Who was Jack the Ripper and did he strike America?

In 1891, two New York City prostitutes turned up dead and mutilated. Newspapers speculated whether Jack the Ripper arrived in the city. Like the London serial killer, the New York murderer was never captured. Last Sunday, the Discovery Channel aired Jack the Ripper in America and asked whether Jack the Ripper came to America. A veteran cold case investigator, Ed Norris, looked into the 1891 murders and it took him to London. By the time Norris finished, he concluded that Jack the Ripper came to America and went on a killing spree. When all the evidence is examined, and connections made, there is little doubt that Ed Norris identified Jack the Ripper and the infamous London killer plied his trade in America.

In 1883, James Kelly flew into a rage and accused his wife of being unfaithful. Kelly lost control and knifed her to death. Kelly was an upholsterer by trade and knew how to use a knife quickly to get his job done. After his capture, the wife murderer was sentenced to hang, but his employer came forward and told authorities that Kelly was unstable. After talking to Kelly’s boss, the authorities sent the wife killer to Broadmore Lunatic Asylum. While at the asylum, Kelly played violin and acted normally most of the time. However, he also tended to fly into fits of rage. In 1888, Kelly fashioned a metal key and escaped to London. The Ripper killings followed shortly thereafter.

From August to November, 1888, five prostitutes were killed and mutilated in the Whitechapel district of London. Prostitutes frequented the area and made easy targets. Jack the Ripper’s crimes show rage and a hatred of women. James Kelly was prone to uncontrollable rage and admitted hating “skanks.” So, Kelly had the mindset, the motivation, and the knowledge needed to kill quickly and tear apart a body.

London police searched for Kelly, but later gave up the search. If the murders occurred today, the police would search high and low for James Kelly. Unfortunately, in the late nineteenth century, the police were not up to the challenge. Kelly escaped to America. In 1890, he arrived in New York City and changed his name to John Miller. Shortly after Kelly arrived, a newspaper received a letter from someone claiming to be Jack the Ripper.

The Ripper taunted the London police with at least one letter. Serial killers crave attention. After the New York letter, two prostitutes turned up mutilated. New Yorkers wondered whether Jack the Ripper had immigrated to their city. From 1891-1895, Kelly traveled America. Wherever he went, mutilation murders followed. In four years, twelve murders occurred in places Kelly traveled.

Kelly returned to Broadmore in 1927. The elderly man explained to the attendants how he had been “on the warpath” and how he disliked “skanks.” Kelly also gave an accounting of his whereabouts. Kelly’s testimony proved vital to Ed Norris’ investigation. Norris matched mutilation murders to the dates and places Kelly traveled. Additionally, authorities photographed Kelly in 1927 and Norris used age regression technology to get an idea of what Kelly looked like in 1888. The age regressed photo matched a police sketch made by eye witnesses. Kelly was a dead ringer for the Ripper sketch.

The Discover Channel’s Jack the Ripper in America provides a great example of cold case detective work. Cold Case investigator Ed Norris investigated a New York murder and leads took him to London’s Jack the Ripper. After whittling down a list of suspects, Norris focused on James Kelly. Kelly killed his wife, was mentally ill, and knew how to use a knife through his work as an upholsterer. He escaped the asylum in time for the Ripper murders, goes to America, and is present in cities that experienced Ripper-like murders. Additionally, he hated prostitutes and easily flew into an uncontrollable rage. Lastly, his mug shot matched Jack the Ripper witness sketches from the period. While it is true Norris lacked physical evidence to tie Kelly to the crimes, the circumstantial evidence is so overwhelming, that it can be said with confidence that James Kelly was Jack the Ripper.