0:00:13.418,0:00:17.397
Imagine dinner with your family,[br]your regular family,

0:00:17.397,0:00:19.780
suddenly discovering a secret,

0:00:20.400,0:00:25.057
a secret so profound[br]as to destroy all perspective

0:00:25.497,0:00:29.161
gained in 40 years of a "normal life,"

0:00:29.801,0:00:32.147
being told that your[br]great-great-grandfather

0:00:32.147,0:00:34.267
was Herman Mudgett,

0:00:34.267,0:00:38.067
better known as Dr. H. H. Holmes -

0:00:38.347,0:00:41.659
a monster, a mass murderer,

0:00:41.659,0:00:44.572
the proprietor of the "Murder Castle,"

0:00:44.572,0:00:47.770
the real-life Dr. Frankenstein.

0:00:48.840,0:00:53.819
Slammed in the face[br]by heredity, genetics, DNA,

0:00:53.819,0:00:57.539
and traits they once referred to[br]at the turn of this century

0:00:57.539,0:01:00.770
as belonging to the one, the devil.

0:01:01.380,0:01:06.213
Serial killer, psychopath, evil genius -

0:01:06.713,0:01:11.780
the words and phrases they invented[br]to describe my ancestor,

0:01:12.340,0:01:18.236
because the ones before his horrible acts[br]weren't working anymore.

0:01:18.236,0:01:19.826
(Background piano music)

0:01:19.826,0:01:22.358
Having to admit[br]the troubling idiosyncrasies

0:01:22.358,0:01:25.568
I'd spent a lifetime denying,

0:01:26.328,0:01:28.700
no longer able to talk myself out of them

0:01:28.700,0:01:32.516
with the often repeated[br]"We all have them."

0:01:33.196,0:01:38.919
Worst of all, having to accept the reason[br]I'm here with you all today

0:01:39.529,0:01:41.768
were the conscious decisions

0:01:42.018,0:01:46.147
of perhaps the most evil being[br]that ever lived.

0:01:47.787,0:01:51.181
Rather than run away[br]as so many before me had,

0:01:52.061,0:01:54.579
I decided to accept my fate,

0:01:54.939,0:02:00.079
recognizing my destiny[br]was to tell the world the truth

0:02:00.079,0:02:03.869
about this monster[br]and his innocent victims.

0:02:05.099,0:02:08.094
So, at the opportunity TED has given me,

0:02:08.544,0:02:10.079
and with your help,

0:02:10.559,0:02:12.288
I'd like to go a long way today

0:02:12.288,0:02:16.751
toward taking a giant step[br]in fulfilling my destiny.

0:02:18.809,0:02:20.507
First, some background.

0:02:20.697,0:02:24.183
While researching my grandfather's secret,

0:02:24.623,0:02:29.260
I soon realized that little of the legend[br]had been accurately recorded.

0:02:29.930,0:02:33.339
Created by one, repeated by many others,

0:02:33.929,0:02:38.977
parts of the story were now[br]being considered as historic non-fiction.

0:02:39.577,0:02:41.128
Incorrectly so.

0:02:41.658,0:02:45.009
A different perspective was required.

0:02:45.009,0:02:49.549
We needed the complete elimination[br]of all confirmational bias

0:02:49.819,0:02:51.794
if we were ever to have the truth.

0:02:52.894,0:02:55.136
And I'd like to prove it to you tonight

0:02:55.936,0:03:00.197
how why that Dr. H. H. Holmes,

0:03:00.197,0:03:03.585
the most prolific[br]serial killer in history,

0:03:04.145,0:03:07.958
was also, in fact, Jack the Ripper -

0:03:07.958,0:03:11.392
the notorious 1888 London murderer

0:03:12.792,0:03:17.737
who terrorized a nation[br]and mystified the world.

0:03:18.467,0:03:23.689
Jack the Ripper - the very words[br]create fear, anxiety, and trepidation,

0:03:23.689,0:03:25.571
not to mention sheer horror.

0:03:26.501,0:03:28.559
Before I wrote my book "Bloodstains,"

0:03:28.839,0:03:31.685
I knew very little about Jack the Ripper

0:03:31.685,0:03:37.966
other than the idea was society's metaphor[br]for everything we find mysterious,

0:03:37.966,0:03:40.308
unthinkable, unsolvable,

0:03:40.308,0:03:42.913
and reluctantly fascinating.

0:03:43.453,0:03:48.819
But most odd, a deep-seated[br]negativity bordering on anger

0:03:48.819,0:03:50.296
whenever any new evidence

0:03:50.296,0:03:54.068
regarding the killer's[br]possible identification was revealed.

0:03:54.638,0:03:58.497
We'd find ourselves[br]senselessly arguing, "Who isn't?"

0:03:58.497,0:04:02.138
rather than logically debating,[br]"Who may be?"

0:04:02.388,0:04:03.627
And why?

0:04:03.857,0:04:09.077
Why, because we were more interested[br]in confirming our previous determinations

0:04:09.077,0:04:11.498
than we were in ascertaining the truth.

0:04:12.858,0:04:15.407
A different perspective was required,

0:04:15.767,0:04:19.696
along with the complete elimination[br]of all confirmational bias,

0:04:20.496,0:04:23.007
and I'd like to prove it to you tonight.

0:04:25.306,0:04:27.278
As you can see on the screen,

0:04:27.708,0:04:30.770
my friends in Hollywood[br]created these reenactments

0:04:30.770,0:04:33.869
first time ever released[br]of Jack the Ripper,

0:04:35.319,0:04:40.238
with a professional actor[br]that used the evidence that is out

0:04:40.658,0:04:42.937
to create the images you're seeing.

0:04:43.237,0:04:44.980
They did an excellent job.

0:04:47.010,0:04:51.029
Tonight, I'm going[br]to demonstrate evidence to you

0:04:52.929,0:04:57.212
that proves H. H. Holmes[br]was Jack the Ripper.

0:04:57.212,0:05:01.720
And the mechanism[br]I'm going to use to do that

0:05:02.120,0:05:05.740
is I'm going to swear you in[br]as my grand jury.

0:05:06.680,0:05:08.994
So, if you'd raise[br]your right hand, please.

0:05:10.210,0:05:13.737
As prosecuting attorney,[br]I will now swear you in.

0:05:13.937,0:05:17.538
Do you solemnly swear[br]to take a new perspective,

0:05:17.538,0:05:20.352
eliminating all previous bias

0:05:20.352,0:05:24.699
regarding the specific[br]1888 London murders?

0:05:27.848,0:05:28.888
(music fades)

0:05:28.888,0:05:30.277
To do your duty,

0:05:31.047,0:05:34.207
you must free your mind[br]of any articles, books, or movies,

0:05:34.207,0:05:35.861
you may have read or seen,

0:05:36.431,0:05:38.188
regarding Jack the Ripper -

0:05:38.188,0:05:43.096
anything which would interfere[br]with the evidence I'm about to present.

0:05:44.486,0:05:45.599
When we're finished,

0:05:45.599,0:05:48.518
I'm going to ask each of you[br]to make your own determination

0:05:48.758,0:05:54.050
whether probable cause exists[br]that a crime or crimes was committed,

0:05:54.750,0:05:59.218
so that an indictment can issue[br]and a suspect arrested,

0:05:59.548,0:06:01.427
assuming he was still alive.

0:06:01.687,0:06:03.330
Exhibit A, please.

0:06:13.249,0:06:16.779
The purpose for exhibit A[br]is not to prove this is the ship

0:06:17.009,0:06:20.880
that Holmes rode over[br]from New York to London on.

0:06:21.700,0:06:26.398
It's more to prove[br]how easy travel was in 1888.

0:06:26.598,0:06:31.521
It was a seven-day transit,[br]tightly maintained schedules,

0:06:32.101,0:06:34.956
on shipping companies[br]that catered to the wealthy,

0:06:35.156,0:06:38.387
to the well-off like Dr. Holmes was.

0:06:38.387,0:06:42.559
These companies had[br]each passenger sign a passenger list,

0:06:42.789,0:06:44.636
which are maintained today.

0:06:45.366,0:06:47.378
And when we receive our warrant,

0:06:47.608,0:06:49.898
we'll obtain copies[br]of these passenger lists,

0:06:50.178,0:06:51.626
and within three or four days,

0:06:51.626,0:06:54.878
we'll be able to determine[br]the exact ship he rode over on

0:06:55.268,0:06:57.520
and the exact ship he rode back on.

0:06:59.100,0:07:00.518
Exhibit B.

0:07:06.465,0:07:09.469
Exhibit B is an incredible[br]piece of evidence.

0:07:09.789,0:07:12.567
It's a letter that Holmes[br]wrote to his lawyer

0:07:12.857,0:07:17.290
two or three years after 1888.

0:07:19.026,0:07:21.459
It's not to prove he was[br]in London in 1888 -

0:07:21.459,0:07:23.129
I'll do that later.

0:07:23.129,0:07:28.180
But what this shows is an intent,[br]a knowledge, and a desire on his part

0:07:28.180,0:07:29.795
to be in London.

0:07:30.055,0:07:32.491
If you read the bottom[br]sentence of the letter,

0:07:33.221,0:07:37.761
it mentions his favorite periodical,[br]The New York Herald,

0:07:38.271,0:07:41.137
is difficult to be found in London.

0:07:52.509,0:07:53.789
Exhibit C.

0:07:56.239,0:07:59.841
Exhibit C is a collage[br]of the artists' renditions

0:08:00.251,0:08:03.597
from the major periodicals[br]during the time of the Ripper.

0:08:03.847,0:08:06.577
These were off the first front pages

0:08:06.577,0:08:09.975
of each of the major papers[br]in London at the time.

0:08:11.255,0:08:15.781
The rendition on the left is of Holmes,[br]done by the Chicago Tribune.

0:08:15.781,0:08:17.548
The two photos at the top are Holmes.

0:08:17.548,0:08:23.188
But I just wanted you to get a feel[br]for the general resemblance of Holmes

0:08:23.398,0:08:26.738
and how the papers considered[br]the Ripper to have looked.

0:08:27.828,0:08:30.968
Scotland Yard considered[br]the Ripper to be five foot 5'7",

0:08:30.968,0:08:33.499
140-160 lbs,

0:08:34.029,0:08:37.759
25-35 years old, and a medical maniac.

0:08:38.159,0:08:42.259
At the time, H. H. Holmes was 5'7",

0:08:42.439,0:08:46.440
150 lbs, 27 years of age,

0:08:46.700,0:08:50.240
and had an MD from the University[br]of Michigan Medical School.

0:08:51.650,0:08:53.054
Exhibit D.

0:08:58.067,0:09:03.367
Exhibit D is a summation of the autopsies[br]done on the victims the Ripper murdered

0:09:03.567,0:09:07.027
by the certified pathologists in London.

0:09:09.027,0:09:15.550
It's a critical piece of evidence[br]because over the last 126 years,

0:09:15.550,0:09:22.259
we've had over 100 suspects regarding[br]who Jack the Ripper may have been.

0:09:23.739,0:09:27.306
These professional opinions[br]by the pathologists

0:09:27.586,0:09:31.998
show that, not only must[br]the killer have been a doctor,

0:09:31.998,0:09:33.932
but a practicing surgeon.

0:09:34.862,0:09:37.625
They discussed great anatomical knowledge

0:09:37.625,0:09:41.178
and his ability with the knife or scalpel.

0:09:42.548,0:09:44.379
Basically, in layman's terms,

0:09:44.379,0:09:49.909
these pathologists were stating[br]this man was an expert with a knife.

0:09:50.189,0:09:52.228
He couldn't have been[br]a Polish hairdresser,

0:09:52.228,0:09:54.350
he couldn't have been an English gardener,

0:09:54.350,0:09:56.774
he had to have been a doctor.

0:09:57.284,0:10:00.128
When you narrow the field down that far,

0:10:00.128,0:10:04.718
we're talking all of a sudden[br]from 100 suspects to maybe 5.

0:10:05.307,0:10:09.227
With the evidence that follows,[br]we'll nail that down to 2.

0:10:17.987,0:10:19.325
Exhibit E.

0:10:24.067,0:10:26.615
Exhibit E is an amazing piece of evidence.

0:10:27.195,0:10:32.044
In 2006, Scotland Yard and the BBC

0:10:32.294,0:10:36.569
took the 13 eyewitnesses,[br]credible and corroborated,

0:10:36.569,0:10:38.060
to the Jack the Ripper murders.

0:10:38.060,0:10:41.428
Most people don't realize that -[br]13 eyewitnesses.

0:10:41.598,0:10:44.786
They ran it through[br]their new EFIT technology:

0:10:44.786,0:10:47.467
Electronic Facial Imaging Technology.

0:10:47.947,0:10:50.535
The computer came back with this image

0:10:50.535,0:10:53.660
of what the Ripper looked like.

0:10:56.480,0:10:59.857
Notice the bridge of the nose,[br]notice the shape of the eyes,

0:10:59.857,0:11:02.588
notice the ears, notice the cheekbones.

0:11:04.517,0:11:05.859
Keep it in mind.

0:11:07.580,0:11:11.470
This is a photo taken of H. H. Holmes[br]by the Chicago police.

0:11:13.409,0:11:15.712
Once again, notice the bridge of the nose,

0:11:15.712,0:11:20.020
notice the shape of the eyes,[br]the ears, the cheekbones.

0:11:22.920,0:11:27.470
I took this photo[br]and that earlier computer summation

0:11:28.180,0:11:30.517
to a retired FBI investigator

0:11:30.937,0:11:33.329
and to an investigator[br]from the state of Virginia,

0:11:33.962,0:11:36.186
who did this for a living.

0:11:36.186,0:11:41.036
They would compare composites[br]with photographs to track down suspects.

0:11:42.005,0:11:46.653
Both said the comparison -[br]we'll have it on screen in a sec -

0:11:51.378,0:11:57.217
both said the comparison was the closest[br]they'd ever seen in their entire careers.

0:11:57.787,0:12:00.618
Just take a second[br]to look once again at the nose -

0:12:00.618,0:12:02.397
Holmes had a broken nose -

0:12:02.997,0:12:06.869
the eyes, the ears,[br]again the cheekbones.

0:12:09.716,0:12:15.766
I had my video expert do a morph[br]of the photo into the summation,

0:12:15.766,0:12:17.381
the computer image,

0:12:17.671,0:12:20.846
and I think you'll see[br]it's a remarkable piece of evidence.

0:12:32.816,0:12:34.208
Exhibit F.

0:12:37.193,0:12:42.599
This is perhaps the most amazing piece[br]of evidence of them all.

0:12:43.729,0:12:47.387
Many of you will recognize[br]this as the "Dear Boss" letter,

0:12:47.657,0:12:53.223
the famous letter which raised the issue[br]of Jack the Ripper the first time.

0:12:53.223,0:12:57.856
And you can see he's signed[br]the letter "Jack the Ripper."

0:12:59.067,0:13:01.076
This letter ... one sec ...

0:13:05.708,0:13:09.325
This letter was dated[br]September 25th, 1888.

0:13:09.745,0:13:13.303
It was postmarked[br]and received September 27th.

0:13:13.723,0:13:17.395
It was forwarded[br]to Scotland Yard the 29th.

0:13:18.045,0:13:21.484
It was released to the public[br]on October 1st.

0:13:22.544,0:13:26.206
Catherine Eddowes' body,[br]one of the five Ripper victims,

0:13:26.486,0:13:30.334
was discovered on September 30th.

0:13:30.564,0:13:32.028
Keep those dates in mind.

0:13:32.318,0:13:37.383
This letter mentions that the next victim[br]will have her ear removed.

0:13:38.543,0:13:42.642
Catherine Eddowes' body[br]was found with her earlobe sliced off.

0:13:44.918,0:13:47.140
While we were doing this investigation,

0:13:47.140,0:13:51.449
we quickly realized how similar[br]the handwriting on that letter was

0:13:51.449,0:13:54.427
to the handwriting of Herman Mudgett.

0:13:56.448,0:14:00.393
We took both samples[br]to the British Library in London,

0:14:00.843,0:14:05.002
who recommended an expert for us[br]to consider the similarities.

0:14:08.646,0:14:11.487
The expert came back[br]with a professional opinion

0:14:11.487,0:14:14.527
that said this is obviously the same hand.

0:14:16.537,0:14:19.128
We'll have her opinion[br]up on the screen in a second.

0:14:19.458,0:14:21.356
But having practiced law in California,

0:14:21.356,0:14:25.346
I knew that, in 1988,[br]the Supreme Court had ruled

0:14:25.346,0:14:29.404
that professional opinions[br]regarding handwriting analysis

0:14:30.344,0:14:32.598
was inadmissible in capital cases.

0:14:34.230,0:14:37.093
So I tracked down what[br]the Department of Justice was doing,

0:14:37.630,0:14:41.328
because I knew handwriting[br]was a big part of major cases.

0:14:42.678,0:14:46.438
I found out that they had contracted[br]a company at the University of Buffalo

0:14:46.438,0:14:51.411
that had created a computer program[br]to compare handwriting.

0:14:52.961,0:14:55.514
When I contacted them,[br]they were eager to take part.

0:14:56.214,0:14:59.396
So we submitted the "Dear Boss" letter[br]and the Holmes handwriting

0:14:59.396,0:15:04.635
to the corporation[br]at the University of Buffalo,

0:15:05.685,0:15:07.779
once I got ahead of myself a little bit.

0:15:08.719,0:15:13.446
This is the professional opinion[br]of the British Library's expert,

0:15:13.446,0:15:16.409
and you can see on the second sentence

0:15:16.409,0:15:19.700
below Professional Opinion:[br]"... from the same hand."

0:15:21.950,0:15:24.048
When the computer analyzed

0:15:24.048,0:15:26.980
the "Dear Boss" letter[br]and the Holmes handwriting,

0:15:27.860,0:15:34.440
they came back with a number[br]of 96.75% similarity,

0:15:34.440,0:15:37.320
and an opinion that Jack the Ripper

0:15:37.320,0:15:39.927
and the Mudgett classes[br]are similar in style.

0:15:43.262,0:15:47.501
You couldn't get 96.75% right now

0:15:47.501,0:15:51.085
if you wrote two letters now,[br]gave them to me,

0:15:51.085,0:15:53.034
and I submitted them to the computer.

0:15:53.034,0:15:55.029
This is an amazing number.

0:16:04.094,0:16:06.437
OK, I've told you what[br]a professional opinion was

0:16:06.437,0:16:07.710
of an expert.

0:16:08.160,0:16:10.414
I've given you the numbers[br]from a computer.

0:16:10.964,0:16:13.821
Now, I'd like you all[br]just to put your eye,

0:16:13.821,0:16:16.052
comparing the handwriting:

0:16:16.732,0:16:18.779
the "Ys," the "Us," the "Rs."

0:16:19.749,0:16:22.280
Give me your own judgment what you think.

0:16:22.280,0:16:23.828
Is it the same or not?

0:16:41.993,0:16:44.897
As the prosecuting attorney[br]of our grand jury,

0:16:44.897,0:16:47.225
I have a legal obligation

0:16:47.465,0:16:52.288
to give you any exonerating evidence[br]I have found in my investigation

0:16:52.288,0:16:54.138
(Background piano music)

0:16:54.138,0:16:57.898
which would state that Holmes[br]was not guilty of these crimes.

0:16:58.108,0:17:01.088
In over one year,[br]I haven't found one piece.

0:17:01.638,0:17:06.499
We can ascertain that he was[br]in Chicago in July of 1888.

0:17:06.689,0:17:11.238
We know he returned to Chicago[br]in January of 1889.

0:17:11.508,0:17:13.550
I've asked historians all over the country

0:17:13.550,0:17:15.572
to help me find one piece of evidence

0:17:15.572,0:17:18.337
which would place Holmes[br]in the United States

0:17:18.337,0:17:19.838
in the gap in between.

0:17:20.308,0:17:21.328
Nothing.

0:17:25.618,0:17:28.499
Alright, you've seen the evidence[br]I have to present,

0:17:28.499,0:17:30.741
and I'm going to tell you[br]what your vote means.

0:17:31.861,0:17:36.258
I'm not asking you to determine[br]that Holmes was Jack the Ripper.

0:17:36.838,0:17:39.441
I'm asking you to make your own judgment,

0:17:39.751,0:17:42.550
that probable cause has been established,

0:17:43.180,0:17:47.429
so that history can take[br]a closer look at H. H. Holmes

0:17:47.429,0:17:50.882
as the prime suspect on the Ripper cases.

0:17:53.668,0:17:56.601
I think if you do,[br]and I think if history does,

0:17:57.001,0:18:00.489
we're going to find the answer[br]comes rather easily.

0:18:03.998,0:18:06.901
And if we do, I'll tell you[br]what would happen,

0:18:06.901,0:18:09.258
assuming Holmes were still alive.

0:18:10.328,0:18:11.961
He would be arrested,

0:18:11.961,0:18:13.860
he would be extradited,

0:18:13.860,0:18:17.687
he would stand trial[br]in London for these murders.

0:18:18.727,0:18:21.950
And if I was the prosecuting attorney,

0:18:22.790,0:18:26.749
I would create the most dramatic event[br]in courtroom history.

0:18:27.239,0:18:31.030
I would have Holmes at dock,[br]the judge high on the stand.

0:18:31.030,0:18:35.478
I would have my deputy bring in[br]the best eyewitness I had of those 13.

0:18:35.948,0:18:39.009
I would make sure her eyes[br]are focused dead forward,

0:18:39.239,0:18:41.056
not looking at Holmes.

0:18:41.056,0:18:42.757
And as she took the witness stand,

0:18:42.757,0:18:44.891
I would have the deputy turn her around

0:18:44.891,0:18:48.644
so that that was the first moment[br]she had seen Holmes

0:18:48.974,0:18:51.270
since when she witnessed his crime.

0:18:51.270,0:18:52.270
(music ends)

0:18:52.270,0:18:54.510
I can tell you exactly[br]what would have happened,

0:18:54.510,0:18:55.789
what would happen.

0:18:55.789,0:18:59.068
She would point at Holmes;

0:18:59.348,0:19:01.479
she would say, "That's him!

0:19:01.479,0:19:05.222
That's the one I saw slice her throat."

0:19:06.302,0:19:09.008
And there would be no more[br]Jack the Ripper mystery.

0:19:09.738,0:19:11.248
Thank you very much.

0:19:11.248,0:19:13.867
(Applause)

0:19:21.780,0:19:25.892
(Host) So, now, Jeff,[br]you've made the case.

0:19:25.892,0:19:27.535
You all are the jury.

0:19:27.535,0:19:30.290
stepintotilt.com is the website.

0:19:30.520,0:19:32.185
Hit that website right now.

0:19:32.185,0:19:35.351
Is H. H. Holmes Jack the Ripper?

0:19:36.081,0:19:37.542
We're going to tabulate this,

0:19:37.792,0:19:39.181
we'll try to do it real-time,

0:19:39.181,0:19:41.466
so we'll see if you're able[br]to convince them.

0:19:41.466,0:19:42.537
Ah!

0:19:43.629,0:19:46.219
(Jeff Mudgett) You're incredible.[br]Thank you very much!

0:19:46.219,0:19:48.020
(Applause)

0:19:48.267,0:19:49.777
I'll tell you right now.

0:19:49.977,0:19:55.721
This will make an amazing effect[br]around the world, your vote here today.

0:19:55.721,0:19:58.392
All the Ripperologists, all the historians

0:19:58.392,0:20:00.946
will now go back[br]and take a second look at Holmes.

0:20:00.946,0:20:03.455
And if they do, we're going[br]to solve this mystery.

0:20:03.455,0:20:05.058
Thank you very much.

0:20:05.058,0:20:07.577
(Applause)