Jack the Ripper -canonical murders'?

[tali1]

Jack the Ripper five murders, often known as the 'canonical murders' - and yet numerous other serial killers have committed exactly same type of crimes throughout the centuries and the term canonical murders is never applied .
Why is the very general non -specific term of 'canonical murders only applied to Jack the Ripper ?

[jno]

I don't think it's widely given that name except among ripperologists (though you might well ask why other killers, apart from Lee Harvey Oswald, don't hold the same degree of public fascination). I think the implication is that other people were dying at the same time who might have been killed by the same man, but the five are the only ones known for sure to have done so. The word 'canon' in this sense means a list of the most significant things - eg the canon of English literature.

[dot.hawkes]

yeah it's a trendy term that has been given to high profile proven serial muders. Not just the ripper, the Zodiac killer too, i saw a film about those murders once, not my idea of entertainement probably didnlt waych it finish.

[tiggerblue10]

I think it may be to do with the way he killed his victims and what he did to the bodies. Also the fact that he was never caught.