The James Kettle Moment #17: Which Friends characters are these Victorian serial killers?

James Kettle
Aug 25, 2017 · 3 min read

Jack The Ripper is believed to be responsible for the killings of at least five prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London between 1888 and 1891, causing panic on the streets of London and captivating the newspapers. The identity of Jack The Ripper remains unknown to this day, although theories have been advanced suggesting a whole range of suspects including the painter Walter Sickert and Prince Albert Victor, the grandson of Queen Victoria. Because of his association with various different women and his love of attention, the Friend that Jack The Ripper most closely resembles is Joey.

Amelia Dyer, sometimes known as the “Ogress Of Reading”, is thought to be the most prolific female serial killer in British history. A trained nurse, she is believed to have been responsible for murdering several hundred infants in her care, over a period of several decades. Her crimes have been attributed to mental instability and substance abuse, and she was hanged in 1896. Because of her fascination with babies and her scatty personality, the Friend that Amelia Dyer most closely resembles is Phoebe.

Edward H. Rulloff — known as the “Genius Killer” — was a teacher, lawyer and doctor of botanical medicine who killed three people, including his wife and daughter, in the state of New York. At his trial, the editor of the New York Tribune argued Rulloff was so valuable to society that he should be spared execution regardless of his crimes, but he was put to death in May 1871. Because he is a bit of a boffin with a troubled marital history, the Friend that Edward Rulloff most closely resembles is Ross.

Sarah Dazley was a woman from Bedfordshire convicted of poisoning her second husband, and widely suspected of having poisoned her first husband and their son. Traces of arsenic were found in the bodies of all three, and she was executed in 1843 at Bedford Gaol. Because she enjoyed cooking very specific recipes and took a while to find true love, the Friend that Sarah Dazley most closely resembles is Monica.

Boone Helm was an American serial killer famed for feasting on the flesh of the people he killed, earning him the nickname “The Kentucky Cannibal”. A temperamental man with substance abuse issues, Helm moved to California during the Gold Rush and killed upwards of eleven people during robberies or as a result of business deals gone bad. He was apprehended in Montana and hanged in January 1864. Because he probably said some sassy remarks while eating the severed legs of his victims, the Friend that Boone Helm most closely resembles is Chandler.

Jesse Pomeroy — also known as “The Boy Fiend” — was the youngest person ever to be sentenced to death in the state of Massachusetts, although the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. He committed his crimes between 1872 and 1874, during which time he killed at least nine youths after luring them to remote rural areas. It’s thought Pomeroy’s crimes were motivated by his own sexual pleasure. Because luring youths to remote rural areas is a bit like luring millions of women to adopt your hairstyle, the Friend that Jesse Pomeroy most closely resembles is Rachel.

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James Kettle
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