Writers (and movie makers) repeatedly use certain famous unsolved crimes for inspiration, and the public responds. Why do these crimes fascinate? Just consider this short list of six well-known unsolved murders: Jack the Ripper's Whitechapel prostitute butchering; Lizzie Borden's suspected axe attack on her parents; the Black Dahlia case of a young woman's mutilated corpse in post-war L.A.; the Northern California Zodiac Killer with his cryptic messages; Dr. Sam Sheppard and the "bushy-haired intruder" he said killed his wife; and child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey, dead in her own basement at Christmas. The murders are all horrific, yet horror alone is not enough to sustain long-term interest. These mysteries intrigue for several basic reasons: the attractiveness and vulnerability of the victim, the shocking nature of the prime suspect, baffling and provocative clues, and the unknown motive for frightful acts. Focusing on victims, JonBenét Ramsey fascinates by being both innocent six-year-old and prematurely sexualized beauty contestant, while Black Dahlia Elizabeth Short provokes fears and prejudices about women venturing alone into the urban jungle. When it comes to suspects, what is more bizarre by traditional social conventions than spinster Victorian Lizzie Borden with a bloody axe or prominent osteopath Sheppard bludgeoning his wife to death? And the unsolved cases of both Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer are full of enticing clues, including those that the killer himself communicated publicly, tauntingly, only to escape capture. In all cases, the motive remains the biggest mystery, the one that keeps writers and readers busy profiling likely killers in order to decipher the "why" behind the awful "how." There is nothing more intriguing, or terrifying, than a monster hiding in plain sight. For a longer list of famous unsolved crimes, read http://list25.com/25-most-frustrating-unsolved-crimes-ever/5/
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