Axe Murderer Lizzie Borden Supposedly Killed Her Parents, But Walked Free

It’s August 4, 1892, in Fall River, Massachusetts, and police arrive at the home of a wealthy local family. Earlier that day, 32-year-old Lizzie Borden had told them she’d stumbled across a terrible sight – the bloody body of her father Andrew lying dead in the sitting room. And upstairs, another horror awaits, sparking a mystery that endures even to this day. But did investigators miss something in this infamous murder case?

A quiet, unsuspecting town

It seemed impossible at first that a mild-mannered woman could've killed her family in cold blood. Borden's defense attorney later described her as living a "spotless" life, which was fair enough, except that there didn't seem to be anyone else in town capable of such an act, either.

Initially settled by European colonists in the mid-1600s, Fall River opened its first mills at the beginning of the 18th century. By 1868, it became the biggest textile city in the whole country. But tensions began to grow.

The rather respectable Bordens

By 1892, thousands of French Canadian and Irish immigrants had begun to assimilate into Fall River society, taking important positions in the community. In fact, just two years previously, an Irishman had been elected mayor of the city.

However, a strong nativist sentiment remained among people like Lizzie, whose family had played a central role in the community's booming textile industry from the very beginning.

Family tensions

But if Fall River itself was fraught with tension, it was nothing compared to what was going on behind closed doors in the Borden household. Lizzie's father, Andrew, was born in 1822 and came from a wealthy local family.

However, his own upbringing had been modest, and he did not become successful until later in life – perhaps explaining the thrifty attitude for which he became known.

Living out the American dream

Eventually, however, Andrew became a wealthy man. And after enjoying some success making and selling furniture, he boosted his fortune with a lucrative career as a housing magnate.

He also continued growing the family business, taking on the role of director at a number of local textile mills. On the surface, it seemed like he was building up a perfect life.

A broken household

In 1845, Andrew married his first wife, Sarah, and the pair had two daughters. The first, Emma, was born in 1851, while Lizzie followed some nine years later.

But their picturesque family life was cut tragically short in 1863, when Sarah died at just 39 years old. With that, the two young girls were left without a mother figure — for a while.

An evil stepmother?

Three years later, another woman arrived in the Bordens’ lives. That year, Andrew married Abby Gray, and Emma and Lizzie had a new stepmother to take care of them. However, reports differ on how close the relationship really was.

In fact, some claim that Lizzie came to believe the older woman was merely a gold-digger who had married her father for his money.

The Hill

Although they were well off, however, the Bordens lived a modest life. At the time, most of Fall River’s wealthy residents owned houses on The Hill – an affluent enclave with little in the way of class or ethnic diversity.

Meanwhile, Andrew and his family resided in a much less fashionable area, where their neighbors were often people who had immigrated to the United States.

Seemingly good values

Although some sources have suggested that Lizzie fostered anti-immigrant views, she was also known as a pious young woman. In fact, she even taught Sunday School lessons to the children of families recently arrived in the country.

Elsewhere, she was a member of a number of different Christian organizations. Though she wasn't perfect, there didn't seem to be any hate flowing through her veins.

Signs of trouble

By 1892, however, it was clear that all was not well within the Borden household. The family's perfect facade was beginning to crack.

In fact, according to the family’s Irish maid Bridget Sullivan, the two younger women rarely joined Andrew and Abby at the dinner table. Then, in May, a frightening incident allegedly occurred that many believe foreshadowed the tragedy to come.

Bird-brained

According to many reports, Lizzie had grown fond of some pigeons that visited the Borden residence. The tender-hearted woman had even made a home for the birds in their barn.

However, Andrew apparently believed that the creatures were attracting trouble in the form of children keen to hunt this easy prey. And so, he used a small axe to slaughter them all.

Drifting apart

Although there is limited evidence to support this story, many believe that this incident sparked further unrest within the Borden family. At the very least, the tale gets across the idea that the relatives were on the verge of coming to blows.

As a matter of fact, both Lizzie and Emma had grown frustrated with their father’s uncharacteristically generous approach to Abby’s family.

Financial woes

Apparently, the typically frugal Andrew had begun granting property to his wife’s relatives. Lizzie and Emma demanded equal treatment, and Andrew duly sold them a property for just one dollar.

However, they were unable to make a decent income from the house and ultimately persuaded their father to buy it back. Soon after, another disagreement saw both women temporarily leave the Borden home.

Calm before the storm

By late July, Lizzie had returned to Fall River, although Emma remained away on vacation. However, the younger woman did not immediately move back into Andrew’s home.

Instead, she took a room in a local boarding house for four days, eventually returning to the Borden household just days before the gruesome attack. Was there any sinister motive behind her timing?

That fateful meeting

The atmosphere in the house only got more fraught. On August 3, Lizzie and Emma’s uncle John Morse – the brother of their mother Sarah – arrived at the Bordens’ home. Apparently, he and Andrew had financial matters to address.

Although nobody is sure exactly what was discussed that day, some believe that the two men made arrangements that did not favor the sisters.

Rumors of poison

Moreover, it wasn’t just financial trouble that was brewing in the Borden household. Apparently, the family had also been struck down with a mystery illness – one that some have attributed to a suspect cut of mutton that had been used for several meals.

However, Abby harbored suspicions that the family had been poisoned, due to Andrew’s status as an unpopular local figure. He'd risen far enough to make a handful of enemies.

In sickness and in health

On the morning of August 4, both Abby and Andrew had fallen ill, along with Bridget, the maid. However, Lizzie and her uncle apparently escaped unscathed.

After sharing breakfast with the family, the two men retreated to another room and presumably discussed some business matters. Not long after, at around 8:48 a.m., Morse left to run some errands in Fall River.

Clashing opinions

At some point, Andrew also left for work. However, he returned home later that morning. And after that, nobody is sure what transpired in the Bordens’ home.

According to Lizzie, she took off her father’s boots and helped him to settle down for some rest in the sitting room. Meanwhile, she claimed, a message arrived calling Abby to attend to an ailing relative.

A cry from below

According to Bridget, Lizzie then told her that there was a sale going on at a local department store. But rather than attend, the servant decided to head up to her bedroom for some rest.

Then, she was interrupted at around 11:10 a.m., when her employer’s daughter called out to her from downstairs. It was an announcement that Bridget had never even dreamed of hearing.

“Come quick! Father’s dead!”

Lizzie had discovered Andrew brutally slain in the sitting room. “Come quick! Father’s dead,” she reportedly cried out. Curiously, Borden described the situation in a way that asserted her innocence from the start, shouting, “Somebody came in and killed him.”

And when Bridget made her way downstairs, she saw that the man had been viciously attacked multiple times with a bladed weapon.

The facts didn't add up

Soon, Fall River police arrived at the scene of the crime and tried to make sense of the bloody scene. But as they questioned Lizzie, inconsistencies began to crop up in her story.

For example, she initially told them that she had heard signs of distress emanating from the sitting room. However, she later claimed to have been unaware of any disturbance.

Multiple murders

So where was the rest of the household at the time? Lizzie told police that her stepmother might have returned from visiting her relatives. But when Bridget and a neighbor went to look for her, they were met with another shocking sight.

On the floor of the guest bedroom, they discovered Abby’s bloodied body. It was apparent that Andrew’s wife had also been the victim of a gruesome attack.

Brute force

In fact, Abby had been struck on the head a staggering 18 times with a weapon similar to the one that had killed her husband. It was also important to note that there was no evidence anyone had broken into the Borden home.

And when police launched an investigation into the murders, the little inconsistencies in Lizzie’s account began to add up.

Her shifting story

With each round of questioning, Andrew’s younger daughter slightly changed the version of events that she told the police. Moreover, investigators noted that she did not seem to be particularly upset about the brutal murders of her father and stepmother.

Maybe she was just in shock, or maybe she had something to hide. But despite their suspicions, they failed to perform an adequate search of Lizzie’s room.

Sloppy detective work

According to the police report, a number of potential murder weapons were discovered at the scene. However, it wasn’t until August 6 — two whole days after the murders took place — that an officer removed one of the items from the Bordens’ home.

And by that time, the killings had sent shock waves throughout the Fall River community and beyond. Lizzie's actions leading up to that fateful day soon became public knowledge.

A suspicious purchase

As the authorities interviewed various locals, they found another twist in the tale. Apparently, it emerged that Lizzie had visited a local pharmacy in the days preceding the murder.

There, she had attempted to purchase an extremely toxic substance known as prussic acid. Had the youngest Borden planned to poison Andrew and Abby, only to turn to violence when things did not go to plan?

Poking holes in her alibi

At the inquest, even more doubt was cast on Lizzie’s story. Apparently, she continued to give differing accounts of the morning of the murders, and her behavior was unpredictable.

Moreover, she repeatedly insisted that she had swapped her father’s boots for slippers before settling him on the sofa. However, photographs from the scene of the crime clearly show that Andrew was still wearing his outdoor footwear.

A sister's word

Although evidence was mounting against Lizzie, however, there were still those who defended her. For example, the Bordens’ doctor claimed that a morphine prescription meant to aid sleep could have caused her confusion during the inquest.

Moreover, Emma – who by that time had returned home to Fall River – testified that there was no bad blood between her sister and Abby.

Under arrest

Still, Lizzie’s inconsistent testimony and presence at the scene of the crime made her the prime suspect. And on August 11, she was arrested on suspicion of murdering her father and stepmother.

By that time, interest in the crimes had spread to the national press. But while some believed that the 32-year-old woman was guilty, others insisted that she was innocent and rallied to her defense.

Us and them

In fact, the case came to take on much more significance than just a provincial murder trial. In places such as Fall River, changing demographics had seen more and more immigrants rise to positions of power.

However, these changes were not universally popular – particularly among the wealthier members of society. Inevitably, resentment between different social groups bubbled up in cases of law and order.

Eye of the hurricane

And in Fall River, Lizzie found herself at the center of the debate that was dividing communities all over the country. After all, Irish officers had been among those who had pursued and arrested her – a woman who was traditionally above their station.

Moreover, the city’s pro-immigrant-leaning newspaper, the Fall River Globe, was outspoken in its belief that Lizzie was responsible for the murders.

A legal champion

Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum, the women of The Hill refused to believe that one of their own could have committed such a horrific crime.

They believed Borden was being made into a scapegoat, though of course, they held biases of their own. Lizzie's peers crowded into the courtroom to show their support during the trial.

Breakthrough discoveries

Because of her family’s wealth, the accused was able to afford the very best in legal representation. As the trial unfolded, there were many twists and turns in favor of the 32-year-old. For one thing, the judge dismissed Lizzie’s earlier attempt at buying prussic acid as irrelevant to the case.

Meanwhile, one chemist testified that he had been unable to find any traces of blood on the weapons that had been retrieved from the Bordens’ home. Wouldn't the real murderer have been splattered with the remains of their victims?

Signs of innocence?

Bordon's defense was aided by the fact that prosecutors were unable to produce anything that they could claim was the murder weapon. Moreover, Lizzie had apparently handed over the dress that she had been wearing on August 4.

And that too was free from incriminating stains. However, Alice Russell, a friend of the deceased Bordens, gave testimony that cast doubt on this version of the story.

Damsel in distress

According to Russell, she had witnessed Lizzie thrusting a dress into the flames of the kitchen stove four days after the murders. But despite this damning testimony, the defendant proved she was adept at winning over the press.

Presenting herself as a classic damsel in distress, she soon had commentators believing that she was incapable of something as brutal as murder.

Set free

On June 20, 1893, Lizzie was acquitted. But even though she walked free, many believed that she got away with murder. And today, popular opinion largely accepts that Andrew and Abby died at their daughter’s hand.

Still, her motive remains a mystery. And while one writer would later claim that she unknowingly committed the crime while in a trance-like state, others have not been so kind.

Dark potential motives

According to one of the most popular (and largely unsupported) theories, Lizzie murdered her father in revenge for a lifetime of sexual and physical abuse.

Another writer suggested that the youngest Borden sister had actually been embroiled in a lesbian affair with Bridget. In this version of events, a desperate Lizzie murdered Andrew and Abby when they discovered her secret.

A lingering stain

After the acquittal, the two Borden sisters used their inheritance to move to The Hill, where they finally occupied a property that was more befitting of their wealth. Even so, the rumors about Lizzie’s guilt refused to go away.

Professor Karen Roggenkamp said that Borden became "an empty vase" for all kinds of wild conspiracies relating to the murders. People ran with whatever truth felt most comfortable to them.

Turning against Lizzie

As time passed, the citizens of Fall River became even more convinced that Lizzie had killed her father. Terrorized by local children, she was eventually ostracized by the very community that had once claimed her as their own.

Then, in 1905, Emma left their Fall River home and never returned. It’s said that the sisters never spoke to each other again.

Legacy of a murderess

On June 1, 1927, Lizzie succumbed to a fatal bout of pneumonia. Soon after her death, she was immortalized in a folk rhyme that remains popular to this day. Meanwhile, she has also appeared as a character in a number of movies and novels over the years.

While all of these depictions are different, most tell a similar tale – that Lizzie was guilty, and a murderer walked free from court that day. But the truth remains a mystery. Was Borden a heartless killer or just a misunderstood woman? We may never know for sure.