Before there was Netflix and Chill, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley had X-rated Films and Murder. And before you think this could be some sort of Bonnie and Clyde, romanticized musical: This is a story about wanting to "commit the perfect murder," obsession, a touch of Nazism, and body dumping. These are not the moors of a Bronte sisters novel. There are no musical numbers in sight.

It might be a Lifetime movie, though, now that I think about it.

I heard about this one on All Killa No Filla, essentially a British version of My Favorite Murder. In England, according to the podcast, nearly everyone knows about the Moors Murders, but I had never heard of it before. At the bottom of this article, there's a really great timeline with photos put together.

Warnings for abuse (physical, mental, and emotional), child assault and murder, sexual assault, and violence. (Sometimes these stories are a sick version of Gotta Catch 'Em All)

The Killers' Early Lives

Ian Brady was unofficially given up for adoption when he was around four months old. As he grew up, he began to accumulate a rap sheet of petty crime and burglary. In his down time, he became obsessed with the writings of Nietsche, Nazis, and recordings of Hitler.

Myra Hindley was the child of abusive parents (and her father, in particular) was an alcoholic. Her father, called a "hard man," taught his daughter how to fight. He expected her to be tough. When a boy scratched her face, he told her to go back and punch him. She was deeply affected by the drowning death of her friend when she was 15, causing her to drop out of school and convert to Roman Catholicism.

The two met at their jobs for a Manchester firm. Hindley became obsessed with Brady, despite being made aware of his criminal past. She wrote about her intense passion for him in her diary for over a year before he expressed feelings for her. For their first date, they watched the film "The Nuremburg Trials."

The Crime

Brady became extremely controlling of Hindley, who was doing everything to please him. He expressed that he wanted "to commit the perfect murder," and that Hindley was going to help him do it.

On July 12, 1963, Brady had Hindley drive around the local area in a van, while he followed behind on a motorcycle. At the first potential Victim, Myra passed by after Brady had signaled to stop, claiming she knew the girl, so they couldn't do it. But as they continued down Froxmer Street, they found their first murder victim, Pauline Reade. Hindley stopped, claiming she needed help finding an expensive glove in the moors.

You can travel down Froxmer Road on street view, and see it's really like an alleyway, you just see the backs of buildings.

Pauline got into the car, to be driven to the moors where she would eventually be sexually assaulted and murdered.

Saddleworth Moor, where some of the bodies were found buried.

They would continue to pick up their victims this way, asking for help from children. They would eventually be tied to the murders of Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward Evans. Brady still refuses to give up the location of where Bennett was buried. Brady would also want to escalate the killings by recording the audio, taking photographs, etc. They also started bringing victims back to their home to continue torture.

Arrest

It turns out, their plans for the "perfect murder" weren't so perfect, because when Brady was killing Edward Evans with an ax, he was caught by Hindley's brother-in-law, David Smith. They actually fell into the typical evil villain trope. After Smith caught them, thinking he was on their side since he had also gotten sucked in to Brady's violent politics, Hindley and Brady bragged about their other murders and dumping the bodies in the moors. Smith then ran to the police and told them everything, leading to the arrest of Hindley and Brady.

Below is a documentary that gives a little more insight as to why Brady would try to change their "perfect murders," and how far they had sunk in their care for the murders with Edward Evans. Watch from where it's linked until around 31:20, for the interview with a screenwriter who worked with Smith.

Brady has attempted to go on hunger strike in prison and is trying to bargain his right to die in order to reveal where Bennett's body is.

Before her death in 2002, Hindley admitted to her culpability in the murders, saying she was even worse than Brady because she "knew right from wrong."

There are apparently a lot of groups who are sympathetic to Hindley, saying she was a victim, even though she had a hand in the murders. She was very clearly under abusive control and manipulation and has been a victim of abuse for a lot of her life. I think she was never mentally right after her friend died (understandably). No one can say for sure, but if she had maybe received some help between then and her interaction with Brady and she might not have become so obsessed with him. Also they were both really missing any sort of support system.

I guess this one really struck me because of how toxic they were as individuals and that grew as a couple.

Next week, I'll hopefully find something less gory. Internet conspiracies just don't lend themselves to google street view.