One of the more interesting theories that so-called Ripperologists have proposed. A Victorian era newspaper reporter operating in Whitechapel during the time of the murders, Francis frequently reported on and wrote about Jack the Ripper. His life was marred by unfortunate events and in his later years, he suffered from rapidly deteriorating mental health eventually leading to his suicide in 1903. Previously, he had divorced his wife, Elizabeth Weston Davies, after finding out that she had engaged in prostitution during their marriage. What made him a suspect in the Ripper case was that the killer was known to often target prostitutes, and the final victim of Jack the Ripper, Mary Kelly, was actually believed to be the same person as his wife.
Proponents of this theory have suggested that the killing spree was done in order to cover up the motive of vengeance towards his wife for adultery, and that Francis was, without a doubt, the man responsible for the Ripper murders. In recent times, however, researchers have discovered that his wife Elizabeth actually moved back to her hometown after their divorce, where she lived for many more years, thus discrediting the backbone of this theory.
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