Narrator:
IN THE AUTUMN OF 1888, THE EAST END OF LONDON
LIVED IN TERROR. A KILLER STALKED THE STREETS,
HORRIBLY MUTILATING PROSTITUTES. HE WAS NEVER CAUGHT, AND THE LEGEND
OF JACK THE RIPPER WAS BORN. HIS IDENTITY HAS REMAINED
A MYSTERY EVER SINCE, BUT BY PIECING TOGETHER
THE MISSING EVIDENCE, WE CAN, AT LAST,
REVEAL HIS NAME. INCREDIBLY, THE RIPPER WAS A MAN WHO APPEARED
IN OFFICIAL REPORTS, YET SOMEHOW EVADED SUSPICION. THIS INVESTIGATION DISCOVERS HOW THE KILLER
WAS CAUGHT RED-HANDED, YET TALKED HIS WAY
PAST THE POLICE. FOR 120 YEARS, JACK THE RIPPER
HAS BEEN HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT. Man: AND THAT WAS WHEN I SAID, "THERE HE IS. THAT IS HIM.
IT HAS TO BE." Narrator:
HELSINGBORG, SWEDEN. THIS QUIET SCANDINAVIAN TOWN
SEEMS AN UNLIKELY LOCATION TO UNMASK BRITAIN'S
MOST ELUSIVE SERIAL KILLER. BUT IT'S HERE
THAT A NEWSPAPER JOURNALIST HAS SPENT THE LAST 30 YEARS
SIFTING THROUGH THE EVIDENCE, SEARCHING
FOR THE OVERLOOKED CLUE THAT WOULD UNRAVEL THE CASE. Christer Holmgren:
AS A JOURNALIST, YOU DO TRY TO LOOK AT THE FACTS, AND YOU DO TRY
TO BUILD YOURSELF A FRAMEWORK, AND YOU QUICKLY REALIZE
IT'S A COMPLETE LABYRINTH. IT INVOLVES HUNDREDS
AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. IT INVOLVES A COUPLE
OF HUNDRED OF SUSPECTS, BUT ONE ALWAYS HAS THE FEELING
THAT SOMEWHERE IN IT THERE WILL BE THAT GRAIN OF SAND
THAT COULD PROVIDE A SOLUTION. Narrator:
THE IDENTITY OF JACK THE RIPPER IS THE GREATEST MYSTERY
IN THE HISTORY OF BRITISH CRIME. IT SEEMS INCREDIBLE
THAT A MAN WHO KILLED SIX WOMEN IN THE FACE
OF A MASSIVE MANHUNT, A MEDIA STORM, AND INCREASING
POLITICAL OUTRAGE COULD ESCAPE DETECTION, BUT SOMEHOW HE DID. EVER SINCE, MANY DIFFERENT
SUSPECTS HAVE EMERGED. IN THE 1960s, A LAWYER NAMED
MONTAGUE DRUITT WAS SUGGESTED BECAUSE HIS SUICIDE COINCIDED WITH THE END
OF THE RIPPER KILLING SPREE. IN THE 1970s, THE MURDERS WERE
ATTRIBUTED TO AN ELABORATE PLOT BY THE DUKE OF CLARENCE AND
HIS SURGEON, SIR WILLIAM GULL, TO HIDE THE IDENTITY
OF A PREGNANT MISTRESS, AND IN THE 1990s, AMERICAN QUACK DOCTOR
FRANCIS TUMBLETY CAME UNDER SUSPICION
BECAUSE IT WAS ALLEGED HE KEPT A COLLECTION
OF FEMALE BODY PARTS. BUT OF ALL THE MANY SUSPECTS, WITH SO LITTLE FORENSIC EVIDENCE
TO WORK WITH, NOT ONE HAS BEEN PLACED
AT A MURDER SITE. Holmgren:
VERY MANY OF THE SUSPECTS ARE OUTRIGHT OUTLANDISH, AND THERE NEVER WAS A SUSPECT
THAT FUNCTIONED PRACTICALLY. THERE NEVER WAS ANYTHING THAT
TIED ANY ONE OF THEM VERY MUCH TO ANY OF THE MURDERS. Narrator:
THE FEW PIECES OF SOLID EVIDENCE THAT HAVE COME TO LIGHT
HAVE BEEN QUICKLY DISCREDITED. A DIARY SUPPOSEDLY WRITTEN
BY A WEALTHY COTTON MERCHANT WAS ADMITTED TO BE A FORGERY. MEDICAL RECORDS LINKING AN
EMINENT WELSH DOCTOR TO A VICTIM WERE SECRETLY ALTERED, AND MOST RECENTLY, A SHAWL PURPORTED TO BELONG
TO ONE OF THE VICTIMS WAS NEVER LISTED AMONG
HER POSSESSIONS BY THE POLICE, AND THE DNA ANALYSIS
THAT LINKED IT CONTAINED
MAJOR SCIENTIFIC ERRORS. AFTER MORE THAN A CENTURY
OF SEARCHING, THE IDENTITY OF THE RIPPER
WAS NO NEARER A SOLUTION... YET CHRISTER HOLMGREN
WAS CONVINCED THAT IF THE KILLER
WAS TO BE FOUND, HE WOULD BE HIDDEN AMONGST
THE ARMY OF ORDINARY MEN LIVING IN WHITECHAPEL. Holmgren: ACTUALLY, WE KNOW
THAT MOST KILLERS OF THIS TYPE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A PROPENSITY
TO MELT INTO THE WOODWORK. YOU DON'T SEE THEM.
YOU DON'T REALIZE THEM. YOU DON'T THINK
THAT THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IT. Narrator: APPLIED CRIMINOLOGIST
DR. GARETH NORRIS HAS COMPILED
A PROFILE OF THE KILLER. HE AGREES HE WOULD HAVE BEEN
AN UNREMARKABLE LOCAL MAN. Gareth Norris:
IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO GO BACK AND EXAMINE THESE CASES AND TO TRY AND WORK OUT
IN A VERY METHODICAL WAY THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO MAY HAVE
COMMITTED THESE CRIMES. WE CAN START TO UNDERSTAND, WHAT
IS HE DOING, WHERE IS HE GOING, AND HOW DOES HE KNOW
HOW TO SELECT HIS VICTIMS. THE PIVOTAL THING
IS THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE CRIMES. IT'S THAT SOMEBODY WHO HAS
INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THAT AREA, TO NOT ONLY IDENTIFY WHERE
HE WILL LOCATE HIS VICTIMS, BUT IS ALSO VERY EASY
FOR HIM TO ESCAPE, SO MY PROFILE SUGGESTS
SOMEBODY WHO LIVES LOCALLY. HE WAS SOMEBODY WHO WAS ABLE
TO FIT IN QUITE EASILY, UM, HE WAS ABLE
TO GO ABOUT HIS BUSINESS. CERTAINLY IT'S SOMEBODY
WHO HAD REASON, REALLY, TO BE OUT IN THE STREETS
AT THAT TIME AND IT WOULDN'T HAVE SEEMED
OUT OF PLACE AT THAT TIME. Narrator: IN THE CENTURY
SINCE THE RIPPER KILLINGS, CRIMINOLOGISTS HAVE DEVELOPED
A MUCH CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF THE KIND OF MEN
WHO COMMIT SERIAL MURDER. THEY ARE KNOWN TO DEVELOP
THEIR VIOLENT URGES IN CHILDHOOD BUT OFTEN SUPPRESS THEM
WELL INTO ADULTHOOD. Norris: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE OFTEN FIND
AMONGST SERIAL KILLERS IS THAT THEY LIVE VERY
KIND OF TROUBLED BACKGROUNDS. CERTAINLY HE WOULD HAVE HAD SOME
KIND OF UNDERLYING PATHOLOGY. THESE WERE
WELL-THOUGHT-OUT FANTASIES, WHICH GENERALLY TAKE
A LONG TIME TO DEVELOP. THIS WAS SOMEBODY
WHO WAS POTENTIALLY OLDER. SO IT'S PROBABLY SOMEONE
IN THEIR MID TO LATE THIRTIES, PERHAPS EVEN
UP TO EARLY FORTIES. Narrator: BURIED IN THE EVIDENCE
COLLECTED BY THE POLICE, THERE IS A MAN
WHO FITS THIS PROFILE. CRUCIALLY,
THE RECORDS SHOW HE WAS FOUND AT THE SCENE
OF ONE OF THE KILLINGS, BUT HE WAS NEVER A SUSPECT. FOR CHRISTER HOLMGREN,
THE BREAKTHROUGH LAY IN THE DETAILS
OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MURDER OF THE RIPPER'S SECOND VICTIM,
POLLY NICHOLS, AND IN THE BAFFLING CIRCUMSTANCE THAT HELPED CREATE
THE RIPPER LEGEND-- THE PHANTOM KILLER WITH AN
APPARENTLY SUPERNATURAL ABILITY TO EVADE CAPTURE. Holmgren: AT THE INQUEST
INTO THE POLLY NICHOLS MURDER, THE CORONER SAID THAT IT WAS
NOTHING LESS THAN ASTONISHING THAT THE KILLER HAD MANAGED TO
ESCAPE, GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES. Narrator: NICHOLS WAS KILLED
ON BUCK'S ROW, A LONG, NARROW STREET, MOSTLY OVERLOOKED
BY TERRACED HOUSES AND WITH
NO IMMEDIATE ESCAPE ROUTES. JUST 15 MINUTES
BEFORE POLLY NICHOLS WAS KILLED, A POLICEMAN PASSED THE MURDER
SITE ON HIS REGULAR BEAT. THE STREET WAS DESERTED. AT BOTH ENDS OF BUCK'S ROW, TWO OTHER POLICEMEN PASSED
EVERY HALF HOUR, AND THERE WERE SEVERAL
NIGHT WATCHMEN WITHIN EARSHOT. IT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE
FOR THE KILLER TO ESCAPE. YET BURIED WITHIN
CONTEMPORARY NEWSPAPER REPORTS OF THE DISCOVERY
OF NICHOLS' BODY, CHRISTER BELIEVES
HE HAS WORKED OUT HOW HE DID IT. Holmgren: THE PICTURE WE HAVE OF
THE POLLY NICHOLS MURDER TODAY IS NOT THE WAY
IT PANNED OUT AT THE TIME. WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK
AT THE ORIGINAL PAPER ARTICLES, WE CAN SEE THAT NOBODY HAD
A CORRECT PICTURE OF THINGS. Narrator: AT THE FIRST DAY OF THE PUBLIC INQUEST
INTO NICHOLS' DEATH, THE POLICE DESCRIBED
HOW THEY HAD FOUND THE BODY. Holmgren:
THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, THEY'RE ALL VERY SIMILAR IN
DESCRIBING WHAT HAD HAPPENED-- A POLICEMAN, PC JOHN NEIL,
HAD FOUND A BODY, AND THAT WAS IT,
UNTIL THE NEXT DAY WHEN SOMETHING EXPLODED
IN THE FACE OF THE POLICE. Narrator:
THE EXPLOSION TOOK THE FORM OF A SENSATIONAL
NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW THAT HIT THE STREETS
OF WHITECHAPEL. A MAN CALLED ROBERT PAUL CLAIMED THAT HE HAD FOUND
THE BODY BEFORE THE POLICE, AND WHEN HE DID, THERE WAS
ANOTHER MAN STANDING OVER IT. Holmgren:
IT WAS A VERY DRAMATIC WORDING, AND THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY
A MAJOR SHOCK TO THE POLICE. Narrator: AT THE TIME,
THE MAN DESCRIBED BY PAUL WAS OBVIOUSLY UNKNOWN
TO THE POLICE, YET THE DAY
AFTER THE NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW, HE APPEARED AT THE INQUEST. HE GAVE HIS NAME
AS CHARLES ALLEN CROSS AND SAID HE WORKED
AS A CARMAN OR DELIVERY DRIVER. HE ADMITTED THAT HE WAS THE
FIRST PERSON TO FIND THE BODY. WHEN CHRISTER DISCOVERED THIS
ODD EPISODE IN THE RIPPER STORY, HE BECAME SUSPICIOUS. WHY DID SUCH A CRUCIAL WITNESS
NOT COME FORWARD MORE WILLINGLY? Holmgren: FOR THE PERSON
WHO FOUND THE BODY TO JUST DISAPPEAR
AND THEN REAPPEAR ON THE SECOND DAY
OF THE INQUEST, THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT'S QUITE UNIQUE, STRANGE, I THOUGHT. Narrator:
CHRISTER TRIED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE ELUSIVE CHARLES CROSS,
BUT THE MYSTERY ONLY DEEPENED. HE'D GIVEN HIS ADDRESS
TO THE INQUEST AS 22 DOVETON STREET
IN WHITECHAPEL. HOWEVER, THE OFFICIAL RECORDS SHOW NO ONE CALLED CROSS
LIVING AT THAT ADDRESS. Holmgren: THERE IS THE STRANGE
FACT THAT THIS CARMAN CROSS, WHO GAVE HIS NAME
AND HIS ADDRESS TO THE POLICE, WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND OUT NOT TO BE LIVING
AT THE ADDRESS HE HAD GIVEN. Narrator:
SO WHO WAS CHARLES CROSS? WHEN CHRISTER HOLMGREN
FOUND THE ANSWER, IT UNLOCKED A MASS
OF INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE, EVIDENCE THAT CONVINCED HIM THAT THE RELUCTANT WITNESS
WAS ACTUALLY JACK THE RIPPER. NOW HE'S HEADING FOR LONDON
TO PROVE IT. Holmgren:
WHATEVER I FIND ABOUT THIS MAN WILL GO TO CONFIRM HIS GUILT. IT WILL NOT GO TO CLEAR HIM. I REALIZED THAT, "WOW,
HERE HE IS, JACK THE RIPPER." Narrator: AFTER 20 YEARS INVESTIGATING
THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS, SWEDISH JOURNALIST
CHRISTER HOLMGREN IS CONVINCED THAT HE HAS DISCOVERED THE MAN
WE KNOW AS JACK THE RIPPER. HE BELIEVES THE MAN
FOUND STANDING OVER THE BODY OF THE RIPPER'S SECOND VICTIM,
POLLY NICHOLS, WAS, IN FACT, THE KILLER. Narrator: DR. ANDY GRIFFITHS, FORMER HEAD
OF SUSSEX POLICE MURDER SQUAD, HAS AGREED TO READ
THE INQUEST REPORTS AND ASSESS CHRISTER'S SUSPECT. Andy Griffiths:
THE RELEVANCE OF THOSE DOCUMENTS ISN'T LOST BY THEM BEING SO OLD. YOU KNOW, NO MATTER
HOW MUCH THINGS CHANGE, MOST CASES
STILL COME DOWN TO WITNESSES AND LOOKING AT WHAT PEOPLE SAY. Narrator: ANDY'S MURDER SQUAD
SOLVED 97 PERCENT OF ITS CASES WHILST HE WAS IN CHARGE. HE BELIEVES
THAT IF THE POLLY NICHOLS CASE WAS BEING HANDLED TODAY, CHARLES CROSS WOULD
COME UNDER INTENSE SCRUTINY. Griffiths:
CERTAINLY IN THE MODERN AGE, YOU COULDN'T PROSECUTE
ANYBODY ELSE WITHOUT ELIMINATING HIM FIRST BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU'VE GOT
SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN WITH THE BODY VERY CLOSE
TO THE POINT OF DEATH, AND POSSIBLY IS THE PERSON
WHO CAUSED THE DEATH, SO HE IS DEFINITELY
A VERY SIGNIFICANT PERSON IN TERMS OF THE INVESTIGATION. Holmgren:
IT'S GOOD TO HAVE IT CONFIRMED, AND IT'S GOOD TO HAVE IT
LAID OUT IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS. TO ME, THE MOST IMPORTANT MATTER
AT THE INQUEST WAS WHAT I THINK
IS A BLATANT LIE PRESENTED TO TAKE CROSS
PAST THE POLICE. Narrator:
ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER, A POLICEMAN CALLED JONAS MIZEN
WAS OUT ON HIS BEAT WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED
CHARLES CROSS. CROSS HAD JUST LEFT
THE SCENE OF THE CRIME WITH CO-WITNESS ROBERT PAUL. PAUL HAD SET OFF
TO FIND A POLICEMAN, BUT WHEN THE TWO MEN
SAW CONSTABLE MIZEN, IT WAS CROSS
WHO WENT TO SPEAK TO HIM. AT THE INQUEST, PC MIZEN
RECOUNTED THEIR CONVERSATION. HE REVEALED THAT CHARLES CROSS
TOLD HIM TWO KEY THINGS-- THAT A WOMAN WAS LYING
IN BUCK'S ROW AND THEN THAT THERE
WAS A POLICEMAN WITH HER WHO HAD REQUESTED ASSISTANCE, YET CROSS KNEW THERE WAS
NO POLICEMAN WITH THE BODY. IT SEEMS HE WAS LYING. Holmgren:
THE FIRST LIE WAS THE ONE ABOUT HIM SIMPLY PLAYING DOWN
THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE ERRAND. THE SECOND LIE WOULD BE THAT HE SAID
THAT ANOTHER PC WAS IN PLACE. Griffiths:
YOU KNOW, A DEATH IS A DEATH. IT'S ALWAYS A SERIOUS EVENT, AND POLICEMEN OF ANY ERA
WOULD REACT IN A PARTICULAR WAY, BUT A MUCH MORE VAGUE MESSAGE OF THERE'S A WOMAN
LYING IN THE STREET... Holmgren: YES. Griffiths:
COUPLED WITH THE INFORMATION THAT ANOTHER POLICE OFFICER
IS ALREADY THERE, WOULD LOWER HIS, HIS RESPONSE. Holmgren:
THERE WAS A VERY GOOD RISK THAT MIZEN
WOULD HAVE DETAINED HIM, TAKEN HIM BACK TO THE PLACE
FOR THE MURDER, SO WHAT I THINK WE'VE GOT HERE
IS A PERFECTLY SHAPED LIE TO TAKE CROSS PAST THE POLICE. Narrator:
BELIEVING THAT CHARLES CROSS WAS SIMPLY PASSING ON A MESSAGE
FROM AN OFFICER AT THE SCENE, CONSTABLE MIZEN
LET HIM GO ON HIS WAY. YET IN A REMARKABLE
TWIST OF FATE, WHEN PC MIZEN
REACHED THE CRIME SCENE, THERE ACTUALLY
WAS A POLICEMAN THERE. LOCAL BOBBY PC NEIL HAD FOUND
THE BODY ON HIS REGULAR BEAT. Griffiths: STRANGELY, OF COURSE,
WHEN HE GETS TO THE BODY, THERE IS ANOTHER
POLICE CONSTABLE THERE. Holmgren: THERE IS. Griffiths: SO PART OF WHAT WAS
SAID TO HIM SORT OF CAME TRUE. Holmgren: MIZEN WOULD HAVE SEEN ABSOLUTELY NO REASON AT ALL
TO DISBELIEVE, SO IT BECOMES
A STROKE OF GENIUS. Griffiths: YEAH, A STROKE OF
GENIUS OR LUCK. Narrator: HAD PC NEIL NOT FOUND
THE BODY IN THE MEANTIME, CONSTABLE MIZEN WOULD HAVE
REALIZED THAT CROSS HAD LIED, AND A MANHUNT
WOULD SURELY HAVE ENSUED. ULTIMATELY, THOUGH,
CROSS WAS FLUSHED OUT. WHEN ROBERT PAUL'S
NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW REVEALED HIS PRESENCE
AT THE SCENE THAT NIGHT, CROSS HAD NO CHOICE BUT
TO COME FORWARD TO THE INQUEST. BUT WHEN HE APPEARED, HE GAVE
THE CORONER A FALSE NAME. Griffiths:
HE WOULD HAVE BEEN DUTY-BOUND TO GIVE HIS CORRECT NAME
WHEN GIVING EVIDENCE ON OATH, SO THE FACT HE DIDN'T, IT JUST ADDS
TO THAT TALLY OF THINGS THAT DON'T LOOK QUITE RIGHT. THERE IS NO DOUBT
THAT, AS AN INVESTIGATOR, CROSS IS OF TREMENDOUS INTEREST. HE IS COMPLETELY RELEVANT, AND THERE ARE
NUMEROUS FACTORS HERE THAT MAKE HIM A VERY, VERY
INTERESTING PERSON INDEED. Narrator:
THERE MAY BE MANY REASONS WHY A MAN MIGHT GIVE
THE POLICE A FALSE NAME, BUT THE DECEPTION WENT UNNOTICED AND CROSS
DRIFTED INTO OBSCURITY. THEN, IN 2005,
A GROUP OF AMATEUR ENTHUSIASTS STARTED TO INVESTIGATE
CHARLES CROSS AND SOLVED
THE MYSTERY OF HIS IDENTITY. THEY NOTICED THAT AT THE ADDRESS CHARLES ALLEN CROSS
HAD GIVEN THE INQUEST, A MAN CALLED
CHARLES ALLEN LECHMERE WAS REGISTERED
AS HEAD OF THE FAMILY. THE TWO MEN SHARED
THE SAME FIRST AND MIDDLE NAMES. WAS IT A COINCIDENCE? SCOURING THE RECORDS
CHARTING LECHMERE'S LIFE, THEY SEARCHED FOR EVIDENCE THAT
THEY MIGHT BE THE SAME PERSON. IN AN 1861 CENSUS RECORD, THEY FOUND THE BREAKTHROUGH
THEY WERE LOOKING FOR. IN IT, CHARLES ALLEN LECHMERE WAS RECORDED
WITH THE SURNAME "CROSS." HE WAS 12 YEARS OLD
AND REGISTERED UNDER THE NAME OF HIS STEPFATHER
AT THE TIME, THOMAS CROSS. IN ALL, THERE ARE 120 OFFICIAL
DOCUMENTS CHARTING THE LIFE OF THE MAN WHO AT THE INQUEST
CALLED HIMSELF CROSS. IN 119, HIS NAME
IS CHARLES ALLEN LECHMERE. ONCE CHRISTER HAD HIS REAL NAME, IT LAUNCHED THE NEXT PHASE
OF HIS INVESTIGATION. THE BREAKTHROUGH OPENED THE DOOR TO A DELUGE
OF SPINE-TINGLING NEW EVIDENCE. CHRISTER STARTED TO BELIEVE THAT HE HAD FINALLY FOUND
JACK THE RIPPER. AFTER 30 YEARS STUDYING
THE CASE OF JACK THE RIPPER, CHRISTER HOLMGREN
MADE A DRAMATIC BREAKTHROUGH. CHRISTER HAD IDENTIFIED A MAN
ACTING SUSPICIOUSLY AT THE SCENE
OF THE SECOND MURDER. THE MAN LIED TO A POLICEMAN
ON THE NIGHT OF THE CRIME AND GAVE A FALSE NAME
AT THE INQUEST, BUT DID HE LIE
ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE? WHEN CHRISTER DISCOVERED THAT HIS SUSPECT'S REAL NAME
WAS CHARLES LECHMERE, HE COULD CONFIRM WHERE HE LIVED
AND WHERE HE WORKED. NOW HE CAN CHECK THE STORY
LECHMERE GAVE THE INQUEST. CHRISTER IS JOINED BY EX-MURDER-SQUAD CHIEF
ANDY GRIFFITHS. HIS EXPERIENCE
WILL PROVE INVALUABLE IF CHRISTER IS TO UNCOVER
FURTHER INCONSISTENCIES IN LECHMERE'S VERSION OF EVENTS
FROM THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER. THERE WAS ONE KEY ASPECT
OF LECHMERE'S STORY THAT RAISED ALARM BELLS
WITH CHRISTER. LECHMERE'S WALK TO WORK TOOK HIM WITHIN YARDS
OF ROBERT PAUL'S HOUSE. THE TWO MEN
SHARED THE SAME ROUTE, YET BOTH PAUL AND LECHMERE CLAIM THEY SAW
NO ONE ELSE THAT MORNING. IF THEY REALLY WERE
JUST SECONDS APART, THEY SHOULD HAVE
SEEN EACH OTHER WELL BEFORE BUCK'S ROW. Holmgren: THE TWO SHOULD HAVE
WALKED IN TANDEM, MORE OR LESS, 30 OR 40 YARDS, NOTHING
MORE THAN THAT IN BETWEEN THEM, AND YET NOBODY SPEAKS ABOUT
HAVING NOTICED THE OTHER MAN WALKING RIGHT BESIDE HIM,
MORE OR LESS. Narrator:
NOW CHRISTER AND ANDY CAN CHECK WHETHER LECHMERE'S VERSION
OF EVENTS MADE SENSE. Griffiths: CHARLES LECHMERE
LIVED HERE AT 22 DOVETON STREET, Holmgren: HE LIVED HERE. Griffiths: AND NOW I'M REALLY
INTERESTED IN THE TIMING. Holmgren: HE SAID AT THE INQUEST
THAT HE LEFT AT 3:30. SOME REPORTS SAY 3:20, BUT THE MORE COMMON REPORTS
SAY 3:30. Griffiths: OKAY, SO WE'VE GOT
OUR START TIME OF 3:30. LET'S TIME THE WALK
FROM HERE TO THE BODY. Holmgren: OKAY, HERE WE GO.
[WATCH BEEPS] Narrator:
AT THE INQUEST, LECHMERE CLAIMED HE FOUND POLLY NICHOLS LYING IN
BUCK'S ROW ON HIS WAY TO WORK. HE ALSO CLAIMED
HE WAS IMMEDIATELY JOINED BY THE SECOND WITNESS,
ROBERT PAUL. THE STREET LAYOUT
IS THE SAME NOW AS IT WAS OVER A CENTURY AGO. CHRISTER AND ANDY
TIME LECHMERE'S ROUTE TO THE MURDER SITE. ACCORDING TO PAUL'S EVIDENCE,
LECHMERE FOUND THE BODY SOME 16 MINUTES
AFTER HE CLAIMED HE LEFT HOME. Griffiths: ABOUT HERE. Holmgren: OKAY, AND STOP, AND IT SAYS SEVEN MINUTES,
SEVEN SECONDS. THAT WOULD HAVE MEANT THAT IF LECHMERE LEFT HIS HOME
AS HE SAID AT 3:30, HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE
AT 3:37. Griffiths:
WELL, THAT'S VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE PAUL SAYS THAT HE CAME
INTO THE STREET AT 3:45. Holmgren: YEAH. Narrator: ANDY AND CHRISTER
SEEM TO HAVE FOUND A MAJOR DISCREPANCY
IN LECHMERE'S STORY. LECHMERE SAID THAT HE WAS
NEVER ALONE WITH THE BODY, BUT LECHMERE WOULD HAVE REACHED
THE MURDER SITE AT 3:37, LONG BEFORE PAUL TURNED
INTO THE STREET AT 3:45. Griffiths: AND IT WAS
THE OTHER THING ABOUT PAUL WAS WE KNOW
THAT HE WAS LATE FOR WORK, AS HE SAID AT THE INQUEST... Holmgren: YEAH. Griffiths: AND I THINK
IT'S REASONABLE TO ASSUME THEN, HE WAS KEEPING
AN EYE ON THE TIME. Holmgren:
THEN WE GOT A DISCREPANCY OF ABOUT NINE MINUTES
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. Griffiths: WHICH IS
A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THAT TIME. Narrator: IT SEEMS THAT LECHMERE
WAS ALONE WITH POLLY NICHOLS FOR A LOT LONGER
THAN HE ADMITTED. WAS IT ENOUGH TIME
FOR HIM TO KILL HER? FORENSIC PHYSICIAN
JASON PAYNE-JAMES HAS ASSESSED
THE POSTMORTEM REPORT. USING A FORENSIC
GRAPHICAL MODEL, HE CALCULATES HOW LONG
POLLY NICHOLS' INJURIES WOULD HAVE TAKEN TO INFLICT. Jason Payne-James:
WELL, HERE WE HAVE A BRUISE RUNNING ALONG
THE LOWER PART OF THE JAW ON THE RIGHT SIDE
OF THE FACE. THESE ARE THE KIND OF MARKS CONSISTENT
WITH MANUAL STRANGULATION. WE THEN HAVE
INJURIES TO THE NECK. THE INCISION COMPLETELY SEVERED
ALL THE TISSUES DOWN TO THE VERTEBRA. EITHER SIDE OF THE NECK,
HERE AND HERE, ARE THE NEUROVASCULAR BUNDLES, SO IF SHE WAS NOT ALREADY DEAD, WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY
HAVE KILLED HER. Narrator: IN ALL,
DR. PAYNE-JAMES IDENTIFIES 12 MAJOR CUT AND STAB INJURIES
TO POLLY NICHOLS. Payne-James: CONTRASTING
THE INJURIES TO POLLY NICHOLS WITH SOME OF THE OTHER VICTIMS, CLEARLY WHAT WE HAVE HERE
IS NO REMOVAL OF ORGANS, NO REMOVAL OF SKIN TISSUE. REALISTICALLY,
I THINK THE ENTIRE PROCESS LASTED NO MORE
THAN A COUPLE OF MINUTES. Narrator: IT TOOK THE MURDERER
AS LITTLE AS TWO MINUTES TO TAKE THE LIFE
OF POLLY NICHOLS. IF IT WAS LECHMERE, THE TIME
HE POSSIBLY HAD ALONE WITH HER WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH, BUT IF LECHMERE
HAD JUST KILLED NICHOLS, WHY WASN'T HE COVERED IN BLOOD? LECHMERE SPOKE TO TWO PEOPLE
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MURDER. SURELY THEY WOULD HAVE
NOTICED BLOOD ON HIM. BUT DR. PAYNE-JAMES
BELIEVES THAT THE KILLER WOULD NOT NECESSARILY
HAVE HAD BLOOD ON HIS HANDS. Payne-James: I THINK
THERE'S ALWAYS AN ASSUMPTION THAT IF SOMEBODY
IS STABBED TO DEATH, THERE'S GOING TO BE
BLOOD EVERYWHERE. I THINK IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THERE WOULDN'T NECESSARILY
BE LARGE AMOUNTS, OR INDEED ANY BLOOD, NECESSARILY
OBVIOUS ON THAT PERSON. Narrator:
DR. PAYNE-JAMES HAS WORKED OUT THAT, LIKE OTHER VICTIMS, POLLY NICHOLS
WAS STRANGLED TO DEATH FIRST. WITHOUT BLOOD PRESSURE, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN
NO ARTERIAL SPRAY. POLLY NICHOLS' KILLING WOULD HAVE BEEN
SURPRISINGLY BLOODLESS. Payne-James: ALTHOUGH WE KNOW
THE CAROTID ARTERIES WERE CUT, IT WOULD SEEM
THAT THAT WAS AFTER DEATH, SO IT MAY JUST LEAK OUT
AND DRIBBLE OUT OR, OR DRAIN OUT
AROUND THE CONTOURS OF THE NECK, IN THIS CASE,
OVER A PERIOD OF MINUTES. Narrator: LECHMERE NOT ONLY HAD
THE TIME TO KILL POLLY NICHOLS, HE WOULD HAVE ALSO BEEN
RELATIVELY CLEAN OF BLOOD. COULD LECHMERE'S BEHAVIOR
AT THE MURDER SITE THROW UP ANY MORE CLUES? Holmgren:
SO IT'S HEAD THAT DIRECTION, FEET THAT DIRECTION,
THIS IS HOW SHE WAS LYING. Narrator: WHEN ROBERT PAUL
ENTERED BUCK'S ROW, HE DIDN'T SEE CHARLES LECHMERE
FOR A FULL MINUTE. IF LECHMERE HAD BEEN
CROUCHING IN THE SHADOWS, THAT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISING. BUT CHRISTER POINTS OUT THAT
LECHMERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF PAUL'S APPROACH
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. Holmgren: NOW WE HAVE
CHARLES LECHMERE TELLING US THAT HE DOESN'T HEAR ROBERT PAUL
UNTIL HE'S 30 OR 40 YARDS AWAY, AND THAT IS EXTREMELY ODD
BECAUSE, AT THAT TIME, PEOPLE HAD HARD-SOLE SHOES, AND THEY WOULD
SOUND LIKE HAMMERS AS THEY WALKED DOWN THE STREET. WHAT I THINK
IS THAT HE HEARD PAUL FROM A MUCH LONGER DISTANCE. HE MUST HAVE BEEN DISTURBED, AND THEN HE WOULD HAVE HAD
JUST A LITTLE TIME TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE BODY. Narrator:
THE NOTION THAT NICHOLS' KILLER WAS DISTURBED IN THE ACT
IS SUPPORTED BY TWO DETAILS. FIRSTLY, COMPARED
TO THE OTHER RIPPER INJURIES, HER WOUNDS WERE LESS EXTENSIVE, SUGGESTING THE KILLER HAD TO
PREMATURELY CURTAIL HIS PLANS. SECOND, POLLY'S SKIRT
WAS PULLED DOWN TO HIDE
HER ABDOMINAL INJURIES. ANDY GRIFFITHS THINKS THAT
GIVEN THE HEAVY POLICE PRESENCE AND THE LACK
OF AN EASY ESCAPE ROUTE, LECHMERE HAD NO CHOICE
BUT TO TRY AND COVER HIS TRACKS AND BLUFF THINGS OUT. Griffiths: THIS WAS THE ONLY ONE
OF THE RIPPER VICTIMS WHOSE WOUNDS WERE NOT LEFT
DELIBERATELY ON DISPLAY, IN A QUITE GROTESQUE WAY. YOU KNOW,
YOU'RE DESCRIBING A MAN WHO'S TRYING TO COVER UP
HIS WORK THERE, AND CERTAINLY
I THINK HE COULDN'T RUN AWAY, HAVING REALIZED THERE'S
SOMEBODY ELSE IN THE STREET. Narrator: CHRISTER BELIEVES
LECHMERE DID WHAT HE COULD TO HIDE NICHOLS' INJURIES AND WAS ONLY SEEN
BY ROBERT PAUL WHEN HE STEPPED BACK
FROM THE BODY. Holmgren:
SO BASICALLY WHAT WE HAD IS LECHMERE STANDING
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, AND PAUL IS WALKING
THIS WAY TRYING-- Griffiths: LIKE THIS? Holmgren: YEAH, LIKE THIS,
AND LECHMERE BLOCKS HIS WAY. Griffiths: NOW, DOESN'T PAUL
GET RIGHT DOWN BY THE BODY AND, AND TEST FOR BREATH? Holmgren: YES, THEY TOUCH
THE HANDS, THE FACE, AND PAUL
ALSO TOUCHES THE CHEST. Narrator: FROM HIS TESTIMONY,
PAUL SAYS HE SAW NO BLOOD, DESPITE GETTING CLOSE ENOUGH
TO CHECK HER BREATHING. IT'S CLEAR FROM HIS NEXT ACTION THAT HE DIDN'T THINK
POLLY NICHOLS WAS DEAD. Griffiths: PAUL THEN SAYS,
"LET'S MOVE HER," DOESN'T HE? Holmgren:
HE WANTS TO PROP HER UP, AND AT THAT STAGE, LECHMERE ODDLY SAYS,
"I WILL NOT TOUCH HER." Griffiths:
RIGHT, YOU SEE, NOW I THINK, HAVING DIRECTED ATTENTION
TO THE WOMAN AND GONE THROUGH TESTING OF HER
BREATH AND THAT TYPE OF THING... Holmgren: EXACTLY. Griffiths: IT WOULD APPEAR
NATURAL TO THEN CARRY THAT ON. Narrator: WHY WOULD LECHMERE
REFUSE TO MOVE NICHOLS' BODY? IF THE MEN HAD MOVED NICHOLS, IT WOULD HAVE BECOME OBVIOUS
THAT HER THROAT HAD BEEN CUT. AT THAT POINT,
ROBERT PAUL TOLD LECHMERE HE WOULD GO
AND FIND A POLICEMAN, BUT LECHMERE
DIDN'T WAIT BY THE BODY. HE FOLLOWED HIM. JUST MINUTES AFTER THE TWO MEN
HAD LEFT THE SCENE, PC NEIL CAME BY
AND FOUND THE BODY. HE IMMEDIATELY NOTICED
A POOL OF BLOOD. Griffiths: WELL, THAT GIVES ME A VERY, VERY INTERESTING
THOUGHT. ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT PC NEIL THINKS IS MOST NOTICEABLE
ABOUT THE BODY IS THE POOL OF BLOOD
AROUND THE NECK. NOW, WHEN PAUL WAS
AT THE BODY, YOU KNOW, HE'D GOT
DOWN CLOSE TO THE BODY, HE LOOKED FOR SIGNS OF LIFE. HE DID NOT SEE ANY BLOOD. THAT MEANS THAT THOSE CUTS
WERE VERY, VERY FRESH. PAUL SEES NOBODY ELSE
EXCEPT LECHMERE IN THAT STREET, AND HE COULD SEE BEYOND LECHMERE
WHEN HE CAME INTO THE STREET, SO IT MEANS THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER PERSON
KILLING THE WOMAN IS REMOTE. Narrator:
DESPITE LEANING OVER NICHOLS, ROBERT PAUL SEES NO BLOOD AND GETS NONE ON HIS HANDS
OR CLOTHES. THE BLOOD DISCOVERED BY PC NEIL HAD TO HAVE BEEN
INCREDIBLY FRESH. WITH NO ONE ELSE IN SIGHT,
THAT SEEMS TO PUT LECHMERE SQUARELY IN THE FRAME
AS THE KILLER. Holmgren:
THE TIMINGS ABOUT THE BLOOD, THEY'RE AS CLOSE AS WE CAN COME
TO A SMOKING GUN. I THINK, IN THIS CASE, THAT THE MAN WHO PROVIDED
THE CUTS TO HER THROAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
CHARLES ALLEN LECHMERE. Griffiths: YOU KNOW,
IF YOU PUT THAT TO A JURY, LECHMERE WOULD HAVE
SOME REAL QUESTIONS TO ANSWER. Narrator: ANDY GRIFFITHS
KNOWS THAT THE FACT LECHMERE WAS
WITH ONE OF THE VICTIMS VERY CLOSE
TO THE TIME OF HER DEATH DOES NOT MAKE HIM A MURDERER, BUT THERE WERE
FIVE OTHER MURDERS, AND CHARLES LECHMERE COULD LINK
TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. CHARLES LECHMERE'S ACTIONS ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER
OF POLLY NICHOLS IMPLICATE HIM
AS A PRIME SUSPECT. THE RATE OF BLEEDING SUGGESTS
THAT HE WAS WITH THE VICTIM AT OR SUSPICIOUSLY CLOSE
TO THE TIME OF DEATH. THE EVIDENCE GATHERED
FROM SURVIVING RECORDS IS STILL CIRCUMSTANTIAL, BUT THE COINCIDENCES
CONTINUE TO POINT TO LECHMERE
BEING JACK THE RIPPER. CRIMINOLOGIST
DR. GARETH NORRIS HAS FOUND THAT HIDDEN IN
THE OFFICIAL RECORDS ARE CLUES THAT LECHMERE'S EARLY LIFE MATCHES
MANY KNOWN SERIAL KILLERS. Norris: LECHMERE CAME
FROM WHAT WE MIGHT DESCRIBE REALLY AS A BROKEN HOME. CERTAINLY HE HAD
NUMEROUS STEPFATHERS. HE NEVER KNEW
HIS BIOLOGICAL FATHER. CERTAINLY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
SOMETHING OF INTEREST. WHAT WE KNOW
ABOUT LOTS OF SERIAL KILLERS IS THEY GROW UP IN VERY
KIND OF TURBULENT LIFESTYLES. THEY OFTEN MOVE AROUND A LOT. Narrator:
BORN IN LONDON'S EAST END, AS A CHILD,
LECHMERE MOVED MANY TIMES. BY THE TIME OF THE MURDERS,
HE WAS 39 YEARS OLD, MARRIED, AND HAD FATHERED 12 CHILDREN. YET HE ALWAYS LIVED
WITH OR CLOSE TO HIS MOTHER. Norris: HIS MOTHER SEEMS TO BE
A PIVOTAL PERSON IN HIS FAMILY. SHE HAD MANAGED TO MARRY
THREE TIMES, AND CERTAINLY SHE SEEMS TO BE A DOMINEERING FORCE
IN CHARLES' LIFE. HE LIVED WITH HER FOR SOME TIME. HE LIVED
JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM HER. Narrator: THEN, JUST TWO MONTHS
BEFORE THE KILLINGS BEGAN, LECHMERE MOVED AWAY, LEAVING HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER
BEHIND WITH HIS MOTHER. GARETH WONDERS WHETHER THE EVENT
HIDES A FAMILY TRAUMA. Norris: THERE WAS SOMETHING
POTENTIALLY THERE, SOME ANIMOSITY OF SOME SORT
WHICH HAD CAUSED HIM TO MOVE. INTERESTING ALSO, ONE
OF HIS DAUGHTERS STAYED BEHIND, LIVING WITH HIS MOTHER. THAT ALSO IS QUITE PECULIAR. SUCH A BIG KIND OF UPHEAVAL
IN HIS FAMILY LIFE AT THAT STAGE ONLY TWO MONTHS
BEFORE THE MURDERS STARTED, IS CERTAINLY POTENTIALLY
OF SIGNIFICANCE TO THE CASE. Narrator:
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MOVE BECOMES EVEN MORE APPARENT WHEN WE CONSIDER
THE SUBSEQUENT KILLINGS. HIS NEW ROUTE TO WORK
WOULD TAKE HIM RIGHT THROUGH THE HEART
OF THE RIPPER'S TERRITORY. Norris: HE LIVED UP HERE
IN DOVETON STREET. THIS AREA APPROXIMATELY
25, 30 MINUTES' WALK FROM WHERE THE MAJORITY
OF THE CRIMES TOOK PLACE. ALSO OF INTEREST
IS WHERE HE WORKED-- UP HERE IN THE BROAD STREET
GOODS DEPOT, WHICH IS ATTACHED
TO THE STATION. HE WORKED THERE FOR 20 YEARS.
HE KNEW THIS AREA WELL. THERE'S A CORRIDOR THERE BETWEEN WHERE HE LIVED
AND WHERE HE WORKED, AND HE HAD INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE
OF THIS AREA. Narrator: CHARLES LECHMERE
WORKED AS A DELIVERY DRIVER FOR A COMPANY BASED
AT BROAD STREET. HE STARTED HIS SHIFT AT 4:00 AM,
WORKING MONDAY TO SATURDAY. HIS TWO SHORTEST ROUTES
TO HIS WORK BOTH TOOK 40 MINUTES TO WALK, MEANING HE LEFT HOME
WELL BEFORE DAWN. Norris: SO THE RIPPER MURDERS, VERY INTERESTING
SET OF PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR WHICH RESULT WHEN WE LOOK
AT THIS GEOGRAPHICALLY. THERE ARE CERTAIN FLAGS,
OR RED MARKERS IF YOU LIKE, THAT REALLY TRY TO INDICATE
THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT LINKS LECHMERE
TO THESE CRIMES. THE FIRST CRIME TOOK PLACE HERE,
THE GEORGE YARD BUILDINGS IN GUNTHORPE STREET,
WHITECHAPEL--MARTHA TABRAM. Narrator: MARTHA TABRAM
WAS MURDERED IN A STAIRWELL JUST YARDS
FROM OLD MONTAGUE STREET, ONE OF THE MOST DIRECT ROUTES ON CHARLES LECHMERE'S
WALK TO WORK. THE CORONER SAID SHE WAS KILLED
BETWEEN 2:30 AND 3:30 AM, A TIME WHEN LECHMERE
SHOULD HAVE BEEN PASSING BY TO GET TO HIS JOB. THERE WERE 39 STAB WOUNDS TO HER UPPER BODY. IF LECHMERE
REALLY WAS THE RIPPER, GARETH THINKS THE SPLIT
FROM HIS MOTHER AND DAUGHTER COULD HAVE TRIGGERED THE ATTACK. Norris: VERY OFTEN WE FIND
THERE'S A SIGNIFICANCE WITH THE FIRST VICTIM. THIS IS THE ONE
THAT'S BEEN PLANNED. THIS IS THE ONE THAT THEY'VE REALLY KIND OF
THOUGHT OF AND AGONIZED OVER. WE SEE IT OFTEN IN THOSE CASES, THERE IS SOMETHING
WHICH HAS HAPPENED, SOMETHING WHICH HAS MADE
THOSE PEOPLE ALMOST KIND OF SNAP,
IF YOU LIKE. COULD THAT HAVE BEEN
THE KIND OF PRECIPITATING THING THAT STARTED THIS MURDER SPREE? Narrator: NEXT TO BE KILLED
WAS POLLY NICHOLS. EVENTS THAT NIGHT
ILLUSTRATED PERFECTLY THE COVER AND OPPORTUNITY HIS WALK TO WORK
WOULD HAVE PROVIDED. WITH THE THIRD VICTIM,
ANNIE CHAPMAN, THE PATTERN CONTINUES. Norris: SHE WAS FOUND HERE
IN HANBURY STREET. THE CRIME SCENE
SEEMS TO HAVE MOVED ON NOW. SHE'D BEEN CUT OPEN. HER INNER ORGANS
HAD BEEN PULLED OUT OF HER BODY AND BEEN FOUND
LEFT HANGING OVER HER SHOULDER. ALSO SOME VERY SPECIFIC WOUNDS
TO HER SEXUAL ORGANS. Narrator: CHAPMAN WAS KILLED
IN THE BACKYARD OF A HOUSE THAT ALSO LAY ON ONE
OF LECHMERE'S ROUTES TO WORK. THE MEDICAL EXAMINER ESTIMATED THAT SHE WAS KILLED
AT AROUND 4:30 AM. AGAIN LECHMERE WOULD HAVE BEEN
PASSING CLOSE TO THE MURDER SITE WITHIN MINUTES OF HER DEATH. IT COULD BE COINCIDENCE
THAT THREE KILLINGS OCCURRED ON HIS EARLY MORNING ROUTES
TO WORK. BUT THE NEXT TWO MURDERS, OF ELIZABETH STRIDE
AND CATHERINE EDDOWES, WERE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT. THE KILLER STRUCK OUTSIDE OF
HIS LOCALITY AND COMFORT ZONE. Norris: WHAT'S SOMETIMES
REFERRED TO AS THE DOUBLE EVENT, TWO MURDERS IN THE SAME EVENING. GEOGRAPHICALLY
HE'S MOVED FURTHER SOUTH NOW. THESE AREAS DOWN HERE WERE SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT
FROM THE OTHERS. WHY WAS HE TRAVELING BELOW THIS KIND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
BARRIER FROM WHITECHAPEL. THE WHITECHAPEL ROAD,
BEING AN ARTERIAL ROUTE, IT'S A GEOGRAPHICAL,
A PSYCHOLOGICAL BOUNDARY. Narrator:
THIS UNUSUAL SHIFT IN LOCATION HAS ALWAYS
PUZZLED CRIME EXPERTS, BUT IF LECHMERE WAS THE KILLER, THE LOCATION
MAKES PERFECT SENSE. LIZ STRIDE WAS KILLED IN THE MIDST OF THE MANY HOUSES
THAT LECHMERE GREW UP IN. Norris:
NOW WE CAN SEE THAT THIS AREA ALSO IS SOMEWHERE
THAT HE WOULD HAVE KNOWN WELL. THIS NOW EXPLAINS
WHY WE HAVE A BIT OF A MOVEMENT OF THE CENTER OF GRAVITY
OF THESE CRIMES DOWN TOWARDS THIS AREA. Narrator: THE CONNECTION
TO CHARLES LECHMERE IS POSSIBLY EVEN CLEARER
WHEN IT'S FACTORED IN THAT THEY OCCURRED
ON A SATURDAY NIGHT. SATURDAY WAS HIS ONLY NIGHT OFF. WAS LECHMERE VISITING THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
HE HAD RECENTLY LEFT? Norris: ONE OF HIS DAUGHTERS
ACTUALLY STILL LIVED WITH HIS MOTHER DOWN HERE,
IN CABLE STREET. MAYBE HE TRAVELED DOWN
TO THIS AREA ON THAT EVENING TO VISIT THEM. IF WE THINK OF HIS CRIMES,
PERHAPS, RATHER THAN HIM
AS A SERIAL KILLER, MORE AS A SPREE KILLER, MAYBE THERE WAS
SOMETHING THERE-- AN ARGUMENT, PERHAPS,
WITH HIS MOTHER. MAYBE HIS MOTHER HAD DISCOVERED
SOMETHING ABOUT HIM. Narrator: ELIZABETH STRIDE
HAD HER THROAT CUT AT AROUND MIDNIGHT IN AN ALLEYWAY
LEADING TO A STABLE YARD, JUST ROUND THE CORNER FROM CHARLES LECHMERE'S
MOTHER'S HOUSE. ONCE AGAIN, THE KILLER
WAS UNABLE TO FINISH HIS WORK. Norris: THIS CRIME, IT SEEMED
TO BE ONE THAT HE WAS DISTURBED. HE HAD CUT ELIZABETH'S THROAT AND THEN LEFT THE SCENE
AT THAT POINT AND MOVED TO THIS AREA
TO FIND YET ANOTHER VICTIM. Narrator: UNSATISFIED,
THE KILLER GOES ON THE HUNT FOR A SECOND VICTIM, TAKING THE EXACT ROUTE LECHMERE
TOOK TO WORK FOR 20 YEARS, TOWARDS A PART OF TOWN WHERE
HE KNEW HE COULD FIND A VICTIM. WITHIN 40 MINUTES, HE FOUND,
MURDERED, AND MUTILATED CATHERINE EDDOWES
IN MITRE SQUARE. THE RIPPER'S
LAST ACCEPTED MURDER HAPPENED BACK IN WHITECHAPEL AND BACK ON LECHMERE'S
DAILY ROUTINE. MARY KELLY WAS ATTACKED
BETWEEN 3:00 AND 4:00 AM IN A LODGING HOUSE
SITUATED ON A CUT-THROUGH TO BROAD STREET
GOODS DEPARTMENT. Norris: VICTIM NUMBER SIX,
MARY JANE KELLY, DISCOVERED HERE
IN DORSET STREET. Narrator: KELLY'S WOUNDS
WERE THE MOST EXTREME OF THE ALL THE RIPPER'S VICTIMS, WITH LARGE SECTIONS
OF HER BODY REMOVED. Norris:
HE'S MOVED HIS CRIME INDOORS. HE'S CAUSED WOUNDS TO HER FACE,
AND SHE'S BEEN SUBJECTED TO LITERALLY HOURS
OF DISMEMBERMENT. Narrator:
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MYSTERY HOW THE KILLER COULD HAVE
LEFT KELLY'S ROOM UNNOTICED WHEN HE MUST HAVE BEEN
COVERED IN BLOOD, BUT THERE'S ONE MORE
TANTALIZING FACT ABOUT LECHMERE THAT COULD EXPLAIN THAT MYSTERY. HISTORIAN ARTHUR INGRAM
IS AN EXPERT ON PICKFORDS, THE COMPANY LECHMERE WORKED FOR AS A HORSE-DRAWN
DELIVERY DRIVER. HIS RESEARCH HAS UNCOVERED
THAT CHARLES LECHMERE'S JOB WAS TO DELIVER MEAT
TO BUTCHERS AROUND EAST LONDON. Arthur Ingram:
THE MEN OF PICKFORDS WORKING OUT OF BROAD STREET WERE HANDLING
HUGE CHUNKS OF MEAT, BUT THERE'D BE ODDMENTS
AROUND ANY CARCASS, WHETHER IT BE LIVER,
HEART, AND TONGUE. IT IS A DIRTY JOB,
AND HIS CLOTHES WOULD BE DIRTY, AND HE MAY BE SOILED
WITH HIS HANDS OR HIS FACE. Narrator:
ARRIVING AT BROAD STREET DEPOT IN AN APRON SMEARED WITH BLOOD WOULD BARELY
HAVE RAISED AN EYEBROW. THEN HE COULD MELT AWAY
INTO A DARK WARREN OF MEAT CARTS AND STABLES
FOR 300 HORSES. Ingram: BROAD STREET,
BECAUSE OF ITS IMPORTANCE AS THE THIRD LARGEST STATION
IN LONDON AT THAT TIME, THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE SPACE
TAKEN OVER, NOT ONLY FOR THE STABLES,
FOR THE HORSES, BUT FOR THE CARMAN
TO KEEP HIMSELF CLEAN. Narrator: BROAD STREET DEPOT
WOULD HAVE BEEN AN IDEAL HIDEOUT
FOR A KILLER. IT IS THE FINAL MARKER
FOR THE THREE KEY ELEMENTS OF CHARLES LECHMERE'S LIFE--
HOME, FAMILY, AND WORK. Norris: IF WE DRAW A TRIANGLE
AROUND THESE POINTS, WE CAN SEE
THAT ALL OF THE CRIMES WOULD BE CONTAINED
WITHIN THAT TRIANGLE-- LIVED, WORKED, AND WHERE HE
MOVED TO IN HIS NEW LOCATION. Narrator:
A DEFENSE ATTORNEY MIGHT ARGUE THAT HARD EVIDENCE IS THIN, BUT CHRISTER HOLMGREN
SEES MORE THAN COINCIDENCE. Holmgren: ONCE YOU FIND OUT THE
TRUE BACKGROUND OF THE CARMAN AND WHO HE REALLY WAS,
CHARLES ALLEN LECHMERE, IT ALL FITS,
EVERY SINGLE BIT OF IT. IF HE WASN'T THE KILLER, THEN HE WAS THE UNLUCKIEST
PERSON IN THE WORLD BECAUSE HE SUDDENLY DEVELOPED
SOME SORT OF HABIT OF ALWAYS PASSING BY AS SOMEBODY
WAS KILLED IN THOSE STREETS, AND TO ME,
THAT JUST DOESN'T ADD UP. Narrator:
REMARKABLY, DURING HIS LIFETIME, CHARLES LECHMERE
EVADED SUSPICION AND SURVIVED INTO THE 1920s, WHEN, AT A RIPE OLD AGE,
HIS IMAGE WAS CAPTURED ON FILM. AFTER 30 YEARS OF INVESTIGATION, CHRISTER HOLMGREN BELIEVES
THAT CHARLES ALLEN LECHMERE WAS JACK THE RIPPER. ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER
OF POLLY NICHOLS, HE WAS FOUND
STANDING OVER THE BODY. NO ONE SAW ANYBODY ELSE
AT THE SCENE. HER WOUNDS WERE EXTREMELY FRESH, AND IT SEEMS LECHMERE
HAD BEEN ALONE WITH HER FOR LONGER THAN HE ADMITTED. HE APPARENTLY
THEN LIED TO THE POLICE AND GAVE FALSE DETAILS
AT THE INQUEST, AND ONCE YOU DISCOVER
WHO HE REALLY IS, A SERIES OF EERIE COINCIDENCES POINT TO HIM BEING
JACK THE RIPPER. WEARING BLOODSTAINED OVERALLS,
HIS JOB POTENTIALLY PLACED HIM NEAR FOUR OF THE KILLINGS
AT THE TIME THEY OCCURRED. ANOTHER HAPPENED
BY HIS MOTHER'S HOUSE, YET ANOTHER
ON HIS OLD ROUTE TO WORK. BUT WOULD LYING TO POLICE AND THE CONNECTION
TO THE CRIME SCENES CONVICT HIM IN A MODERN COURT? CRIMINAL BARRISTER
AND QUEEN'S COUNSEL JAMES SCOBIE REVIEWS THE CASE. James Scobie:
THE TIMINGS REALLY HURT HIM BECAUSE SHE COULD HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY RECENTLY
FATALLY KILLED. YOU CAN INFLICT INJURIES, AS I'M SURE A PATHOLOGIST
WILL TELL YOU, WITH A KNIFE IN SECONDS, AND THE QUESTION IS,
WHERE WERE YOU? WHAT WERE YOU DOING
DURING THAT TIME? BECAUSE ACTUALLY HE HAS
NEVER GIVEN A PROPER ANSWER. HE IS SOMEBODY WHO SEEMS TO BE
ACTING IN A WAY, BEHAVING IN A WAY,
THAT IS SUSPICIOUS, WHICH A JURY WOULD NOT LIKE. A JURY WOULD NOT LIKE THAT. WHEN THE COINCIDENCES ADD UP,
MOUNT UP AGAINST A DEFENDANT, AND THEY MOUNT UP IN HIS CASE, IT BECOMES
ONE COINCIDENCE TOO MANY. THE FACT THAT THERE IS
A PATTERN OF OFFENDING, ALMOST AN AREA OF OFFENDING, OF WHICH HE IS LINKED
GEOGRAPHICALLY AND PHYSICALLY, YOU ADD ALL THOSE POINTS
TOGETHER, PIECE IT ALL TOGETHER, AND THE PROSECUTION HAVE THE MOST PROBATIVE,
POWERFUL MATERIAL THE COURTS USE
AGAINST INDIVIDUAL SUSPECTS. Narrator: AFTER 120 YEARS,
IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THERE WILL EVER BE
THE DEFINITIVE PROOF TO CONVICT ANY ONE SUSPECT, BUT JAMES SCOBIE SUGGESTS
THAT THE EVIDENCE DRAWN TOGETHER BY CHRISTER COULD TAKE CHARLES LECHMERE
TO A MURDER TRIAL. Scobie: AND WHAT WE WOULD SAY IS HE'S GOT A PRIMA FACIE CASE
TO ANSWER, WHICH MEANS IT'S A CASE
GOOD ENOUGH TO PUT BEFORE A JURY THAT SUGGESTS
THAT HE WAS THE KILLER. Holmgren:
THIS IS A QUEEN'S COUNSEL, A BARRISTER
OF THE VERY HIGHEST ORDER, SO TO HAVE THIS CONFIRMATION
FROM THIS LEVEL IS VERY EMOTIONAL TO ME. Narrator: LECHMERE'S STORY
MAY NOT BE FINISHED. CHRISTER HOLMGREN
IS INVESTIGATING LINKS TO SEVERAL MORE MURDERS, AND IN TIME, HE PLANS
TO PUBLISH HIS RESEARCH. LECHMERE LIVED
UNTIL HE WAS 71, BECAME A GRANDFATHER
AND A RELATIVELY WEALTHY MAN, RICH ENOUGH TO PAY FOR HIS
PHOTOGRAPH TO BE TAKEN IN 1912. Holmgren: IT'S A STRANGE FEELING
TO LOOK AT HIM. I FIND MY EYES NOW
TAKING A LOOK AT HIS EYES AND THEN AT HIS HANDS. WHAT I SEE HERE
IS A VERY SELF-SECURE, VERY SELF-CONSCIOUS, SLIGHTLY INTIMIDATING MAN. Narrator:
THE HUNT FOR THE RIPPER IS UNLIKELY TO END
WITH LECHMERE. THERE WILL DOUBTLESS BE
NEW THEORIES AND NEW SUSPECTS, BUT CHRISTER BELIEVES THAT UNLESS SOLID EVIDENCE
EMERGES TO THE CONTRARY, HE HAS FOUND THE ORDINARY MAN
BEHIND THE LEGEND AND PROVED
BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT THAT CHARLES ALLEN LECHMERE
WAS JACK THE RIPPER.
Wow this was pretty interesting to watch. Who were the other most likely suspects, by the way?
It was nice when they ignored the evidence that didn't fit their hypotheses. All of the murders occurred along the most likely route he would have taken to work, except those that didn't. Also, one took place while he would have been at work and they didn't bother to follow that up.
The only thing that's suspicious is him being at the body. I downplay what he said to the cop. Who wants to get in the middle of something like that?
Any mirrors?
Not available in Canada. :(