He was Peter Sutcliffe, a former grave digger, was serving concurrent life sentences for killing 13 women in Yorkshire and northwest England between and British media reported he had refused treatment after testing positive for Covid and was suffering from a number of underlying health conditions.
His death will be investigated by the coroner. The manhunt for the Ripper was one of the biggest the country had ever known, with some 2. Documentaries have chronicled how stubborn U. Although he was interviewed nine times in the investigation, Sutcliffe was only caught after being found with a prostitute in his car. He was arrested on Jan. He was convicted on May 22, , at London's Central Criminal Court of 13 counts of murder, seven cases of attempted murder and was sentenced to 20 concurrent life terms.
During his trial, even Sutcliffe expressed surprise that he was able to carry on for so long. The police had found themselves overwhelmed with information, and a card system they created was improperly cross-referenced, causing key facts to be misplaced. Details about his appearance, such as a gap in his teeth and size seven feet, were not flagged.
In another blunder, a victim who survived being hit in the head with a hammer, Marcella Claxton, was able to help police produce an image of the suspect that later proved to be accurate. But her testimony was discounted by police, who thought she was not a Ripper victim because she was not a prostitute, as were some of his other victims. After he was convicted, Sutcliffe spent a long time in Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire.
He was transferred to HMP Frankland in after being deemed stable enough to serve time in prison. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed. Sutcliffe reportedly suffered from a range of poor health conditions before his death, including heart trouble, diabetes and obesity. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Politics Covid U. News Opinion Business World. Follow NBC News. By The Associated Press.
