Jack the Ripper Suspect – Alois Szemeredy

Szemeredy was born in Hungary in 1840 or 1844, depending on which source you read.

Rumours that Szemeredy may have been Jack the Ripper were first reported in the Daily Graphic in 1892.

Szemeredy was accused of murdering a prostitute in Buenos Aires by slashing her throat, however, he escaped to Rio de Janeiro where he was arrested 5 years later. Szemeredy managed to convince the court he was innocent, and he was acquitted.

In 1885 he was arrested again for theft and murder, and sent to a lunatic asylum.

There are no records of his whereabouts until 1889 when he was reported to have been in Vienna. He committed suicide in 1892.

There are several problems with Szemeredy’s candidacy as Jack the Ripper:
1. His MO does not match that of Jack the Ripper; he slit the throat of one prostitute, but killed several victims by hitting them on the head with a blunt instrument.
2. He did not mutilate his victims.
3. He killed both men and women.
4. His motive seems to have been theft in most cases.
5. There is no evidence that he was ever in London.
6. He was rumoured to have been incarcerated in Argentina at the time of the Whitechapel murders.

Conclusion: It is highly unlikely that Szemeredy was Jack the Ripper.