An American Copycat: Georgia
Any casual true crime fan knows about Jack the Ripper, but do you know about the Atlanta Ripper?
Narrator: Good evening and welcome to Friday Night Crimes. Today’s story comes out of 20th century Georgia, where racial segregation was legal and a still-unknown criminal copied one of the most infamous serial killers of all time.
Keep in mind, a lot of the details of this case are hotly debated because of the lack of proper reporting of crimes against non-whites in Jim Crow Georgia.
The Timeline: 1911–1912 (or 1914/15)
Chronological Events of the Case:
May 28, 1911: Belle Walker is found with her throat cut a mere 25 yards from her home in Atlanta.
June 15, 1911: Addie Watts is the Atlanta Ripper’s second victim.
June 27, 1911: Lizzie Watkins is the Ripper’s third victim.
early July 1911: Lena Sharpe, mother of Emma Lou Sharpe, doesn’t return home from her normal work shift, so Emma Lou begins to worry.
Eventually, she came face to face with the Ripper himself, and he stabbed her in the back. Luckily, she was able to escape, but her mother was not.
