William Burke

William Burke (born 1792 - died 28 January 1829) was a murderer who, along with his accomplice William Hare, killed sixteen people over the course of sixteen months in Edinburgh in 1828. They sold the bodies to Dr. Robert Knox, an anatomist, to be dissected during his lectures. Burke and Hare's unique method of suffocating victims became known as 'burking'. See also: Burke and Hare Murders