Today is Sunday, September 27th, 2020.

On this day in 1888, London Central News Agency received the first piece of correspondence from the

Victorian-era serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original.

Due to the graphic nature of today's crimes, listener discretion is advised.

Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today we're covering one of the most famous letters from Jack the Ripper, which was received on this day 132 years ago.

Though the letter is now widely regarded as a hoax, its mocking tone and chilling predictions of future crimes

transfix the public, creating a larger-than-life persona for the notorious murderer.

Let's go back to London's East End on September 27, 1888, just as the work day was beginning.

It had been nearly three weeks since Annie Chapman's remains were found on Hanbury Street, and Thomas Bullen was looking for a story.

As a reporter for London's Central News Agency, Bullen had closely followed the gruesome murders in the city's Whitechapel district,

where two women, Mary Ann Nichols and Annie Chapman were found dead around a week apart.

The press had a field day with the so-called Whitechapel murders, covering front pages with

images of the crime scenes and speculation about the perpetrator's identity.

Without a name to attach to the case, for now they called him the Red Fiend or Leather

Apron.

Accusations and rumors of his true identity

flew through the East End.

Some said the man responsible had to be a working class butcher, while others said he was an upper crust doctor or aristocrat

praying upon poor disaffected sex workers.

But anyone could be a suspect, and London was on high alert.

Weeks went by without another victim.

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