Jack the Ripper: Case Study
By Vickie BrittonLesson 7: Using Forensic Evidence to Investigate an Old Crime
Jack the Ripper: Case Closed--Fact or Fiction?
Despite her dedication and willingness to stake her reputation on her belief that Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper, many experts are in disagreement with Cornwell's conclusions that renowned painter Walter Sickert was a psychopath and serial killer.
Her broad statements have raised arguments from other experts who do not agree with her theory. Yale Center for British Art curator Scott Wilcox told the Associated Press that he disagreed with Cornwell's interpretations. She was also criticized by many in the art community for tearing apart at least one valuable Sickert painting to look for bloodstains, fingerprints, and other forensic clues.
Michael Gordon, author of "Alias Jack the Ripper: Beyond the Usual Whitechapel Suspects," stated, "She could not be farther from the truth." He based his objections on the belief that Jack the Ripper had not written the letters that Cornwell examined. Walter Sickert's nephew dismisses her allegations that Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper as "rubbish."
Nevetheless, it cannot be denied that Pat Cornwell has indicated some disturbing similarities between the Ripper letters and Walter Sickert's own personal correspondence. The content of some of Sickert's paintings also seem to eerily reflect the Ripper crimes.
However, experts point out that the evidence she brings against Sickert is circumstantial or speculative rather than scientific. According to Cornwell, Sickert's sexual dysfunction was the catalyst for the Ripper crimes, yet there is no proof that Sickert was physically deformed or impotent.
Perhaps the most damaging hole in Cornwell's theory is that there is some evidence to corroborate the fact that Sickert was in France between August and October of 1888. A letter exists that Sickert wrote from France during that time frame where he mentions a "nice little place to sleep and eat" in Dieppe, France.
Though it bears no envelope or postmark, it was no doubt written sometime during his stay in France. He also painted scenes in the Dieppe area around that time, and friends had mentioned seeing him there.
Pat Cornwell maintains that Sickert could have traveled back and forth to England by ferry to commit the crimes, but there is not a shred of evidence to place Sickert in London during the time of the Ripper murders.
In Conclusion
In her investigation, Cornwell attempted to use modern forensic techniques to solve this old crime. If it had worked, the case of Jack the Ripper would now be closed. However, despite a valiant attempt to prove her theory, the DNA evidence derived from Sickert's paintings and letters was disappointing and inconclusive.
"The heck with defense attorneys", Cornwell states, "A jury back then would have said, 'hang him'." However, before the advent of modern forensic detection, many innocent people were put to death for crimes they didn't commit.
Pat Cornwell admits that the evidence she found against Sickert would not hold up in a modern court of law. Yet she maintained in an interview, "I do believe 100 per cent that the artist Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper. Sickert led a horrifying double life, painting by day and killing by night. The case will soon be closed." Cornwell may continue to pursue the case against Walter Sickert with additional DNA testing.
Because the scientific proof was inconclusive, it cannot be positively concluded that Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper any more than any of the other wide range of suspects. Still, despite the title of her book, Cornwell's goal was not necessarily to find Sickert guilty, but to thoroughly investigate the facts using new methods.
Whatever the case, she did something worthwhile by breaking new ground, something that has never been done before, and the applying of DNA to a century-old crime will no doubt be used in other cases. In the meantime, the mysterious case of Jack the Ripper is still very much open.
Sources:
Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper--Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell and Walter Sickert: A Primer by Stephen P. Ryder
ABC article Jack the Ripper an Impressionist Artist?
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