So after watching an episode of the new History channel show American Ripper I wanted to know what you all think. Was Americans first serial killer Dr H. H. Holmes Jack the Ripper?

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Who knows but given the amount of time that passed between each Ripper Murder, giving weight to the idea that the killer was possibly a traveler or crew member (likely a ship's surgeon) on a ship, it's possible, and Holmes wasn't a killer...he was a monster

His great great grandson believes that he was him, and looking at it from a more modern point of view the ones who evade the law longer change their MO. There was a H. Holmes in England at the time who returned to America pretty much right after the Ripper murders took place. But like you said it's hard to say. Since the killer knew anatomy as you pointed out since he most likely used a surgeon's knife. But we'll probably never know given all the lost and missing evidence in the ripper case.

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Mebe.