William Burke and William Hare were Irish migrants living in Edinburgh’s slums. Their partnership was rooted in absolute economic desperation and opportunistic criminality. They functioned as “resurrection men” (body snatchers), initially operating within the margins of legality before escalating to targeted homicide to meet the high demand of the city’s anatomy schools.

Hare acted as the primary orchestrator, managing the lodging house where the crimes occurred, while Burke became the primary enforcer. Their lack of traditional criminal planning—instead favoring immediate, short-term gain—made their spree uniquely chaotic.

Because anatomy schools, specifically that of Dr. Robert Knox, required “fresh” specimens for dissection, external trauma or signs of physical struggle were detrimental to the product’s value. The duo developed a technique that would later bear Burke’s name.

By intoxicating the victim with whiskey, one perpetrator would hold the limbs while the other compressed the chest and mouth, preventing respiration. This ensured the victims succumbed to asphyxiation without leaving visible signs of trauma, allowing the bodies to be sold as natural deaths to anatomists.

• Supply and Demand: In 1828, Edinburgh’s medical schools faced a severe shortage of cadavers due to restrictive legal access, fueling a black market that valued “fresh” specimens above all else.
• The Knox Connection: Dr. Robert Knox, a prominent anatomist, became the duo’s primary client. Despite suspicions regarding the freshness and origin of the cadavers, Knox allegedly prioritized research, effectively incentivizing the murders through high payments.

**January 1828 // First Victim:** Following a natural death at the lodging house, the duo sells the body of a tenant to Knox, realizing the financial potential of cadaver sales.

**Spring–Autumn 1828 // Serial Rampage:** Burke and Hare lure travelers and city residents into the lodging house, murdering them via suffocation to maintain their steady supply to Knox.

**October 1828 // Exposure:** After the murder of Margaret Docherty, other tenants find her remains, sparking an immediate police investigation.

**1829 // Judicial Outcome:** Hare turns King’s Evidence against Burke. Burke is convicted and hanged; Hare is released to the public.