Watch the full special episode of “Banfield” where historian Russell Edwards discusses his claim of identifying Jack the Ripper as Aaron Kosminski through DNA evidence linked to a shawl found at one of the murder scenes.
(NewsNation) — The infamous killer who terrorized London women has largely been referred to as simply “Jack the Ripper” until now.
Historian Russell Edwards says he has identified Jack the Ripper as Aaron Kosminski through a DNA match of a shawl found at the scene of one of his murders.
Who is the man purported to be?
Kosminski was a Polish immigrant who came to Whitechapel, England, in 1881 alongside his brother. He became a barber once in the British capitol.
Edwards told the “Today Show Australia” that he came to purchase the shawl in 2007 after it was purported to be at the scene of the murder of Catherine Eddowes.
Kosminski, who was aged 23 at the time of the murders, has long been considered a suspect. He had schizophrenia and was in a mental asylum at the time of his death in 1919.
Thanks to Kosminski’s oldest brother’s great-great-granddaughter, the revelation was made after they provided a DNA sample.
Who was Jack the Ripper?
Jack the Ripper has lived in infamy and lore for more than a century after he committed the murders of at least five women in Whitechapel between August and November of 1888.
Police never found Jack the Ripper, who was also referred to as the “Whitechapel Murderer” and the “Leather Apron.”
He was infamous for slitting the throat of his victims before removing the internal organs of at least three people.
Some of the victims have been thought to be prostitutes, but according to Penguin Books, there is little evidence to support this.
Is it a confirmed match to Jack the Ripper?
According to the Daily Mail, Edwards has hired a legal team to help gain an inquest after he found a 100% DNA match.
Descendants of both Eddowes and Kosminski have backed this move.
As he told “Today,” Edwards and his team have sent a letter to the attorney general requesting permission to go to Britain’s High Court for a further inquest.
The hope is that Kosminski can be legally tied to the murder.
“The name Jack the Ripper has become sensationalized. It has gone down in history as this famous character,” Karen Miller, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Eddowes, told the Mail.
“What about the real name of the person who did this? Having the real person legally named in a court, which can consider all the evidence, would be a form of justice for the victims. We have got the proof. Now, we need this inquest to legally name the killer.”