Due to the graphic nature of these killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised.

This episode includes discussions of murder and assault that some people may find offensive.

We advise extreme caution for children under 13.

William Hare paced the streets around Tanner's close.

He was a landlord at an Edinburgh lodging house, and one of his tenants, Joseph,

was deliriously sick. He coughed incessantly in his bed, drifting in and out of fevers.

But while Hare cared for the man, sick guests were bad for business.

If word got around that someone fell ill on his watch,

Hare worried he'd have to close his doors for good.

He needed to get Joseph out of his lodging house and fast.

More importantly, Hare wanted to recoup his losses, because Joseph had fallen behind on his rent.

So Hare enlisted the help of his friend, 36-year-old William Burke.

The two men discussed their options. They could sneak Joseph to a hospital,

but there was a good chance he might end up right back in the lodging house.

They could try to help Joseph themselves, but they didn't know the first thing about what was

ailing him, or how to treat him.

Ultimately, Burke and Hare decided the best thing to do was to end Joseph's suffering.

So Hare laid on top of Joseph's frail body, and Burke covered the man's mouth and nose with the pillow.

And as Joseph thrashed beneath him, fighting for his life, Burke and Hare told themselves

that what they were doing was kind. It was a mercy killing. And if they happened to make some

money off his body, well, that would be pretty good too.

Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parkcast.

...