Lizzie Borden... the name conjures up images of a crazed, axe-wielding woman... a once-respected Sunday School teacher turned murderess.
But was Lizzie Borden really the culprit behind the gruesome murders of her businessman father Andrew Borden and her stepmother, Abby Durfee Borden that hot August morning in 1892?
The jury declared her "Not Guilty" though the crime remains a mystery to this day: did she or didn't she?
My take? See Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter book page.
But was Lizzie Borden really the culprit behind the gruesome murders of her businessman father Andrew Borden and her stepmother, Abby Durfee Borden that hot August morning in 1892?
The jury declared her "Not Guilty" though the crime remains a mystery to this day: did she or didn't she?
My take? See Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter book page.
Lizzie Borden Took an Axe... To this day, there is no clear consensus as to who actually committed the double murders of Andrew J. Borden and his wife Abby Durfee Borden at 92 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts on a hot August morning in 1892.
While many believe former Sunday School teacher Lizzie Andrew Borden was guilty, there is no evidence directly linking her to the crime. A handle-less hatchet found by police in the basement was presumed— but never proven—to be the murder weapon. Lizzie, a 32-year-old spinster, reportedly discovered her 70-year-old father, Andrew J. Borden, lying dead on the settee in the sitting room near 11 a.m. on August 4, 1892. He had been struck 10 times with a hatchet or axe. The body of her 64-year-old stepmother, Abby Durfee Borden, was found bent over on her knees by the bed in the upstairs guest bedroom. She had been struck 18 times, according to the autopsy report. After a three-day inquest, Lizzie was arrested for the murders on August 11, 1892. A grand jury began hearing evidence in November, with Lizzie indicted for the crimes on December 2. The “trial of the century” held from June 5 to June 20, 1893 in the New Bedford Superior Court garnered nationwide media attention and interest worldwide, especially once the verdict came in: Not Guilty. The sensational crime would have been punishable by an equally grisly death—hanging on the gallows. Lizzie lived a mostly quiet life after the trial, though she and Emma were later estranged. For whatever reason, Lizzie chose to remain in her hometown until her death on June 1, 1927 at the age of 67. She is buried next to her parents and sister in the family plot in Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River.--C.A. Verstraete |
Lizzie Borden Sources:
- Find out more about the infamous 1892 murders and the "trial of the century."
About Lizzie Borden: * Crime Library - Lizzie Borden: http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/borden/index_1.html * Historical Investigation into the Borden case, University of Amherst: http://ccbit.cs.umass.edu/lizzie/intro/home.html * Lizzie Borden house history * Lizzie Borden original murder house * Video tour of Lizzie's home, Maplecroft * Recent video and story by the Fall River Herald News Newspapers and Research: * Library of Congress - period newspaper stories on the case: http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/borden.html * Lizzie Borden, Enduring Mystery: The Life and Trials of L.A. Borden (2013). Six-day series-Providence Journal. (Sample 10 stories for free.) * Read the actual 1893 trial transcripts (download two PDFs.) * Transcript, Borden preliminary hearing, Second District Court, Fall River, MA, Aug. 25-Sept. 1, 1892 * Assorted Lizzie Borden photos, interior house photos - Pinterest |