Does the author have any responsibility in such cases?

Only two years after the story was published, Jack the Ripper's crimes horrified London. A stage play based on Stevenson's book was cut short because of the uproar, and investigators soon came to believe that "Jack" was in fact an educated man, perhaps a doctor, leading a double life. Do you think it possible that stories of this kind prompt "copycat" crimes? If so, does the author have any responsibility in such cases?