In 1888, in Whitechapel, East London, five victims were murdered. The first victim was Mary Ann Nichols, killed on August 31st, 1888. Annie Chapman, whose nickname was “Dark Annie,” was killed on September 8th. The next day Elizabeth Stride was killed, her life cut short with only a slashed throat; police believed he had fled. That same night Catherine Eddows was killed. The last and most brutal murder was Mary Jane Kelly, who was only 25 years old and was badly mutilated. Jack the Ripper had killed them but was never truly identified, until now.
Aaron Kosminski was an immigrant from Poland who arrived in 1880. He had worked as a barber for most of his life. He lived in the area at the age of 23 when the women were killed. One of the reasons the police had suspected him was because of how much he disliked women. The police had questioned him, but there was little evidence to convict him. It has been a cold case since then. After a few years, he was sent to an insane asylum for Schizophrenia, meaning he had symptoms of hallucinations, delusions, and very disordered thinking and behavior. He died there in 1919, at the age of 53.
Russell Edwards, author and a Ripper researcher, found DNA on a bloodstained shawl that was believed to be found on Catherine Eddow’s body, the 4th victim, the night she died. It was purchased at an auction in 2007 by Edwards. In 2014 Edwards found the DNA of both the victim and the suspect. Edwards hired a legal team to fight for further evidence for the inquest. The team has been backed up by the descendants of both Ms Eddowes and Kosminski. Edward matched the DNA of Mrs Eddows with Karen Miller’s DNA who is 53 years old. She resides at Barnard Castle, County Durham. Miller is Catherine Eddowes’s three-time great-granddaughter. The DNA matched her ancestor’s blood on the shawl. Amanda Poulos, the three-time great niece of Kosminski, has also provided DNA, which matched Kosminki’s blood on the shawl 100%.
Miller along with the other descendants are determined to solve this case. “The name Jack the Ripper has become sensationalized, it has gone down in history as this famous character. It has all been about him, this iconic name, but people have forgotten about the victims who did not have justice at the time. What about the real name of the person who did this?” Miller said. “Having the real person legally named in a court which can consider all the evidence would be a form of justice for the victims. We have got the proof, now we need this inquest to legally name the killer. It would mean a lot to me, to my family, to a lot of people to finally have this crime solved.”
Some people think that this is not enough evidence to name Jack the Ripper’s true identity. Under the law, the Attorney General has to grant permission for the application to the High Court for a further inquest. Two years ago, Sir Michael Ellis, the previous Attorney General, refused permission because there was not enough new evidence. Now with the shawl, Edward argues with Attorney General Richard Hermer. A UK source, Daily Mail, mentions, “There is new evidence to consider which if it had been available at the time would have been justifiable for the coroner to charge and then seek to have Aaron Kosminski prosecuted for both the murder of Ms Eddowes and the other four victims.” East London coroner, Nadia Persaud, has accepted Edward’s application. His response was, “A second inquest is the only way of confirming what happened. As we now have identified the true murderer with a wealth of evidence putting the man we named as the Ripper in the frame, we want justice to be served.”
