After 126 years, the identity of Jack the Ripper has supposedly been solved. Russell Edwards, an 'armchair detective', claims that DNA evidence from a blood-stained shawl definitively points to Aaron Kosminski, a 23-year-old Polish hairdresser. This conclusion lets several other bizarre suspects off the hook.
One of the most outlandish theories involves Prince Albert Victor, grandson of Queen Victoria. The story goes that he impregnated a shop girl, leading to a cover-up by the royal physician, Dr Gull, who allegedly murdered prostitutes to silence them. However, the prince was out of London during the murders, and there is no evidence to support the tale.
American crime novelist Patricia Cornwell spent millions trying to prove that Victorian painter Walter Sickert was the Ripper. She cited a defect in his penis and his creepy paintings, which resembled autopsy photos. One painting, 'Jack the Ripper's Bedroom', depicted a room Sickert claimed the killer once used.
Perhaps the most bizarre theory came from Richard Wallace in his 1996 book. He took passages from Lewis Carroll's children's books and created anagrams that 'proved' Carroll was the Ripper. However, the anagrams required changing and omitting letters to fit his narrative.
Other suspects include Dr Thomas Neill Cream, who was hanged for another murder and allegedly said 'I am Jack the...' before his execution, but he was in prison during the Ripper killings. Mary Pearcey, a female suspect, was convicted of murdering her lover's wife, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle speculated that a woman could have committed the crimes, but evidence is lacking.
