Over the years since the Jack the Ripper murders occurred, numerous suspects have been put forward as possible contenders for having been history’s most infamous serial killer. There is, however, a general consensus that, whoever the perpetrator of the atrocities was, he must have been somebody who lived in the district.

There are various reasons for this, but the strongest evidence for this having been the case is the only clue that Jack the Ripper left behind, the piece of Catherine Eddowes apron that was found in the doorway of a tenement block in Goulston Street.

And this clue is one of the reasons for a suspect put forward by Tracy and Neil I’anson in their book, “Jacob The Ripper.”

JACK THE RIPPER SUSPECT JACOB LEVY

In a recent video I had the honour of interviewing Tracy who proceeded to outline the case that herself and Neil have built against Jacob Levy.

In the course of our almost hour long chat, Tracy explained how they came to suspect Levy, and then she talked me through a timeline of the life of this suspect who has been gaining in popularity as a suspect over recent years.

HE LIVED IN MIDDLESEX STREET

As viewers will learn in the video, not only did Jacob Levy live in the East End of London, but he actually lived in Middlesex Street, situated between Mitre Square, where the murder of Catherine Eddowes took place, and Goulston Street, where the piece of bloodstained apron was found by Police Constable Alfred Long, as he patrolled his beat along Goulston Street shortly after the body of Catherine Eddowes had been discovered.

A BUTCHER BY TRADE

Levy was a butcher by trade, so, as Tracy explains in the video, he would have been used to working with knives, and he would also have had access to very sharp knives.

On 10th March 1886, Jacob was arrested by PC Bacon for being involved in the theft of meat from his neighbour Hyman Sampson.

He appeared at the Old Bailey on the 5th of April 1886, was found guilty and was sent to prison.

However, he was transferred to a lunatic asylum, from which he was released on the 3rd of February, 1887, when he returned to his home at 36 Middlesex Street.

DURING THE MURDERS

We don’t actually know where or what he was doing when the Whitechapel murders took place, but we do know from later records that he had trouble sleeping and would go out and walk the streets at night.

DIED IN AN ASYLUM

On the 14th of August 1890, Jacob was confined to Stone Asylum, and it was here that he died at 7.53pm on the 29th  of July 1891, the cause of his death being from complications related to syphilis.

The cause of death was recorded as ‘General paralysis of the insane’.

He had been in the male infirmary since 29th May last.

It was recorded, and that he had had the disease for the duration of ‘some years.