A Jack the Ripper copycat who murdered two women after stalking them through the streets of London like the notorious Victorian murderer has died at the age of 64.
Derek Brown, dubbed the ‘Modern Ripper,’ was jailed for a minimum of 30 years on October 6, 2008, after being found guilty of murdering DVD seller Xiao Mei Guo, 29, and prostitute Bonnie Barrett, 24. He denied murder but admitted to paying both women for sex before their disappearances in 2007.
The previously convicted rapist found his victims in the Whitechapel area of London, famously associated with Jack the Ripper in the 1880s. A search of Brown’s Rotherhithe flat uncovered traces of blood belonging to both women, as well as a receipt for a bow saw, heavy-duty gloves, rubble sacks, and cleaning materials. It is believed that he hacked his victims apart before disposing of their remains.
Brown was serving his sentence in HMP Wakefield when he reportedly became unwell on September 27. He was taken to hospital and died two days later, just days before his 65th birthday.
The remorseless killer’s victims’ remains have never been found.
A source close to former delivery driver Brown said:
“He was in critical care since Saturday. They found him in his cell on Saturday, and he was in critical care since Saturday 5 pm until Monday when he died at 3 pm.”
At the time of the murders, police believed Brown sought notoriety for the killings. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Kandiah said:
“If he kept killing prostitutes from the Whitechapel area, then that link (with Jack the Ripper) would be made. If this was a spree, it seems likely that we stopped him at number two.”
During his court case, sentencing Judge Martin Stephens told Brown:
“You have shown not a sliver of remorse. You murdered two women. Both were vulnerable, plying their trade on the streets, in each case falling into your hands precisely because of their availability and their lack of protection. What you did to each of those women before you killed them we can only speculate about. How you killed them we cannot know. What we do know is you disposed of their bodies with frightening efficiency so that not a trace of either woman has been found.”
Mrs. Guo was last seen in August 2007 selling DVDs at Whitechapel Market. CCTV footage showed her with Brown near Whitechapel Tube station, the court heard. Miss Barrett disappeared from the same area on September 18, 2007.
Police spent over 800 hours searching for their bodies, including specialist diver searches in the Thames. Judge Stephens noted that there was clear circumstantial evidence proving Brown dismembered and disposed of the bodies.
“The only person who could prove this not to be true would be you, if you ever chose to tell the police where their bodies or remains could be found,” the judge added. “The anguish of both victims’ families is exacerbated, made much worse by their inability to lay each lady to rest.”
The prosecution stated that Brown targeted the women because they were “soft targets” and would not be missed.
Commenting on his death, a Prison Service spokesman said:
“Derek Brown died in hospital on September 29 while serving a sentence at HMP Wakefield. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”
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