In this episode of my Jack the Ripper suspect investigations, we explore Aaron Kosminski, a prominent suspect in the case. New DNA evidence, particularly from a shawl linked to Catherine Eddowes, allegedly connects Kosminski to the murders, with a 100% match to a descendant of his. However, doubts about the shawl’s authenticity and the limitations of mitochondrial DNA have raised scepticism. We also look at the role of Russell Edwards, who purchased the shawl, and examine the psychiatric records of Kosminski, along with other possible suspects like Nathan Kaminski. Could we finally uncover the true identity of Jack the Ripper?

Thanks to author Karl Coppack and Adam from UK True Crime for lending their voices.

If you would like to support the show by making a one-off donation please visit https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

For news about my books and free true crime blog posts, check out my website www.prashganendran.com.

Thanks for your support and I’ll see you again soon



Music:
"Long Note Three" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

"Long Note Two" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welcome to another episode of Prash's Murder Map. Today, I’m doing something a little different. Alongside hosting this podcast, I’m also an author, with several true crime books to my name, including the Murder Casebook series and a forthcoming book on wartime killers Karl Hulten and Betty Jones, due for release later this year.

In this special episode, I’m excited to share a chapter from Murder Casebook Volume 1, narrated by acclaimed British stage and screen actor Mark Rice-Oxley. Death at 36,000 Feet tells the little-known story of a man so desperate that he was willing to endanger countless lives to achieve his goal.

This free chapter is an excerpt from Murder Casebook Volume 1: 12 Shocking True Crime Cases, available on Audible in audiobook format, as well as in e-book and paperback. The book explores some of the most chilling true crime cases in history, from serial killers and violent gangs to poisonings and cannibalism, revealing the stories of the victims, the criminals, and the investigations that brought them to justice.

 You can listen to the full book on Audible:
🔗 Audible US
🔗 Audible UK

If you’re interested in my latest book, co-written with my wife Melissa, which tells the true story of Karl Hulten and Betty Jones—wartime London’s infamous “Cleft Chin Murder” case—visit prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder

I’ll be back soon with another case, but for now, let’s dive into this extraordinary true crime story.

Jack the Ripper’s identity remains one of true crime’s greatest mysteries. In this episode, we explore Whitechapel butcher Jacob Levy, a compelling suspect in the murders of the Canonical Five. Could he be a better suspect than the likes of Charles Lechmere, Montague Druitt, Kosminsky and others? Levy’s life was steeped in tragedy and turmoil. Living near key murder sites, his violent tendencies, mental instability, and descent into paranoia following a syphilis diagnosis raise chilling questions. Could his butchery skills and local knowledge tie him to the Ripper’s gruesome crimes? Was Levy the true face behind the world’s most notorious serial killer? Listen now for a fresh look at this dark chapter in history.

For news about my books and free true crime blog posts, check out my website www.prashganendran.com

Prefer to watch the video version of this episode? Check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

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Explore the mysteries, folklore, and forgotten stories of Britain. Listen now: https://linktr.ee/curiousbritainpodcast

 🙏 Thank You!
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Sources: Ancestry.com Old Bailey Court Record London Evening Standard, Wednesday 10 March 1886 Evening Mail, Friday 12 October 1888 https://forum.casebook.org/forum/ripper-discussions/suspects/levy-jacob/7873-jacob-levy-asylum-records Daily Telegraph, 12 October 1888 Reynolds News, 15 September 1946

In the summer of 1887, Victorian London’s East End, fraught with poverty and unrest, became the setting for a bizarre and senseless true crime. Miriam Angel, an impoverished Jewish immigrant who was six months pregnant, was found poisoned in a locked room, her body lying on the bed. Incredibly, a fellow tenant in the same lodging house, Israel Lipski, was discovered hiding beneath it. The case, with its puzzling lack of motive, divided the public. Lipski’s infamy lingered, with his name even becoming a racial slur—shouted just minutes before Elizabeth Stride’s murder during Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror a year later.

For news about my books and free true crime blog posts, check out my website www.prashganendran.com

Prefer to watch the video version of this episode? Check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

If you would like to support the show by making a one-off donation please visit https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

Sources:

The Trials of Israel Lipski by Martin L Friedland
Old Bailey Court Transcript
The Salisbury Times - Saturday 27 August 1887
South Wales Daily News - Saturday 20 August 1887
The People - Sunday 28 August 1887
Swansea and Glamorgan Herald - Wednesday 14 August 1889  

 Music:

"Unanswered Questions" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Long Note Two" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Long Note Three" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

In 1892, the dismembered body of Annie Pritchard was discovered in a ditch in East Haddon, England, leading to an investigation that linked her death to Andrew MacRae, a man with whom she had an affair. MacRae, who had been living with his wife and children in Birmingham, had moved to Northampton with Annie, where they set up a home, and he eventually murdered her after she gave birth to their child. MacRae was convicted of murder and hanged in January 1893, while Annie was buried in East Haddon Cemetery, her grave marked by a headstone funded by public subscription.

But questions remain....was that really Annie Pritchard's body? and was Andrew MacRae the killer?

Prefer to watch the video version of this episode? Check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

If you would like to support the show by making a one-off donation please visit https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

For news about my books and free true crime blog posts, check out my website www.prashganendran.com. Thanks for your support and I’ll see you again soon!


Sources:
Northamptonshire Tales of Mystery and Murder by David Saint
Diss Express - Friday 23 September 1892
Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser - Friday 23 September 1892
Chicago Tribune Wed, 21 Dec 1892
Birmingham Daily Post Monday 26 Dec 1892
Cornish Echo and Falmouth & Penryn Times - Saturday 07 January 1893

Joseph Waller was born in St Mary Cray near Chislehurst, Kent, in 1857 and seemed by all accounts to be a perfectly ordinary child. He aspired to join the police force and went to London to become a constable with the Metropolitan Police, having no inkling that his dream profession would lead to his downfall.

For news about my books and free true crime blog posts, check out my website www.prashganendran.com

Prefer to watch the video version of this episode? Check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

If you would like to support the show by making a one-off donation please visit https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

**Thank you for your support**

This is the curious case of a killer who handed himself in more than 20 years after committing murder. What made him come forward after so long, when he could have continued to lay low, safe in the knowledge that he was unlikely to ever be found, in the days long before the advent of DNA?

For news about my books and free true crime blog posts, check out my website www.prashganendran.com


Sources

Bondeson Jan, ‘Victorian Murders’, 2017, Amberley Publishing
Chelmsford Chronicle - Friday 03 July 1857
Morning Advertiser - Thursday 16 July 1857
Leeds Times - Saturday 18 July 1857 https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/life?id=obpdef1-147-18551217 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/187716259 https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?name=18791020

In December 1938, Ernest Percival Key never made it home for Christmas. His body was discovered by his own son, with only one notable clue left behind—a lone bowler hat, possibly dropped by his killer. But would this single item be enough to unlock the mystery of this true crime case and uncover the person responsible for this brutal crime?

For news about my books and free true crime blog posts, check out my website www.prashganendran.com

Prefer to watch the video version of this episode? Check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

If you would like to support the show by making a one-off donation please visit https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

In 1803, Hammersmith was gripped by fear after multiple sightings of a supposed ghost. Amid the panic, a vigilante named Francis Smith took drastic action, believing he had shot the ghost—only to discover he had killed an innocent man, bricklayer Thomas Millwood. What followed was a trial at the Old Bailey, an unexpected twist, and a revelation about who was behind the ghostly scare. This true story became a landmark case in British legal history.

This little known true crime case is set in the rural village of Curry Mallet in Somerset. The year is 1933. The crime is murder. In a family which harbours a dark secret and incestuous relationships, a tragedy is about to take place.

For news about my books and free true crime blog posts, check out my website www.prashganendran.com

Prefer to watch the video version of this episode? Check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

If you would like to support the show by making a one-off donation please visit https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap  

Sources:
Daily Mirror 25 March 1933 Daily Mirror 9 June 1933 Illustrated Police News - Thursday 09 March 1933

Music:
ES_Exile - Lo Mimieux "Long Note Two" and “Lightless Dawn” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/