🩸 Lizzie Borden: The Murder Case Behind Netflix’s Monster
The Woman Behind the Axe
For more than 130 years, one name has remained attached to one of America's most notorious murder cases: Lizzie Borden.
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Lizzie Borden in an authentic |
On the morning of August 4, 1892, Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby Borden, were found brutally murdered inside their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Their daughter Lizzie was eventually accused of killing them with an axe. The case became a national sensation, and newspapers followed almost every development.
But the courtroom never produced a definitive answer.
Lizzie Borden was tried for the murders in 1893 and found not guilty.
That should have ended the matter. Instead, it created one of the most enduring questions in American true crime:
If Lizzie Borden did not kill them, who did?
More than a century later, the case has returned to the spotlight through Netflix's Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. The series presents a dramatic interpretation of Lizzie's life and portrays her as responsible for the murders.
But the real historical record is considerably more complicated.
The evidence against Lizzie was circumstantial. Some of the most famous details surrounding the case have been distorted by newspapers, later retellings, popular culture and the famous nursery rhyme. Other elements presented in the Netflix series are dramatic inventions rather than established history.
So, this is not simply the story Netflix tells.
This is the story of what happened in Fall River in 1892, why Lizzie became the accused, why a jury acquitted her, and what remains unknown more than a century later.
Fall River, Massachusetts, Before the Murders
In 1892, Fall River was an important industrial city in Massachusetts.
Its economy was heavily connected to textile manufacturing, and its mills had created considerable wealth. Andrew Borden was part of that prosperous world, although his lifestyle was considerably more restrained than the wealth surrounding him might suggest.
The Borden family lived at 92 Second Street; a relatively modest home compared with the enormous wealth that existed elsewhere in the city.
Inside that house lived Andrew Borden, his second wife Abby, his daughters Emma and Lizzie, and their household maid, Bridget Sullivan.
The family relationships were not entirely harmonious.
Andrew was known as a strict and frugal man. Lizzie and Emma were adults by 1892, yet tensions existed within the household over money, property and family relationships.
Those tensions would later become an important part of the prosecution's attempt to explain why Lizzie might have wanted her father and stepmother dead.
But a difficult family relationship is not the same thing as proof of murder.
That distinction would become crucial at trial.
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| Fall River, Massachusetts, the industrial city where the Borden family lived in 1892. |
Who Were Andrew and Abby Borden?
Andrew Jackson Borden was a wealthy businessman and property owner.
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| Andrew Jackson Borden Lizzie Borden's father and one of the two victims of the 1892 murders. |
He had been married before and had two daughters, Emma and Lizzie, from his first marriage. After the death of his first wife, Andrew married Abby Durfee Gray in 1865.
Abby became Lizzie and Emma's stepmother.
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| Abby Durfee Gray Borden Lizzie Borden's stepmother and one of the two victims. |
The relationship between Abby and the Borden daughters has often been portrayed as deeply hostile, but the historical record does not support every dramatic version of that relationship that has appeared in later books, films and television productions.
There were certainly tensions.
There were also disagreements over property and family finances.
Andrew had transferred some property to Abby's relatives, which reportedly angered his daughters. Lizzie and Emma eventually moved into another house for a period before returning to the family home.
These circumstances gave investigators and later writers plenty to speculate about.
But speculation about motive would eventually have to confront a much harder question:
Where was the evidence that Lizzie actually committed the murders?
August 4, 1892 — The Morning Everything Changed
The morning of August 4 began like an ordinary day.
It would end with two people dead and Lizzie Borden at the center of one of America's most famous murder investigations.
The household included Andrew, Abby, Lizzie, Emma, and Bridget Sullivan.
Emma was away visiting friends in Fairhaven.
Bridget, known within the household as Maggie, was carrying out her usual domestic duties.
Lizzie was also at home.
Andrew left the house during the morning and later returned.
At some point, the routine of the household was shattered.
Andrew Borden was murdered inside the house.
His body was discovered later that morning.
The investigation that followed would reveal that Abby had already been dead for several hours.
That timing became one of the strangest elements of the entire case.
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| The Borden family home at 92 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. |
Andrew Borden Is Found Dead
Andrew's body was discovered on a sofa in the downstairs sitting room.
He had suffered repeated blows to the head with a sharp-edged weapon.
The violence was extreme.
Later accounts often repeated that Andrew had been struck forty times, but that number came from the famous rhyme and popular mythology.
The historical record gives a different figure.
Andrew had suffered eleven blows.
His face had been severely damaged, making the crime scene particularly disturbing to those who saw it.
The weapon believed to have been responsible was an axe or hatchet.
But investigators faced an immediate problem.
There was no obvious killer standing over the body.
And the person who would eventually become the central suspect was still inside the house.
Abby Borden Was Already Dead
When investigators searched the house, they discovered something even more disturbing.
Abby Borden was upstairs.
She had also been murdered.
Her body was found in the guest bedroom beneath a bed.
The evidence suggested that Abby had been attacked before Andrew returned home.
She had been struck nineteen times.
That meant the murders were not simply one sudden attack.
Someone had apparently entered the upstairs room, attacked Abby repeatedly, and left her body there.
Later, Andrew returned home and was killed downstairs.
The timing created an enormous puzzle.
Who had killed Abby?
Why had the killer remained inside the house?
And why had no obvious sign of forced entry been found?
The Missing Afternoon
One of the most important questions concerned the period between the discovery of Andrew's body and the discovery of Abby's.
Lizzie's accounts of her movements and knowledge of the house became increasingly important to investigators.
Her statements about what she had been doing were scrutinized.
The investigation also focused on what she knew about Abby's whereabouts.
This was one of the areas where suspicion began to concentrate heavily on Lizzie.
But there was still a fundamental problem.
Suspicion was not proof.
The police needed evidence connecting Lizzie to the murders.
And they did not find the straightforward physical evidence that might have made the case much easier.
Why Did Suspicion Turn Toward Lizzie?
There were several reasons.
First, Lizzie was in the house.
Second, investigators became suspicious of aspects of her statements.
Third, there were known tensions involving the family and money.
Fourth, Lizzie's behavior after the murders attracted attention.
And finally, investigators heard allegations concerning her attempt to obtain prussic acid, a poisonous substance.
None of these facts, individually, established that Lizzie had committed murder.
But together they formed the foundation of the prosecution's case.
The prosecution would eventually attempt to turn those pieces into a coherent story:
Lizzie had a motive.
She had opportunity.
She had behaved suspiciously.
And therefore, they argued, she was the killer.
The defense would attack that chain of reasoning piece by piece.
The Blue Dress
One of the most famous episodes involved a dress.
A friend of Lizzie's, Alice Russell, later testified about seeing Lizzie burn a dress after the murders.
The prosecution treated this as potentially important.
If the dress had been stained with blood, destroying it could appear incriminating.
But Lizzie's explanation was that the dress had been stained with paint.
The incident became one of the most memorable pieces of circumstantial evidence in the case.
Yet even here, the evidence was not as simple as later retellings sometimes make it appear.
There was no confirmed bloodstain on the dress establishing that Lizzie had worn it while committing the murders.
The dress-burning episode therefore became another piece of the circumstantial puzzle rather than a definitive answer.
The Prussic Acid Story
Another disturbing episode concerned prussic acid, a highly poisonous substance.
Investigators learned that Lizzie had reportedly attempted to purchase the chemical shortly before the murders.
This naturally attracted enormous attention.
But there was an important limitation.
The evidence concerning the attempted purchase did not become part of the trial in the straightforward way later stories sometimes suggest.
And there was no established evidence proving that Lizzie used poison to attack her parents.
This is particularly important when comparing history with Netflix's Monster.
The series turns the poison episode into a dramatic event involving her parents becoming violently ill after eating oysters.
That is not established historical fact.
It is dramatization.
A Family Divided by Money
Money became one of the most discussed possible motives.
Andrew Borden was wealthy.
His daughters had disagreed with him over property and financial matters.
Lizzie and Emma had previously moved out of the family home, partly because of tensions involving Abby and Andrew.
The prosecution could therefore present a plausible motive.
But motive alone cannot identify a murderer.
There were plenty of people who might have had reasons to dislike Andrew Borden.
There were also unanswered questions about other possible suspects.
This became one of the enduring weaknesses of the case:
There was a possible motive, but there was no single piece of evidence that conclusively proved Lizzie was the killer.
The Investigation Becomes a National Sensation
The murders quickly became national news.
Newspapers published sensational reports about the Borden family, the gruesome crime scene and Lizzie's arrest.
The public became fascinated by the image of a respectable young woman accused of brutally murdering her father and stepmother.
That fascination would eventually create a second Lizzie Borden — the character created by newspapers, folklore and popular entertainment.
The real woman and the legendary woman gradually became difficult to separate.
This is one reason the case remains so powerful today.
Lizzie Borden became not merely a historical defendant.
She became a cultural character.
Lizzie Borden Is Arrested
On August 11, 1892, one week after the murders, Lizzie Borden was arrested.
The accusation was extraordinary.
A daughter from a wealthy Fall River family was being charged with murdering her father and stepmother inside their own home.
Lizzie maintained her innocence.
The investigation continued, and the case eventually moved toward trial.
By then, newspapers across the country were following the story.
Lizzie Borden was no longer simply a suspect in a Massachusetts murder investigation.
She had become one of the most recognizable accused women in America.
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The Trial of 1893
Lizzie's trial began on June 5, 1893, in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
The prosecution attempted to construct its case from circumstances surrounding the murders.
The defense, meanwhile, emphasized the absence of direct evidence.
There was no eyewitness who saw Lizzie kill Andrew or Abby.
There was no definitive murder weapon conclusively tied to Lizzie.
There was no confession.
And the prosecution's attempt to use some potentially damaging evidence faced legal obstacles.
The trial lasted approximately two weeks.
The courtroom became a national spectacle.
Newspapers closely followed the testimony, and Lizzie herself became a subject of fascination.
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| An original June 16, 1893, newspaper page from Fisherman & Farmer, reporting on the Lizzie Borden murder trial while the case was still being heard. |
Why the Prosecution Struggled
The prosecution had many suspicious circumstances, but very few pieces of evidence that directly connected Lizzie Borden to the murders.
No Eyewitness to the Murders — No one testified that they actually saw Lizzie kill Andrew or Abby.
No Confession — Lizzie never admitted to committing either murder.
No Conclusive Murder Weapon — Investigators considered several hatchets, but none was definitively established as the murder weapon.
No Blood Evidence Directly Linking Lizzie — The prosecution could not present physical blood evidence conclusively tying Lizzie to the killings.
No Modern Forensic Testing — DNA analysis and many other forensic techniques available today did not exist in 1893.
Uncertain Timeline — Investigators could not reconstruct every movement inside the Borden house with complete certainty.
Lizzie's Statements Were Difficult to Interpret — Some of her explanations appeared suspicious, but they did not directly prove murder.
The Barn Story Was Questioned — Her claim that she went to the barn became suspicious to investigators, but it remained circumstantial.
The Burned Dress Was Ambiguous — Lizzie's destruction of a dress looked suspicious, yet it did not prove that the garment contained evidence from the murders.
The Prussic Acid Incident Proved Little — Her attempt to obtain poison raised questions, but neither victim had been poisoned.
No Clearly Established Motive — Family conflict and financial issues suggested possible motives, but no single motive was conclusively proven.
Lizzie Was Not the Only Person in the Investigation — Other people connected to the household and community were considered, leaving alternative possibilities for the jury to consider.
Bridget Sullivan Did Not Witness the Killings — Bridget was working in the house that day but did not see Lizzie commit either murder.
Emma Was Away — Lizzie's sister Emma was in Fairhaven, meaning the prosecution could not use her as a witness to events inside the house.
The Crime Scene Had Limitations — Investigators working in 1892 could not preserve and analyze a crime scene with the precision expected today.
The Evidence Was Mostly Circumstantial — The prosecution's case depended on combining separate clues rather than producing one decisive piece of evidence.
Suspicious Behavior Was Not Proof — Actions that appeared strange could raise suspicion without establishing that Lizzie was the killer.
The Defense Challenged the Investigation — Lizzie's lawyers attacked weaknesses in the evidence and questioned the prosecution's interpretation of events.
The Jury Had to Consider Reasonable Doubt — The prosecution needed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, not simply demonstrate that Lizzie looked suspicious.
No Alternative Killer Was Proven Either — Although other possibilities existed, the prosecution could not conclusively identify another perpetrator and use that uncertainty to strengthen its case.
The Prosecution Could Not Fully Explain Every Detail — Important questions about the murders, movements and evidence remained unresolved during the trial.
The Case Lacked a Decisive Physical Link — Nothing presented at trial provided an unmistakable physical connection between Lizzie and the actual killings.
The Defense Benefited from Unanswered Questions — Every unresolved detail gave the defense another opportunity to argue that the prosecution's reconstruction was uncertain.
The Jury Ultimately Rejected the Prosecution's Case — On June 20, 1893, Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden.
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| The 1893 trial that ended with Lizzie Borden's acquittal. Court Room where borden trial was held |
June 20, 1893 — Not Guilty
After weeks of testimony and intense public attention, the Lizzie Borden trial reached its dramatic conclusion on June 20, 1893. The jury deliberated for only about an hour and a half before returning with a verdict: not guilty. Lizzie was acquitted of the murders of her father, Andrew Borden, and her stepmother, Abby Borden. She left the courtroom free, but the verdict did not answer the question that had captivated the public—if Lizzie had not committed the murders, then who had
What Happened After the Verdict:
- Lizzie Was Acquitted — The jury found her not guilty of the charges against her.
- The Verdict Came Quickly — Jury deliberations lasted roughly 90 minutes.
- Lizzie Walked Free — She was released after spending months under suspicion and facing the possibility of a life sentence or worse.
- The Prosecution Failed to Convince the Jury — The circumstantial evidence did not establish her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
- Lizzie Never Confessed — She maintained her innocence throughout the case.
- No One Else Was Convicted — The murders of Andrew and Abby Borden officially remained without a convicted killer.
- The Public Remained Divided — Some people accepted the verdict, while others continued to believe Lizzie was responsible.
- The Case Became a Lasting Mystery — The acquittal ended the trial, but it did not end speculation about what happened inside the Borden house.
- Lizzie Returned to Fall River — She eventually lived with her sister Emma at their new home, Maplecroft.
- The Legend Began to Grow — Newspapers, books, folklore and later films and television transformed the case into one of America's most famous unsolved murder stories.
The Lizzie Borden case was not the only historical murder in which the truth became difficult to separate from the stories built around it.
More than a century later, investigators and historians still encounter the same problem: incomplete evidence, conflicting accounts and a public eager to turn an unanswered question into a definite story. Another case explored in Whispers of Time follows that same difficult path — the unsolved murder of Margery Wren, remembered as The Woman in the Red Hat.
Life After the Trial
The not-guilty verdict changed Lizzie Borden’s life forever, but it did not erase the suspicion surrounding her name. After the trial, she returned to Fall River with her sister Emma, and the sisters eventually moved into a large new home on French Street, which they named Maplecroft.
Lizzie inherited considerable wealth from her father and lived a far more comfortable life than she had before the murders. Yet the freedom that came with the verdict was accompanied by something she could never completely escape: the public fascination with whether she had actually killed her father and stepmother.
Lizzie largely withdrew from the public world surrounding the case, but she did not disappear from society. She attended theatre performances, travelled and became involved with the local social life of Fall River.
Her relationship with Emma eventually deteriorated, and the sisters separated after years of living together. Lizzie remained at Maplecroft until her death in 1927, while the murders continued to follow her reputation long after the courtroom had closed.
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| Maplecroft, the French Street home where Lizzie Borden lived after her acquittal. |
What Happened to Lizzie After the Trial?
- She Returned to Fall River — Lizzie went back to her hometown after her acquittal.
- She Inherited Wealth — The Borden estate gave Lizzie significant financial security.
- She Bought Maplecroft — Lizzie and Emma purchased their large French Street home in 1894.
- She Lived a Comfortable Life — Her inheritance allowed her to live with considerable financial independence.
- She Used the Name “Lizbeth” — After the trial, she increasingly used the name Lizbeth rather than Lizzie.
- She Remained Socially Active — She attended theatre, travelled and participated in aspects of Fall River's social life.
- She Developed an Interest in Theatre — Lizzie became particularly interested in theatrical performances.
- Her Relationship with Emma Changed — The sisters eventually became estranged after years of living together.
- Emma Left Maplecroft — Emma moved away in 1905, ending their shared household.
- Lizzie Remained at Maplecroft — She continued living there for the rest of her life.
- She Never Returned to Court for the Murders — Her acquittal permanently ended the criminal proceedings against her.
- She Never Publicly Confessed — Lizzie continued to deny responsibility for the murders.
- Public Suspicion Followed Her — The notoriety of the case remained attached to her name for the rest of her life.
- She Died in 1927 — Lizzie Borden died on June 1, 1927, at the age of 66.
- The Case Outlived Her — After her death, books, folklore, films and later television productions continued to revisit the Borden murders.
The Lizzie Borden Legend
The famous nursery rhyme helped transform the case from a nineteenth-century murder investigation into a permanent piece of American folklore.
The familiar version says:
“Lizzie Borden took an axe...”
But the rhyme is not an accurate reconstruction of the murders.
The real number of blows was substantially lower than the rhyme suggests.
The rhyme also simplified a complicated investigation into a memorable story with an obvious villain.
That is precisely what happened to Lizzie Borden's reputation.
Over time, the historical woman became almost inseparable from the character created by popular culture.
And now Netflix has created another version.
Netflix's Monster: The Story Returns
In 2026, Netflix brought Lizzie Borden back into popular culture with Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.
The series does something the historical trial never did.
It gives viewers a definite version of events.
Netflix's story portrays Lizzie as the person responsible for the murders, with Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan becoming involved in the killings.
That makes for powerful television.
But it is important to understand what kind of production this is.
It is historical drama, not a newly discovered solution to the Borden murders.
The real historical record does not establish that Lizzie and Bridget murdered Andrew and Abby together.
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| Ella Beatty portrays Lizzie Borden in Netflix's 2026 series Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. |
What Netflix Changed About the Case
The Series Is a Fictionalized Version of a Real Case
Netflix's Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story begins with one of America's most famous unsolved murder cases, but the series does not remain strictly within the boundaries of the historical record. It combines documented events with speculation, invented scenes, altered relationships and changes to chronology in order to create its own interpretation of Lizzie Borden.
The real case ended with Lizzie's acquittal and without anyone being convicted for the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. Netflix instead constructs a much more definite narrative in which the audience is given its own explanation for the murders and for Lizzie's life. This means that some scenes may be based on real people or real events while the circumstances surrounding them have been dramatically changed.
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Lizzie and Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan
Bridget Sullivan was a real member of the Borden household and was present at the house during the morning of the murders. Her position as the family maid made her an important witness because investigators needed to understand what happened inside and around the house that morning. Netflix changes her role dramatically by portraying Bridget, called “Maggie” in the series, as Lizzie's romantic partner and eventually as her accomplice in the murders.
Their relationship becomes an important part of the show's explanation of the crime. There is no established historical evidence proving that Lizzie and Bridget were lovers or that Bridget helped Lizzie murder Andrew and Abby. The series therefore takes a real person who was connected to the household and gives her a fictional romantic and criminal role.
Bridget's Window-Washing Story
The series also changes the meaning of Bridget's window-washing activities. Historically, Bridget was outside washing windows during an important period of the morning, and her movements became relevant when investigators attempted to reconstruct the timeline of the murders.
Netflix turns this ordinary household activity into part of a deliberate plan, suggesting that Lizzie and Bridget used the situation to create an alibi and make their movements appear innocent.
This gives the audience a clear explanation for Bridget's actions, whereas the historical record does not establish that she was deliberately participating in an alibi scheme. The change is significant because it transforms an ambiguous part of the historical timeline into an intentional element of the fictional murder plot.
Lizzie's Sexuality and the Lesbian Relationship
Netflix gives Lizzie Borden's sexuality a much more definite interpretation than the surviving historical evidence permits. The series portrays Lizzie as having romantic and sexual relationships with women, particularly Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan, and makes these relationships part of the emotional development of the story.
Historically, Lizzie's sexuality was never established, and there is no reliable evidence proving that she was a lesbian. Her later friendship with actress Nance O'Neil has led to speculation about her private life, but even that relationship does not provide conclusive evidence about her sexual orientation.
Netflix takes these unanswered questions and turns them into an explicit romantic storyline, meaning that the relationship between Lizzie and Maggie shown in the series should be understood as part of the show's fictional interpretation rather than an established fact about Lizzie's life.
Nance O'Neil's Timeline Was Changed
Nance O'Neil was a real actress who became close to Lizzie years after the Borden trial. Their friendship is historically documented, but the timing is important because Lizzie did not meet O'Neil until 1904, more than a decade after her 1893 acquittal.
Netflix moves O'Neil into Lizzie's earlier story and gives her a role connected to the trial and Lizzie's life during the period surrounding the murders. This creates a dramatic relationship between the women, but it changes the historical chronology.
O'Neil could not have been advising Lizzie during the 1893 trial because she had not yet met her. The series therefore takes a genuine later relationship and places it much earlier to serve its narrative.
The Prussic Acid Story
The story involving prussic acid is based on a real episode that attracted suspicion during the investigation, but Netflix gives it a much stronger meaning.
Lizzie became associated with an attempt to obtain prussic acid shortly before the murders, and because the substance was highly poisonous, the incident naturally became part of the suspicion surrounding her. However, the historical evidence did not establish that Lizzie successfully obtained the poison or used it against Andrew or Abby.
Netflix turns the incident into an actual poisoning attempt and uses it to show Lizzie moving toward murder. The historical event therefore provides the foundation, while the certainty surrounding what Lizzie intended and what she actually did comes from the show's fictional interpretation.
The Blue Dress
The burning of Lizzie's dress is one of the most famous events surrounding the Borden investigation, and Netflix again removes some of the uncertainty surrounding the historical event. Alice Russell really did witness Lizzie burning a dress after the murders, and Lizzie explained that the dress had been damaged by paint.
The incident became suspicious because destroying clothing shortly after two murders could be interpreted as destroying evidence. Netflix presents the scene much more directly as an attempt to eliminate evidence connected to the killings.
Historically, however, we know that the dress was burned, but we cannot simply treat that fact as proof that it contained blood or that Lizzie was destroying murder evidence.
Andrew and Abby Are Portrayed More Dramatically
Netflix also intensifies the portrayal of Andrew and Abby Borden and the environment inside the family home. The series presents Lizzie as living under severe emotional pressure and gives the family relationships a much darker and more abusive character than can be established from the surviving evidence.
There were genuine tensions involving money, property, family relationships and Lizzie's relationship with her stepmother, but those tensions do not provide a proven explanation for the murders. The series uses these real conflicts as the foundation for a much stronger psychological story in which Lizzie's anger and suffering help explain why she eventually turns against her parents.
Bertha Manchester's Murder
Bertha Manchester was a real woman who was murdered in Fall River, but her death occurred after Andrew and Abby Borden had already been killed and after Lizzie had been arrested. Netflix incorporates Manchester's murder into the story surrounding Lizzie and Maggie and uses it to develop their fictional criminal history.
The chronological change is important because Lizzie could not have committed the murder in the manner portrayed by the series. Netflix is therefore using a genuine murder from the historical setting but moving it into its fictional storyline. The existence of the Manchester case is historical, while its connection to Lizzie in the series is not.
Why Is Aileen Wuornos in the Series?
Aileen Wuornos has no historical connection to Lizzie Borden or the 1892 murders. Wuornos committed her crimes almost a century later and became notorious as a female serial killer in her own right. Netflix brings her into the series as part of a broader creative idea about women associated with violence, murder, public fascination and criminal legends.
Wuornos effectively becomes a modern counterpart to Lizzie, allowing the series to compare two women from completely different periods and explore how society remembers notorious female killers. Her presence should therefore not be interpreted as a historical connection between the two women. The scenes involving Wuornos are a creative device created for the series.
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Elizabeth Báthory is also Used Thematically
Elizabeth Báthory, the historical Hungarian noblewoman associated with centuries-old stories of murder and brutality, also has no historical connection to Lizzie Borden. Netflix uses her as another part of its broader exploration of infamous women and the stories built around them.
Her inclusion allows the series to connect Lizzie with a much older historical figure whose reputation has itself been shaped by centuries of storytelling, accusations and legend. This is therefore another example of Netflix expanding the Borden story beyond its actual historical setting. Báthory belongs to a completely different period and does not form part of the real investigation into Andrew and Abby Borden's murders.
Netflix Gives the Murders a Definite Answer
Perhaps the biggest change Netflix makes is that it gives the audience a definite interpretation of the murders. The historical case never established beyond reasonable doubt who killed Andrew and Abby Borden, and Lizzie was ultimately acquitted. Netflix removes much of that uncertainty by portraying Lizzie and Maggie as responsible for the killings. This provides the dramatic resolution that the real investigation never achieved. The series should therefore not be understood as presenting a newly discovered solution to the Borden murders. It is presenting a fictionalized interpretation of a case that remains historically unresolved.
What Actually Happened Inside the Borden House?
This is where the story becomes much more interesting than the Netflix version.- We know that Andrew and Abby were murdered.
- We know that Lizzie was inside or around the house during the crucial period.
- We know that investigators became convinced she might be responsible.
- We know she was prosecuted.
- We know she was acquitted.
- But we do not possess a definitive historical record proving exactly who killed Andrew and Abby.
- That uncertainty has survived for more than a century.
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The Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts, |
Facts: What We Actually Know
- Andrew Borden was murdered on August 4, 1892.
- Abby Borden was murdered on the same day.
- The murders took place in Fall River, Massachusetts.
- Andrew's body was found downstairs.
- Abby's body was found upstairs.
- Abby was killed before Andrew returned home.
- Andrew suffered approximately eleven blows.
- Abby suffered approximately nineteen blows.
- Lizzie Borden was at the family home that morning.
- Emma Borden was away in Fairhaven.
- Bridget Sullivan was working at the Borden house.
- Lizzie claimed she spent part of the morning in the barn.
- No eyewitness saw Lizzie commit either murder.
- A hatchet was investigated as a possible murder weapon.
- Lizzie burned a dress after the murders.
- Lizzie was arrested on August 11, 1892.
- Her trial began on June 5, 1893.
- Lizzie did not testify at her trial.
- Lizzie was acquitted on June 20, 1893.
- Nobody was convicted of murdering Andrew and Abby Borden.
1. Andrew Borden Was Murdered on August 4, 1892
Andrew Borden was attacked inside his home in Fall River on August 4, 1892. His body was discovered downstairs on the sitting-room sofa after he returned home that morning.
2. Abby Borden Was Murdered the Same Day
Abby Borden was killed inside the same house earlier that morning. Her body was discovered upstairs in the guest room, making her death part of the same investigation that later focused on Lizzie.
3. The Murders Happened in Fall River
The Borden family lived at 92 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. The house became one of the most famous crime scenes in American history and remains closely associated with the case.
4. Andrew Was Found Downstairs
Andrew's body was discovered on a sofa in the downstairs sitting room. His position and the condition of his body became important pieces of evidence during the investigation.
5. Abby Was Found Upstairs
Abby's body was discovered in the upstairs guest room. The location of her body became particularly important because investigators concluded that her murder happened before Andrew returned home.
6. Abby Was Killed Before Andrew
The evidence indicates that Abby was already dead when Andrew came home. This created a complicated timeline because the killer apparently remained connected to the house between the two murders.
7. Andrew Suffered About Eleven Blows
Andrew suffered approximately eleven blows to the head. The number later became distorted by popular culture, particularly the famous nursery rhyme associated with Lizzie Borden.
8. Abby Suffered About Nineteen Blows
Abby's injuries were even more numerous, with approximately nineteen blows recorded. The brutality of her attack became one of the most disturbing aspects of the investigation.
9. Lizzie Was at the House
Lizzie was present at the Borden property during the morning of the murders. Her presence, combined with questions about her movements, eventually made her the main suspect.
10. Emma Was Away
Lizzie's sister Emma was away in Fairhaven when the murders occurred. Her absence meant that she was not inside the house during the crucial period when Andrew and Abby were killed.
11. Bridget Sullivan Was Working There
Bridget Sullivan was the Borden family's maid and was present at the house that morning. She later became an important witness because she could provide information about the household and the events surrounding the murders.
12. Lizzie Said She Went to the Barn
Lizzie told investigators that she had spent part of the morning in the barn. The timing of this absence became important because investigators had to determine whether the murders could have occurred during that period.
13. Nobody Saw Lizzie Commit the Murders
There was no eyewitness who testified that they actually watched Lizzie kill Andrew or Abby. The prosecution therefore had to build its case through circumstances, testimony and interpretations of her behavior.
14. A Hatchet Was Investigated
Investigators examined a hatchet found in the Borden house as a possible murder weapon. However, the weapon did not provide the kind of definitive forensic connection that modern investigators might seek.
15. Lizzie Burned a Dress
Lizzie burned a dress after the murders, an event witnessed by Alice Russell. Lizzie said the garment had been damaged by paint, while investigators considered whether she might have been destroying evidence.
16. Lizzie Was Arrested on August 11
Lizzie was arrested exactly one week after Andrew and Abby were murdered. By then, suspicion surrounding her had become strong enough for authorities to formally charge her.
17. Her Trial Began in June 1893
Lizzie's murder trial began on June 5, 1893, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence to argue that Lizzie was responsible.
18. Lizzie Did Not Testify
Lizzie did not take the witness stand during her murder trial. Her defense instead challenged the prosecution's evidence and interpretation of the circumstances surrounding the killings.
19. Lizzie Was Acquitted
On June 20, 1893, the jury found Lizzie Borden not guilty. The verdict meant that she was legally cleared of the charges involving the murders of Andrew and Abby.
20. Nobody Was Convicted
No person was ever convicted of murdering Andrew and Abby Borden. More than a century later, the case remains famous precisely because the murders never received a definitive criminal resolution.
Rumors & Theories: Was Lizzie the Killer?
- Lizzie killed Andrew and Abby.
- Money was Lizzie's motive.
- Lizzie hated her stepmother Abby.
- Andrew was killed because he returned unexpectedly.
- Lizzie planned the murders beforehand.
- Lizzie suffered abuse inside the household.
- Lizzie experienced a dissociative episode.
- Bridget Sullivan helped Lizzie.
- Lizzie and Bridget had a secret romantic relationship.
- Emma secretly helped Lizzie.
- John Morse was involved.
- An unknown intruder committed the murders.
- A mysterious “wild man” was responsible.
- The murders were connected to family inheritance.
- Lizzie destroyed evidence by burning her dress.
- Lizzie attempted to obtain poison before the murders.
- Andrew was the intended primary target.
- Abby was the intended primary target.
- Lizzie and Nance O'Neil had a romantic relationship.
- Lizzie's true involvement may never be known.
1. Lizzie Killed Andrew and Abby
The most famous theory is that Lizzie herself committed both murders. Supporters point to her presence, disputed movements and several suspicious circumstances, but the historical evidence never reached the level needed to establish her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
2. Money Was the Motive
One theory argues that Lizzie wanted financial freedom or access to the family property. The Borden family's money and property disagreements provide a possible motive, but financial benefit alone cannot prove that Lizzie committed murder.
3. Lizzie Hated Abby
Another theory focuses on Lizzie's relationship with her stepmother. Family tensions and disagreements have encouraged the idea that Lizzie developed deep resentment toward Abby, although the extent to which this contributed to the murders remains uncertain.
4. Andrew Was Killed Because He Returned
Some theories suggest that Abby was killed first and Andrew became the second victim because he unexpectedly returned home. This could explain the different locations of the bodies, but it does not establish who was responsible.
5. The Murders Were Planned
The organized sequence of the killings has led some people to believe that the murders were carefully planned. The theory suggests the killer understood the household's routine and chose a moment when the opportunity was greatest, but there is no definitive proof establishing such a plan.
6. Lizzie Was Abused
Later accounts have suggested that Lizzie suffered serious abuse within her family, including allegations of sexual abuse. These claims have become important in fictional retellings, but the historical evidence does not conclusively establish them.
7. Lizzie Experienced a Dissociative Episode
One later theory suggested that Lizzie may have entered a dissociative or fugue-like state during the murders. This idea attempts to explain how someone could commit extreme violence and later appear disconnected from what happened, but it remains speculative.
8. Bridget Helped Lizzie
Because Bridget was inside the house, some theories have suggested that she may have been involved. Netflix takes this much further by making her Lizzie's accomplice, but there is no established historical evidence proving Bridget participated in the murders.
9. Lizzie and Bridget Were Lovers
The idea that Lizzie and Bridget secretly had a romantic relationship is largely a later interpretation. Netflix makes their relationship explicit, but the surviving historical record does not establish that they were lovers.
10. Emma Helped Lizzie
Emma has occasionally been drawn into theories because she shared the family's financial interests and remained loyal to Lizzie. However, she was away when the murders occurred, and there is no established evidence proving that she helped commit them.
11. John Morse Was Involved
John Morse, Andrew's brother-in-law, has been proposed as another possible suspect. His connection to the family and his movements around the time of the murders have encouraged speculation, but he was never convicted of the killings.
12. An Unknown Intruder Did It
Another theory suggests that someone from outside the Borden family entered the house and committed the murders. This possibility has survived because the actual killer was never conclusively identified, although no unknown intruder has ever been proven responsible.
13. The “Wild Man” Did It
Stories about suspicious strangers and a mysterious “wild man” became part of the case's folklore. Such reports contributed to speculation about an outsider, but a suspicious stranger was never conclusively connected to the murders.
14. Inheritance Was the Real Motive
The possibility of inheritance has remained one of the strongest motive-based theories. Lizzie and Emma eventually inherited wealth after their parents' deaths, but the existence of an inheritance does not prove that either sister arranged or committed the murders.
15. Lizzie Destroyed Murder Evidence
The burning of Lizzie's dress has been interpreted as an attempt to destroy evidence. That interpretation is understandable given the timing, but the historical record does not conclusively establish what Lizzie intended when she burned it.
16. Lizzie Tried to Obtain Poison
The prussic acid incident has encouraged theories that Lizzie was considering poisoning her parents before resorting to violence. The historical evidence does not establish that she obtained the poison or used it against Andrew or Abby.
17. Andrew Was the Main Target
Some theories argue that Andrew was the primary target because of his control over family money and property. Under this interpretation, Abby may have been killed because she was already involved in the household conflict or because she was simply present.
18. Abby Was the Main Target
Another theory reverses the idea and suggests that Abby was the person Lizzie primarily wanted to eliminate. Their difficult relationship has encouraged this interpretation, although there is no conclusive evidence proving that Abby was the intended primary target.
19. Lizzie and Nance O'Neil Were Lovers
Lizzie's close relationship with actress Nance O'Neil has generated speculation about whether their friendship was romantic. Their relationship was real, but the surviving evidence does not conclusively establish its exact nature.
20. We May Never Know What Happened
Perhaps the most honest theory is that the complete truth may never be recovered. The investigation is more than a century old, important evidence has been lost or remains ambiguous, Lizzie was acquitted, and no alternative suspect was ever convicted. What remains is a case filled with evidence, contradictions and unanswered questions rather than a definitive solution.
Why the Lizzie Borden Case Still Fascinates People
More than 130 years have passed since that violent morning in Fall River, yet the Borden murders have never truly left the public imagination. Part of the fascination comes from the setting itself: a respectable Victorian household suddenly transformed into a crime scene, two bodies discovered inside the family home, and a daughter who quickly became the focus of suspicion.
Then came the courtroom drama, the conflicting evidence, the unanswered questions, and finally an acquittal. The law had spoken, but it had not given people the certainty they wanted.
What keeps bringing people back to Lizzie Borden is the collection of unanswered details that still invite debate:
- The brutal nature of the murders — both Andrew and Abby were killed inside their own home in broad daylight.
- Lizzie's mysterious movements — parts of her account became central to the investigation, especially her claim about being in the barn.
- The missing murder weapon — investigators never established with absolute certainty which weapon delivered the fatal blows.
- The burned dress — Lizzie's decision to destroy a dress shortly after the murders became one of the most debated pieces of evidence.
- The poison controversy — the prussic acid episode added another strange layer to the investigation.
- The lack of a witness — no one saw Lizzie commit either murder.
- The acquittal — despite the enormous suspicion surrounding her, Lizzie walked out of court a free woman.
- The absence of another convicted killer — no one else was ever convicted for the murders.
- The famous rhyme — folklore eventually turned the case into something far larger than the original investigation.
- The unanswered question — perhaps the biggest reason of all: if Lizzie did not do it, then who did?
That combination of evidence, uncertainty, suspicion and legend is what keeps the Borden case alive. Every generation can look at the same old evidence and ask the same chilling question: did the courtroom acquit an innocent woman, or did a murderer simply walk free?
A Mystery That Survived the Verdict
The most responsible way to approach the Lizzie Borden case is to resist the temptation to turn uncertainty into certainty.
Netflix can tell us one version.
A historian can present another.
A true-crime writer can construct a theory.
But none of those version's changes what happened in the courtroom in 1893.
Lizzie Borden was found not guilty.
The jury did not determine that another person committed the murders.
It determined that the prosecution had not proved Lizzie's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
That is an important distinction.
From Fall River to the World of Unexplained Stories
The Borden case also illustrates something that appears repeatedly throughout history: sometimes the evidence ends before the questions do.
That happens not only in murder investigations, but also in stories where witnesses describe events that remain difficult to explain. At Whispers of Time, another very different case follows reports of Danielle Imbo & Richard Petrone: The Mystery of the Couple Who Vanished Together
Unlike the Borden case, however, the central question there is not simply who committed a crime — it is whether the extraordinary events reported by witnesses happened as described.
Danielle Imbo & Richard Petrone: The Mystery of the Couple Who Vanished Together
What the Netflix Series Cannot Tell Us
The historical record cannot tell us with certainty:
- Who actually killed Andrew and Abby Borden. Lizzie was accused and tried, but she was acquitted, and nobody else was convicted.
- What happened inside the house during the murders. There was no eyewitness account showing exactly how the killings unfolded.
- What Lizzie was truly thinking that morning. Her private thoughts, intentions and emotions cannot be reconstructed with certainty.
- Whether Lizzie and Bridget Sullivan had a romantic relationship. There is no solid historical evidence establishing the relationship portrayed by the series.
- Whether Lizzie had a romantic relationship with Nance O'Neil. They became close after Lizzie's trial, but the nature of their relationship remains uncertain.
- Whether Lizzie deliberately planned the murders. The prosecution presented a case against her, but planning was never proven beyond reasonable doubt.
- Why the murders happened. Money, family conflict, resentment and other motives have been proposed, but no motive was conclusively established.
- Whether someone else entered the house. An intruder theory has existed for generations, but no alternative killer was established.
- Exactly what happened to the murder weapon. Several possible weapons were investigated, but the definitive weapon was never established with modern forensic certainty.
- What really happened to Lizzie's dress. Her decision to burn a dress became important evidence, but its exact significance remains debated.
That is where history and television separate. Netflix can create a compelling version of Lizzie Borden's story, but it cannot provide answers that the surviving evidence itself does not contain. The real case remains far more uncomfortable: after all the accusations, testimony and speculation, the historical record still stops short of telling us exactly what happened.
The Case That Never Truly Ended
The courtroom doors closed on June 20, 1893, when Lizzie Borden was found not guilty, but the story did not end with the verdict. Andrew and Abby Borden were dead, Lizzie walked free, and yet the question that had consumed
Fall River remained unanswered: who had killed them?
The investigation had produced suspicion, accusations, strange evidence and conflicting possibilities, but never the certainty people expected from such a notorious crime. With no one else convicted, the case became one of those rare mysteries where the legal ending and the public's search for the truth went in completely different directions.
As the years passed, the facts slowly became tangled with folklore. The famous rhyme, books, films, documentaries and now Netflix's Monster have repeatedly brought Lizzie Borden back into the spotlight, each generation looking at the old evidence through a new lens.
Yet beneath all the legend, the original question remains remarkably stubborn. Lizzie was acquitted, but Andrew and Abby's killer was never officially identified. The trial ended more than a century ago; the mystery never received the same ending.
A Verdict, But No Answer
More than a century later, the Borden house still seems to hold the same unanswered question that haunted Fall River in 1892: what really happened inside those walls that morning? Lizzie Borden walked out of the courtroom a free woman, but the verdict never settled the story. The evidence was incomplete, the theories multiplied, and time transformed a brutal double murder into one of America’s most enduring true-crime cases. Perhaps that is why the story refuses to disappear. The trial ended, but the question survived—and every new generation that looks back at Lizzie Borden finds itself asking the same thing: was the woman at the center of the case a murderer who escaped justice, or a woman forever trapped inside a mystery the evidence could never solve?
But the real question remains exactly where it was in 1893:
Who killed Andrew and Abby Borden?
Research sources used
- Library of Congress — Chronicling America: Arrest and Trial of Lizzie Borden — contemporary newspaper material, arrest and trial timeline. Research Guides
- Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division: historical image of Lizzie Borden and her counsel during the trial. Library of Congress
- Netflix Tudum: Monster: Lizzie Borden, the True Story That Inspired the Series — useful specifically for documenting what the 2026 series depicts and distinguishing its dramatization from the historical record. Netflix
- Biography.com: comparison of Monster with the documented 1892 case. Biography
- Entertainment Weekly: analysis of the historical liberties taken by the 2026 Netflix series.
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