Timeline to Murder
May 8, 1889
Vincent was willingly admitted to the asylum in St. Remy, France, after cutting his ear and being in and out of the hospital since December 23, 1888.
May 22
Vincent wrote to his brother, Theo—"The country round St. Remy is very beautiful and little by little I shall probably widen my field of endeavor."
May 26
The asylum director wrote to Theo about Vincent—"He spends the whole day drawing in the park here, but as I find him entirely tranquil, I have promised to let him go out in order to find scenery outside this establishment."
June 2
Vincent to Theo—"But you absolutely must set your mind at rest about me now. . . . I am going off to see a little of the country."
June 4
The body parts of a pregnant prostitute identified as Elizabeth Jackson were discovered in the River Thames in London.
June 9
Vincent to Theo—"I have been out for several days working in the neighborhood."
Connection
15 years prior to this, on June 5, 1874, while Vincent was living in London, the lower half of a woman's body was found in the Thames. Vincent had begun his Torso murders back then, and he continued them even during and after his 1888-89 Jack the Ripper murders.
Conclusion
Vincent manipulated the asylum director into allowing him to leave the asylum—at first, only nearby for a few hours, but then for several days. He had a date in mind. He needed to obtain his freedom so he could travel to London to commit a Torso murder to match back to his 1874 Torso murder. And just when he first obtained his freedom from the asylum, Elizabeth Jackson was murdered. He only missed the 1874 date by a day.
Train schedules show Vincent could be in London by the next day. He wrote Theo on June 2 that he was "going off to see a little of the country." I present he left for London that day. He didn't write Theo again until the 9th, noting he had been "out for several days working in the neighborhood." He had returned by this date.
Theo and Vincent wrote back and forth regularly, so the gaps between Vincent's letters to Theo are important. Vincent made sure to have excuses if there were a longer than expected gap. Theo knew Vincent was always up to trouble, and Vincent worked at keeping him from suspecting he was up to anything other than painting.
But Vincent was up to all manner of evil, and Theo had no idea his financial support was enabling a serial killer.
Vincent van Gogh was the Torso Killer, and Vincent van Gogh was Jack the Ripper!
See much more at www.VincentAliasJack.com
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