Last Podcast On The Left
Last Podcast On The Left
"But the biggest thing about Barnett is that Barnett's too much of a story. After all the stuff that we've covered, all the serial killers that we've covered, it's never that clean. There is never a story. It's always a mess. It's always madness. There's nothing there that's an actual narrative. It's always just insanity. And for me, Fred Deeming is insanity." — Marcus Parks
"But on the other hand, it's too symbolic, it's too good. But also, would him being a stranger be a problem? This is my question. If Whitechapel is, so there's 1200 prostitutes and this densely packed, like, triangle of streets. There's this area. Do you think that that level of familiarity, that kind of that pack together, do you think that either makes people blend in or stick out?" — Ben Kissel
"And I think that, I think what that tells you is that Whitechapel, there are a ton of people coming in and out. You know that the uppercut, we know that the aristocracy is always coming into Whitechapel to get their jollies off. A lot of people are coming in and out of Whitechapel constantly, and it's also a very transient area because it's right near a port." — Marcus Parks
The podcast episode revisits the Jack the Ripper case, focusing on two primary suspects: Fred Deeming and Joseph Barnett. Fred Deeming, a convicted murderer and con artist, is presented as a potential suspect due to his history of extreme violence, including the murder of his wife and children. The episode highlights circumstantial evidence, such as his distinctive facial features matching witness descriptions and his presence in London around the time of the murders, though the lack of definitive forensic links is acknowledged. The podcast also discusses Deeming's potential motive of contracting syphilis and his subsequent rage towards prostitutes.
The second suspect explored is Joseph Barnett, the boyfriend of Mary Kelly, the Ripper's final canonical victim. Theories surrounding Barnett suggest his actions were driven by obsession and a desire to control Mary Kelly, potentially leading him to commit the murders to scare her away from prostitution or, more darkly, out of rage and rejection. Evidence presented includes his familiarity with Whitechapel, his volatile relationship with Mary Kelly, and the proximity of his residence to several murder sites. The episode also touches on the psychological profiling of serial killers and how both suspects might fit certain criteria, while acknowledging the speculative nature of these connections.
Ultimately, the hosts express a leaning towards Fred Deeming as the more plausible suspect due to the perceived "messiness" of his criminal history compared to the more narrative-driven, and perhaps too convenient, story of Joseph Barnett. The episode concludes by emphasizing the enduring mystery of the Ripper case, the role of media in shaping public perception, and the possibility that multiple individuals may have been involved.