Descendants of the victims of Jack the Ripper are demanding a fresh inquest into the historic murders after new evidence seemingly confirms the identity of the 19th-century serial killer.
The three-times great-granddaughter of one of the Ripper’s victims has issued an emotional plea for the UK coroner to formally unmask the murderer, who has been identified through DNA as a man named Aaron Kosminski.
“Having the real person legally named in a court, which can consider all the evidence, would be a form of justice for the victims,” says Karen Miller. Her ancestor Catherine Eddowes was brutally killed by the Ripper on 30 September 1888.
“We have got the proof – now we need this inquest to legally name the killer. It would mean a lot to me, my family and a lot of people to finally have this crime solved.”
Not much is known about Kosminski. We do know that he was a Polish barber who emigrated to East London in the early 1880s. He is also believed to have lived near the Whitechapel locations where the Ripper’s victims were killed. Despite being a suspect and his name being mentioned in police memos at the time of the murders, Kosminski was never charged.
In 1891, Kosminski threatened his sister with a knife and was institutionalised at the Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum. He died aged 53, in 1919, in another psychiatric hospital and it’s thought he suffered from schizophrenia.
Over the past 130 years, there have been theories about the killer’s identity. Some suggested he could be a doctor, barrister, a member of the royal family or a costume-maker to Queen Victoria. Someone even pointed their finger at Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.
Then, 17 years ago, a bloody scarf thought to have been worn by Catherine when she died was purchased by historical crime enthusiast Russell Edwards. He hoped it would help finally uncover the Ripper’s true identity.
He found a genetic scientist willing to examine the tattered silk scarf and analyse it under laboratory conditions. It was eventually confirmed that the shawl still contained traces of DNA from Jack the Ripper and Catherine.
With the help of genealogists, Russell found a relative of Kosminski who was willing to offer up her own DNA for comparison. When that came back with a positive match, Russell was convinced he’d solved the case.
“It’s very difficult to put into words the elation I felt when I saw that 100% match,” Russell tells Woman’s Day.
“This brings closure and it’s a form of justice for the descendants.”
Two years ago, the UK’s then-attorney general refused permission for an application to the high court for an inquest into the case. But in correspondence with a new legal team hired by Russell, East London coroner Nadia Persaud has recently suggested she would be willing to hold an inquest.
It’s never been possible to establish exactly how many murders the Ripper was responsible for in the Whitechapel area. However, it’s generally agreed that as well as Catherine, four other women were killed by him. They were Mary Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride and Mary Kelly.
All were subjected to horrific and violent attacks. While police and newspapers at the time claimed they were sex workers, only two were. The others were homeless and attacked while sleeping on the street.
The killer terrorised London’s East End over a four-month period in 1888. During this time, police and local press received hundreds of letters from an author claiming to be the Ripper. Public interest and lurid details about the case kept the Ripper on the front pages. It marked the first time true crime reached a wide audience.
In 2015, the Jack the Ripper Museum opened in East London. For the relatives of the victims, being able to name their killer is their only kind of justice.
“He can’t be prosecuted because he’s dead, but this is the closest thing they can do,” says Russell. “This man committed atrocities towards their ancestors and we know it’s him. Now we want the courts to say, ‘Yes, you’re right.’”
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