The Lizzie Borden Story: Fact vs. Fiction–From Her Real-Life Sister Emma to Burning a Dress, What’s True?

Jump to:Did Lizzie Borden kill her parents?Why did Lizzie Borden burn a dress?Did Lizzie Borden kill her parents with an axe?Was Lizzie Borden in a lesbian relationship with her maid?Who was Lizzie Borden's sister Emma?What was Lizzie Borden's motive?Is Lizzie Borden connected to Aileen Wuornos and Countess Elizabeth Bathory?The latest installment of Ryan Murphy's Monster anthology has officially dropped on Netflix and we could not be more excited to dive into another dramatic series exploring true crime events from the past.Previous series have focused on Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez Brothers, and Ed Gein, all of whom are connected to gruesome murders. Now, the fourth season focuses on the alleged murderer Lizzie Borden (with a cameo from female serial killer Aileen Wuornos).It's worth remembering that the series might explore IRL crimes, but it's no faithful adaptation: the facts are generally dramatized for entertainment. So, what's fact and what's fiction when it comes to The Lizzie Borden Story?Below, we break it down.Did Lizzie Borden kill her parents?Let's jump in with the biggie: did Lizzie Borden actually kill her parents?In 1892, wealthy former businessman Andrew Jackson Borden, 70, and his second wife, Abby, 64, were murdered in a double homicide in their home in the mill town Fall River, Massachusetts.Abby was killed with 18 blows of a hatchet to her back, while Andrew was murdered 90 minutes later while he took a nap. His face was disfigured beyond recognition.One of the main suspects was Andrew's daughter and Abby's stepdaughter, Lizzie Borden: a single woman, aged 32, who was still living in the family home and taught Sunday school.All the doors to the house were double locked, and the only other people in the house except Andrew and Abby were Lizzie and the maid Bridget Sullivan.The crime was baffling to the local town, but reports then surfaced from the family physician Dr. Bowen that Andrew, Abby, and Bridget had all faced a stomach upset shortly before the murder, with Abby thinking she had been poisoned.During questioning, Lizzie struggled to maintain a consistent story and a local pharmacy clerk claimed he saw her buying poison a day before the murder, making her look guilty.But when Lizzie went to trial for the murder, a jury of 12 deliberated for an hour before acquitting her and the crime remains unsolved.However, it's worth noting that many at the time struggled to believe that a woman could be capable of such grotesque violence.Why did Lizzie Borden burn a dress? During the trial, Lizzie's close friend Alice Russell alleged that she saw Lizzie burn a dress which another witness had claimed she wore on the day of the murder.Under cross-examination, it became apparent that she burned the dress in broad daylight and in front of two witnesses.Did Lizzie Borden kill her parents with an axe? As mentioned above, Lizzie was acquitted of murdering her parents.However, it's worth specifying that there seems to be some confusion regarding the murder weapon used to murder the Borden parents.Technically, they were not killed by an axe; it was actually a hatchet: a smaller, more compact, one-handed axe.Was Lizzie Borden in a lesbian relationship with her maid?Bridget Sullivan was the maid working in the Borden household. In the Monster adaptation, she is depicted as Lizzie's lover.This follows a tradition set by the 1984 novel Lizzie by Evan Hunter and the 2018 film Lizzie.However, there is no evidence to suggest that the two women were having an affair at the time of the murder (or at all).Lizzie also tended to call Bridget by the wrong name, referring to her as "Maggie". This suggests the two did not have a close relationship.After the murder, Bridget returned for a short while to Ireland, where she was originally from, before moving back to a different American town and ultimately marrying a man.NetflixWho was Lizzie Borden's sister Emma?In The Lizzie Borden Story, Lizzie's sister Emma is played by Billie Lourd.Emma was a real person, and was Lizzie's 42-year-old, unmarried sister who also lived at the family home. She was allegedly out of the house during the time of the murder as she had gone to visit friends.Emma stood by Lizzie during the trial and, when testifying, poked holes in the prosecution's case, but tellingly didn't suggest her sister was innocent.What was Lizzie Borden's motive?The Ryan Murphy adaptation strongly suggests Lizzie's supposed murderous impulses stemmed from growing up in an abusive household.There is no evidence to suggest this was the case; though some writers have speculated to this effect.The only clear motive for the murders would be the fact that Lizzie and her sister would come into a generous inheritance upon the murder of their parents.In 1887, Andrew had bought his wife Abby’s sister a house to reside in, which caused Lizzie upset as it seemed out of character with his frugal nature and she claimed that he was favoring his wife's family over her.Is Lizzie Borden connected to Aileen Wuornos and Countess Elizabeth Bathory? In Ryan Murphy's Monster adaptation, parallels are drawn between Lizzie Borden and other alleged female killers such as Aileen Wuornos and Countess Elizabeth Bathory.However, there is no direct link between these women, beyond the possibility of violent and murderous instincts.