Criminology - The Legend of Lizzie Borden

Episode Date: November 1, 2020

Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. That rhyme has been sung since the Borden axe murders occurred in 1892.  Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the axe murders that made Lizzie Borden a household name. You've heard the rhyme, now hear the details behind the murders. Lizzie Borden was arrested and tried for the murders of her father and step-mother. But, a jury did not feel as though the prosecution proved its case. Did they get it correct? You can support the show at patreon.com/criminology An Emash Digital production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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So everyone and welcome to episode 133 of the Criminology Podcast. I'm Mike Ferguson. I'm Mike Morford. Mr. Morford, what is going on with you? I'm keeping busy, but I'm excited because this is the Halloween episode and I get excited about Halloween every year. So I'm just excited to do this episode. Yeah, I like Halloween.

I like doing Halloween episodes. And I think everyone can tell by that creepy organ music that we started to show with that this is our annual Halloween episode. And we have a very good case picked out. But before we jump into that, we have some Patreon shoutouts to give. Teresa Ross Meisel and Christina Eichner. So we appreciate that support. We always do more. Yeah, definitely goes a long way.

And we can't thank you enough. If there's anyone out there that would like to support the show, they can do so by visiting patreon.com slash criminology. We've mentioned it recently, but CrimeCon is something that a lot of us are looking forwards to after being trapped inside for so long. They have an event coming this November that you can take part in right from your home. They also have a live event coming in the spring of 2021. If you want to sign up for either of those, visit their. website, crimecon.com, and use our promo code criminology 2020 to save 10% on your passes.

All right, more of it's time to get into this case. And I think all it will take to clue in listeners as to what we're covering is a short nursery run. Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 wax. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41. So of course, we're talking about. the legend of Lizzie Borden and the Borden ax murders. That's a rhyme passed down across generations that originated from one of the most infamous

murder cases in American history. Nearly 130 years ago, Lizzie Borden stood trial for the brutal axe murders of her father, Andrew Borden, and her stepmother Abigail Borden. Her shocking acquittal didn't change. A lot of people's belief that she was guilty, but her case has intrigued all of us since its beginning. Lizzie Andrew Borden was born on July 19, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Andrew Jackson Borden and Sarah Anthony Moore's Borden.

Andrew and Sarah were married on Christmas Day in 1845, and they had three children together. Emma Lenora, born on March 1, 1851, Alice Esther on March 3rd, 18451. 56 and Lizzie in 1860. Alice died just shy of two years old on March 10th, 1858. Sarah Borden passed away from uterine congestion and spinal disease on March 26, 1863. On Sarah's deathbed, Emma promised to her mother she would always take care of Lizzie. On June 6, 1865, Andrew Borden married Abigail Abby Durfee Gray. Abby was born in Fall River in January 21, 1828 to all of Oliver and Sarah Gray. Andrew and Abby never had children. Emma and Lizzie lived with Andrew and Abby at 92 Second Street and Fall River. Andrew Borden descended from an affluent and prominent family.

When he was young, he trained to become a carpenter and helped build the home on 92nd Street, which he would purchase decades later. Andrew later became an undertaker. He took out a $1,000 loan and formed a business partnership with William M. Olme, another undertaker, both men succeeded in the production and sale of caskets and furniture. However, by the 1850s, Andrew shifted to property development and later became the Union Savings Bank president. Andrew also served as a director for various textile mills and a number of banks. Andrew purchased the home on 92nd Street. Andrew purchased the home on 92nd Street in April 1872 for $10,000 and moved in with his wife and his daughters, Emma, then 21 years old, and Lizzie, who at that time was 11.

Andrew Borden was a very frugal man. Though most of the Borden family resided in an upscale neighborhood called the Hill, Andrew was perfectly content living on 2nd Street. Unlike most prominent families at that time, Andrew never upgraded his home with indoor plumbing and electricity, even though he could definitely afford it. The family used oil lamps instead of gas. Andrew even sold eggs from his main street farm. Despite being so frugal, he did employ servants in his home. Andrew's frugality often caused conflict in the household, especially with Lizzie, who

strongly desired to be like other family members and live on the hill. Emma and Lizzie didn't have a close relationship with her stepmother Abby. Instead of calling Abby by her first name, they referred to her as Mrs. Borden. As Andrew's wealth increased, Emma and Lizzie worried that Abby's family wanted to acquire some of their father's money. When the girls were old enough, they helped Andrew manage his rental properties. Emma and Lizzie grew up in a religious household, and the family regularly attended the Central Congregational Church, located in the Hill. Lizzie was very active in the church and also taught Sunday school.

Emma and Lizzie were complete opposites of one another. Emma was described as prim, confident, and apparently reliable in every fiber, while Lizzie was more outgoing. She had many admirers, but most were not from the hill, where Lizzie long to be. While both girls had suitors, Andrew dismissed these men as fortune hunters, and Emma and Lizzie felt like they might be destined to be spinsters. Tensions rose in the Borden household after Andrew gifted Abby and her sister. With a piece of real estate, Emma and Lizzie demanded that Andrew do the same for them.

He gave them the house they had resided in until their mother, Sarah, had died. But a few weeks later, the women sold it back to their father for $5,000. In May 1892, Andrew killed a... group of pigeons roosting in the barn because he believed they were pests. Lizzie had recently built a roost for the burs and she became distraught when Andrew killed them. It was the beginning of a troubled time for Lizzie. In July of 1892, a family quarrel caused Emma and Lizzie to spend time away from home in New Bedford, Massachusetts. They returned to Fall River in the last week of July. But Lizzie didn't immediately go home. She stayed in a local rooming house for four days before returning home.

A few days before the murders, the Borden family fell violently ill. And on August 3rd, 1892, Abby called for Dr. Seabury Bone to make a house call. She feared that the family had been poisoned, but the doctor told her it was probably due to bad food. He offered to look at the rest of the family, but Andrew thought Abby was wasting money on the visit and ordered Dr. Bucon. Owen to leave. That evening, Lizzie's uncle, John Morris, the younger brother of Emma and Lizzie's mother, arrived at the Borden home unannounced to discuss business matters with Andrew. John wasn't active in the girl's lives until around 1890 when he started showing up for visits. John spent the night in an upstairs guest bedroom of the Borden home.

The next morning, August 4th, 1892, Andrew, Abby, Lizzie, John, and the Borden's 20, year old Irish servant, Bridget, Maggie Sullivan, were all present during breakfast. Afterward, Andrew and John retired to the sitting room, where they talked for nearly an hour. John left the board in residence around 8.45 a.m. Andrew left sometime after 9 a.m. to go for a morning walk. Bridget had washed windows before resting in her sleeping quarters while Abby cleaned the room John Morris had used. Lizzie was ironing in the dining room and

Emma was out of town, visiting a friend 15 miles away in Fairhaven Mass. Andrew returned from his walk around 10.30 a.m. But his key failed to open the door, so he knocked trying to get attention. Bridget tried unlocking the door, but it was jammed. She would later testify that she heard

Lizzie laughing shortly after this. She didn't see Lizzie, but she said her laughter came from the top of the stage. Bridget then went to rest in her third floor bedroom. Andrew asked Lizzie where Abby was, and Lizzie said her stepmother had received a note to visit a sick friend. At around 11 a.m., Bridget was awoken from her nap by the City Hall bell ring, followed by a cry from Lizzie. Lizzie screamed out, Maggie, come down. Come down quick, father's dead. Somebody came in and killed him. Lizzie was the first to find Andrew dead on the sofa. She ordered Bridget to contact the

the Borden's family doctor, Dr. Bowen, and next-door neighbor Adelaide Churchill. Something worth noting here is that two physicians lived nearby. One was an Irish immigrant who had an impressive educational background and was a Fall River physician. The other was a French Canadian doctor who lived diagonally behind the Bordons. Yet Lizzie sent for Dr. Bowen, who lived in another part of Fall River. The police were summoned and Dr. Bowen sent a telegram to Emma in Fairhaven, urging her to return home immediately. About a half hour later, while the police searched the home for an intruder, Bridget and Adelaide found Abby's bloody body on the second floor of the house.

Police determined that both Abby and Andrew had been hacked to death with a hatchet or an axe. Abby received 19 blows to the head area. The coroner stated that Abby had been facing her kill. killer. When the first blow hit, which caused her to turn and fall face down on the floor, it was later revealed that Abby's body was partially under the bed and moved out from under it before police took the crime scene pictures. Andrew was struck 10 times in the face area and suffered a severe injury to one eye. A blow had sliced it in two. When the police found Abby's body, it was cold, indicating she had been killed first. The coroner estimated her time of death

between 9 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. But Andrew's body was still warm, which indicated he was murdered after his wife. The coroner estimated his time of death between 10.30 a.m. and 11.10 a.m. There were no apparent signs that a struggle had taken place before the murders, which suggested that both Abby and Andrew knew their killer and were surprised by their attacker. Furthermore, there was no evident motive such as robbery or sexual assault, and no witnesses reported seeing a suspect enter or leave the Borden property. Interestingly, investigators didn't find any blood anywhere except on the bodies of the victims. Killing someone with an axe is a bloody mess, and there should have been blood present in numerous locations.

So you have to wonder, how did the killer not get blood on the walls, floor, or furniture? there were no drag marks on the floor to suggest the victims had been killed elsewhere and placed in the areas where they were found. Authorities never checked Bridget or Lizzie for bloodstains and only performed the quick inspection of Lizzie's room. Police searched the board and property for the murder weapon and when they dug around in the basement, they found two axes, two hatchets and a hatchet head with a broken handle. Police suspected the hatchet head was the murder weapon because the break in the handle appeared new.

Medical experts found two spots of blood on the hatchet head. Mayor John Coughlin, a Fall River physician, examined the blood under a microscope. One had the appearance of being smeared while the other spot was undisturbed. Numerous people in the home had contaminated the crime scene. Back then, it was not unusual for spectators. to walk all over a crime scene. The police, journalists, and neighbors had all been in the Borden home after the killings. Police initially believed that a male committed the murders, most likely a foreigner. Within a few hours of the murders, authorities arrested a Portuguese

immigrant who had been in the Borden house earlier that morning, asking Andrew for his wages. But Andrew turned the man away because he didn't have any money on him and told the man to come back later. Police release this man shortly after his arrest. Additionally, a leading doctor said hacking is almost a positive sign of a deed done by a woman who is unconscious of what she's doing. Authorities then looked into the possibility that someone within the board and household killed Abby and Andrew. Amel was ruled out immediately because she wasn't home at the time of the killings. For some strange reason, they never suspected Bridget, the maid. Nor did they wonder how Bridget, who was present in the home at the time of both murders, didn't hear any sounds or disturbances within the house.

Instead, the police turned their full attention onto Lizzie. Police questioned Lizzie but found inconsistencies in her statement. After Andrew returned from his walk, she said that she removed his boots and helped him into his slippers before resting on the couch for a nap. But when the police found Andrew's body, he was still wearing his boots. Investigators also found it strange that Lizzie knew so little of her stepmother's whereabouts after 9 a.m. According to Lizzie, she went upstairs to put shams on the pillows. Police also did not believe her story that she was in the loft of the barn, looking for irons or lead sinkers for a future fishing trip when Andrew Borden was killed.

The police didn't find any footprints on the dusty floor. of the loft. Also, the sweltering heat in the loft would likely have deterred a person from spending a lot of time, searching for fishing equipment. On August 9, 1892, an inquest hearing occurred in the courtroom above the jail at Fall River Police Department, with criminal magistrate Josiah Bledsell presiding. Lizzie appeared in court and requested the family's lawyer be present, but she was denied because of a state statute that's dated an inquest be held in private. The district attorney questioned Lizzie for four hours, in which she gave confusing and conflicting answers.

The DA also interviewed Bridget Sullivan, John Moors, and a few others. A clerk at S.R. Smith's drugstore, Eli Bence, testified that Lizzie had visited the store the day before the killings and tried to purchase prussic acid, a deadly poison. But it required a prescription, which Lizzie didn't. have, so Bench refused to sell it. The Prusic acid purchase seemed to confirm Abby's fear that someone had poisoned the family shortly before the killings. The inquest hearing adjourned two days later. And Fall River Police Chief Rufus Hillard arrested Lizzie Borden on August 11, 1892

for the murders of Abby and Andrew Borton. She entered a not guilty plea the following day and was transported by rail car to Taunton's jail about eight miles north of Fall River. Lizzie returned to the Fall River courtroom on August 22nd for a preliminary hearing. Judge Blaisdale announced that Lizzie was probably guilty of murder and ordered her to face a grand jury and possible murder charges. In November, the grand jury met but refused to issue an indictment. The jury reconvened and heard new evidence from a Borden family friend named Alice Russell. Alice had stayed with Emma and Lizzie in the days following the murders. She recounted for the grand jury that she had witnessed Lizzie burning a blue dress in a kitchen fire.

Lizzie told her the dress was covered with old paint. At the inquest hearing, Bridget Sullivan testified that Lizzie was wearing a blue dress. on the morning of the murders. This information was enough to convince the grand jury to indict Lizzie Borden on murder charges. The Borden sisters permanently severed ties with Alice Russell after her testimony. The murder trial began on June 5, 1893, at the courthouse in New Bedford. Andrew Jennings and former governor of Massachusetts George Robinson represented Lizzie Borden. Three judges presided at the trial, and the jury was comprised of 12 men who were farmers and tradesmen.

None of the jurors were from Fall River. Lizzie was dressed in a black dress and carried a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a handheld fan in the other. The DA gave a two-hour opening statement for the prosecution. He shocked the courtroom when he threw Lizzie's dress on the prosecution table, and Abbey's and Andrew's skulls rolled out. The dramatic gesture caused Lizzie to faint. A while later, the DA described Lizzie as the only person who had both motive and opportunity to commit the crimes. The DA pulled the head of the axe from a bag and claimed Lizzie used it to kill Abby and Andrew.

The first group of witnesses for the state testified regarding the tragic activities and timeline in and around the Borden home on the morning of August 4, 1892. Bridget Sullivan the maid testified that she had opened the front door to Andrew Borden upon returning from his morning walk and then described Lizzie's cry for help a few minutes after 11 a.m. Lizzie was the only person she saw in the Borden home at the time of the murders. Bridget also testified that Andrew and Abby both had experienced stomach pains on the day before the murders. and she told jurors that at the presumed time of Abby's murder, Lizzie claimed she was washing windows. Bridget never witnessed any signs of a troubled relationship between Lizzie and her parents. Several other witnesses testified to seeing Andrew Borden on his morning walk at various places in Fall River. Lizzie's uncle John Morse testified that he had breakfast in the Borden home before returning

to his house to perform chores. In the suburbs of D.C., a woman fails to show up for work and is found brutally murdered. I wonder what's emergency? We just walked in the door and there's blood in the foyer. For the next two decades, the case remained unsolved until new technology allowed investigators to do what had once been impossible. A new series from ABC Audio in 2020, blood and water. Listen now, wherever you get your podcast.

The next group of witnesses testified to events and conversations after the murders. Dr. Bowen, the Borden family doctor, recalled how he was called to the Borden at home by Lizzie in the late morning of August 4, 1892, and that Lizzie had been looking for irons or lead sinkers in the barn. He said Lizzie believed that her father's troubles with his tenants might have had something to do with his murder. On cross-examination, Dr. Bowen concurred with the defense's suggestion. that the morphine he prescribed for Lizzie might account for some of the confusing and conflicting testimony she gave at the inquest hearing on August 9th. The Borden's neighbor, Adelaide Churchill, testified that she remembered Lizzie wearing

a light blue dress with a diamond figure on it on the morning of the murders, but she didn't recall seeing any blood spots on it. But the most compelling testimony came from Alice Russell. She told the court that on the night before the first. murders. Lizzie announced that she was leaving for a vacation soon and felt that something was hanging over her, but she couldn't tell what it was. Lizzie also told Alice about her parents' severe stomach sickness, which she blamed on spoiled baker's bread. Lizzie revealed to Alice that she felt something terrible was going to happen and that she wanted to go to sleep with one eye

open half the time for fear that someone might burn the house down or hurt her father because he was so discourteous to people. Alice also testified about the burning of the blue dress. On cross-examination, defense attorney George Robinson suggested that a guilty person seeking to destroy incriminating evidence would most likely do it without any witnesses present. on the stand Alice recounted a conversation she had with Lizzie about a note Lizzie received early on the day of the murders, summoning Abby to visit a sick friend. Lizzie had used the note to explain why she thought Abby had left home on the morning of August 4th and therefore did not think to look for her body after she discovered Andrew dead on the sofa. The note was never found. The defense set out to tear the prosecution's arguments apart, starting with the broken-off axe handle.

Where was it? The state had no answer. The defense attorneys also questioned the prosecution's timeline of events immediately after the killings. Prosecution claimed Lizzie washed off all the blood on her body, her clothes, and the murder weapon, and then disposed of the weapon within an eight to 13-minute time frame, the amount of time between Andrew's murder and Lizzie's call to bring. Richard Sullivan. The defense ridiculed the prosecution's theory that Lizzie Borden was naked when she killed her parents. If that had been the case, Lizzie wouldn't have needed to burn the blue dress to destroy blood evidence as the prosecution had suggested. The trial's crucial moment came when the three judges ruled that Lizzie's inquest testimony could not be submitted into evidence by the prosecution. The judges concluded that at the time of the coroner's inquest hearing. Lizzie was charged with two murders and that her testimony given without her attorney

present was involuntarily. The prosecution argued that Lizzie was only a suspect, not a prisoner, and her statements should be admitted because it was more of a denial than a confession. The judges rejected the state's argument. Jurors were excused and left the courtroom. The prosecution tried to establish through chemists and druggists, the qualities and uses of prussic acid, but the judges concluded the testimony should be excluded. The prosecution rested its case on June 14th. The defense team presented just a few witnesses. Two men named Charles Gifford and Uriah Kirby reported seeing a strange man near the board and home at around 11 p.m. the night before the murders. Dr. Benjamin Hanfee testified that he saw a pal-faced young man on the sidewalk near 92 Second Street at around

10.30 on August 4th. A gas fitter and a plumber testified they had been in the loft of the Borden's barn a day or two before the killings. This cast doubt on police contentions that Lizzie's alibi was suspect because dust in the loft looked undisturbed. Emma Borden testified that Lizzie and Andrew had a good relationship and she insisted that the relationship between Abby and Lizzie's was cordial. Emma also stated that it was her idea to burn the blue dress, not Lizzie's, because of old pain on it. During

closing arguments, defense attorney George Robinson said, the state failed to prove Lizzie's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and that it was physically impossible for Lizzie to have committed the murders within the timeline suggested by the prosecution. On June 20th, 1893,

The jury deliberated for 90 minutes. Before deliberations, Justice Dewey told jurors that they should consider Lizzie's exceptional Christian character, which entitled her to every inference in her favor. A court clerk asked the jury foreman, what is your verdict? And the foreman replied, not guilty. The courtroom burst into cheers and Lizzie yelled out a cry of joy. After nine long months, Lizzie Borden was finally a free woman. It seemed like Lizzie had motive to kill her father and stepmother,

but the jury didn't seem to think she was responsible. The jury felt that the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Another reason was that back then, people genuinely believed the woman of Lizzie's background and financial status wasn't capable of committing cold-blooded murder. She was a Christian woman who, by all accounts, had a decent relationship with both their father and stepmother. But other reasons may have played into the jury's decision.

John Conforty wrote an article about the Borden case in Smithsonian Magazine in July 2019, titled, Why 19th Century Axe Murderer Lizzie Borden was not found guilty. Conforty wrote that Fall River's immigrant population had surged and Irishmen turned to policing. On the day of the Borden murders, Irish police were among the more than a dozen officers who took control of the Borden house and property. Confordy further wrote that the Lizzie Borden case quickly became a flashpoint in an Irish insurgency in the city. The shifting composition of the police force combined with the election of the city's second Irish mayor were all pieces of a challenge to native-born control. According to Conforty, Mayor Coughlin owned the newspaper Fall River Globe, a militant working clash Irish daily that assailed mill owners. After the Borden killings, the newspaper focused its class

combativeness on Lizzie's guilt. Conforty wrote that it promoted rumors that Bordons on the Hill were pooling millions to ensure that Lizzie would never be convicted. By contrast, the Hill's paper, the Fall River Evening News defended her innocence. Lizzie Borden's arrest sparked outrage that quickly spread across the country. Women's groups such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union

or WCTU and suffragist rallied to support her innocence. Conforty wrote Her supporters protested at trial a jury of her peers would not judge her because women, as non-voters, did not have the right to serve on juries.

Furthermore, her female supporters found it inconceivable that a well-bought-up moral Christian woman could murder her father and stepmother. Others believe that a petite woman like Lizzie didn't possess the strength to wield a weapon powerful enough to crack human skulls. Since the killings, there have been many theories on why Lizzie may have killed her parents, despite being found not guilty of the crimes. One stated that she was angry over Andrew killing her pigeons, while a Another suggested Andrew had physically and sexually abused Lizzie. But all of these are just that.

Theories. After Lizzie's acquittal, she and Emma returned to the home on 92 Second Street, which is now 230 Second Street. But many Fall River residents believed in her guilt, and she essentially became an outcast. Even so, she remained in Fall River for the rest of her life. Never married. Emma and Lizzie inherited most of their father's fortune, including properties around the Fall River area. His estate was valued at $300,000, which is the equivalent to $8 million today. A considerable amount of money was paid to Abby Borden's family, and Emma and Lizzie used the

remaining funds to purchase a 4,000 square foot Queen Victorian home on the hill in 1893. The sisters named their home Maplecroft. The house has eight-beds, bedrooms, four bathrooms, and six fireplaces. Emma and Lizzie hired living maids, a housekeeper, and a coachman. And Lizzie began using the name Lisbeth. But despite the passage of time, the harsh treatment Lizzie endured from her community didn't subside. People threw eggs at Lizzie's home, church members shunned her, and children sang the new rhyme while jumping rope. The rhyme, which we read at the very beginning of the episode was written by an unknown author and was incorrect. Abby did not receive 40 wax. She received 19. And Andrew received 10, not 41. While most people call it a nursery rhyme,

it's actually called a dog girl. In 1897, Lizzie Borden found herself being accused of another crime. She was accused of shoplifting in Providence, Rhode Island, but nothing really came from it. Emma and Lizzie lived peacefully at Maplecroft for about 12 years, until Lizzie met stage and silent film actress Nancy O'Neill. The two became close, and some speculated they were lovers. Emma disapproved of their friendship. After Lizzie threw Nancy and her theatrical troupe a party at Maplecroft in 1905, Emma moved out of Maplecroft. It's not known where Emma lived afterward, but she was living in a New Hampshire nursing home years later in 1923. In 1926, Lizzie had her gallbladder removed and became chronically ill after that.

On June 1st, 1927, Lizzie Borden died from pneumonia. She was 66 years old. Emma Borden, who was nine years older than Lizzie, died nine days after her. On June 10th, 1927, she was 76. The Borden family home on 2nd Street still stands today. and houses the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum. It's rumored to be haunted, and the home attracts amateur and professional paranormal investigators, amateur slews, and professional detectives.

Tour guides and guests have claimed to have been touched by unseen hands, and some have heard children giggling in the attic bedrooms. If you think you have enough courage to visit, you can spend the night in the home and sleep in the room where Abby Borden was viciously murdered. Would you stay there, Morp? I would. I'd be into it. I'd have to think about it. I'd have to think about it. I mean, I don't put a lot of stock into some of that stuff normally. And I guess I would have to say I probably would stay just because of the curiosity factor, the true crime factor. But I might not sleep well. Let's put it that way. Well, in addition to the crime aspect and the mystery part of it, I am a fan of history.

historic stuff. So just being in certain locations where big events have happened is it's pretty cool. No, I get that. I actually get that. Legend has it that you can bribe spirits to leave you alone during your stay at the home. For example, Andrew Borden favors several coins placed on his bedroom dresser while the children in the attic prefer toys. Visitors can view crime scene photos and replica of Andrew and Abby Borden's. skulls shown at the trial, which are on display in the museum. Where the barn once stood, now stands a gift shop. In September 2020, Lizzie Borden's home, Maplecroft, went on the real estate market for $890,000. Current owners, Donald Woods and Leanne Wilbur bought the home in 2018 for $500,000. They had intentions to turn it into a bed and breakfast. Woods also owns the

murder house on 2nd Street. Maplecross's former owner, Christy Bates of Texas, restored the home to its original glory, but it never became a bed and breakfast. There have been many depictions of the murders and television and film over the years in 1975. Actress Elizabeth Montgomery, star of the old television show Bewitched, portrayed Lizzie Borden in a television movie called The Legend of Lizzie Borden. In recent years, Highlight actress Kristen Stewart and Big Love actress Chloe Seventy starred together in the 2018 film Lizzie. Stewart played the Borden's maid Bridgett Sullivan and Sevent as Lizzie Borden. The film took on the theory that Bridget and Lizzie had been lovers and both killed Abby and

Andrew Borden after Andrew caught the two having sex in the bar. The film was a box office disaster. Lizzie Borden has also been featured on the long-running animated series, The Simpsons. And in the 2014 Lifetime movie, Lizzie Borden took an act, starring Christina Ricci as Lizzie. Lizzie Borden and the murders continue to fascinate us nearly 130 years later. Richard Barron's, the host of the Lizzie Borden podcast, explained a possible reason for the fascination to Rolling Stone magazine in 2016. He said, I think we're still fascinated by the case to this day, largely because it has all the elements of a Greek tragedy or a Victorian melodrama and the fact that the case is unsolved gives it cultural longevity. Lizzie Borden is buried with her family in Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River. So Morf, as we wrap up this case, it's a huge case, right?

who is not heard of Lizzie Borden and the Axe murders. One of the things that kind of stands out in this case is that Lizzie was found not guilty. You know, you can look at that a couple of different ways. We talked about how society, you know, viewed women and murder, I think, back during that time frame. I believe it was hard for a lot of people to believe that a woman like Lizzie, Borden could be responsible for two brutal acts murders. I just,

I just think it was something that people had a hard time squaring. Now, we know today that women are definitely capable of committing extremely brutal murders. They were back then as well. I just think it was harder for people to believe. Yeah, I think back then that a lot of people just viewed it as strictly a male crime and a certain level of society.

being capable of it were as maybe wealthier people or well-to-do people were gentlemen and wouldn't do that kind of thing. You know, and they, a lot of the papers really seemed to put a good deal of emphasis on the fact that she was a quote unquote good Christian woman. You know, you saw that in a lot of the articles. So, I mean, I think the way that was viewed back then, that definitely played into the jury's mind. But at the end of the day, you know, the jury came away believing that the state just didn't prove their case, did not prove that, you know, beyond a reasonable doubt, Lizzie Borden committed these murders. One of the things that jumps out at me is the maid Bridget.

You know, she's in the house. If Lizzie is to be believed, she was in the barn. But Bridget puts herself in the house. And I'm just wondering, granted, it's. probably a pretty big house, right? $10,000 in, you know, in that time frame will buy you quite a house. But how do these two murders happen, axe murders? I mean, you're talking about extremely brutal, physical, violent murders occur without

Bridgett hearing anything, screams or, you know, the swinging of the axe, the hitting, there are sounds that would have been made. And then I think that leads into some of the theories that have been bandied about, which involve Lizzie and Bridget having some type of a relationship, maybe even a sexual relationship that was found out and they conspired together in these murders. Well, if that was the case, that answers the question as to why Bridget didn't hear anything. Now, again, all of this, these are just rumors.

I don't think at this point, morph, because so much time has gone by and everybody involves passed away that anybody really knows, you know, what the truth is. But that's why a case like this lives on because of the speculation, because of the theories and the talking points. And I wrestle with, could it have been an outsider that had some kind of beef, with Andrew and came in, slipped in, and somehow slipped out after committing the murders. But then it seems like it's more likely that it was someone in the house. But either way, the motive just doesn't seem clear.

And usually in these kind of crimes, if you can figure out the motive, you can figure out who did it. But we don't have that here. Well, I mean, you do have a motive, which is money. And in short of her killing him for the money, which could be a money. which could be a motive. Any other motives just don't seem to be apparent. Yeah, you know, if you believe most of the people that testified, they didn't have really bad blood between them. I don't know. I go back to your, not theory, but what you said about, could it have been, you know, a stranger or somebody who had ill feelings towards

Andrew slipped into the house, committed the murders and slipped out. You know, I think police put a lot into the fact that no one saw anyone entering or leaving. All right. I'm not really paying attention all the time to what's going on at my neighbor's houses. I don't know who comes and goes. So you just, you just never know. I guess in summation, I'm not really ruling too much out in this case, but I'm also not saying that I definitively think it was this.

I'm still kind of really up in the air about this case. Yeah, unfortunately, this is one of those cases. It seems like it's destined to go unsolved and we'll never know. Thanks goes out to Debbie Buck at TruecrimeDiva.com for writing and research assistance in this episode. As always, if you love the show and you haven't done so yet, go out, give us a five-star rating. Keep telling your friends. The word of mouth about the podcast really goes. a long way. If you want to find us on social media, we're on Twitter with the handle at

Criminology Pod. You can also find us on Facebook by searching for Criminology Podcast or by joining our Facebook discussion group, Criminology Podcast, Discussion and Fans. All right. That is it for another episode of Criminology, the legend of Lizzie Borden. Morph and I will be back with all of you next Saturday night with a brand new episode. So until then for Mike. We'll talk to you next week. Happy Halloween. Happy Halloween.