Ripper in various books and treatises. Ripper books, tv shows and theories continue to be the most popular form of ‘true crime’ genres.
I think the Ripper stories have always remained popular due to the fact that many of the suspects have direct links to the British royal family and were prominent in Victorian England. Additionally, the Ripper was the first publicized serial killer.