The Lizzie Borden murders remain Massachusetts’ most debated true crime case
On the morning of August 4, 1892, two people were brutally killed inside a modest home in Fall River, Massachusetts. More than a century later, the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden remain one of the most examined and disputed crimes in American history.
Andrew Borden
Despite an arrest, a nationally watched trial, and an acquittal, the case has never settled into certainty. The facts are fixed. The conclusions are not.
What happened inside the Borden house
Andrew Borden, a wealthy but notoriously frugal businessman, was found dead on a couch in the sitting room of his home at 92 Second Street. He had been struck multiple times in the face and head with a sharp-edged weapon.
Earlier that morning, Andrew’s wife Abby had been killed upstairs in the guest bedroom. She was struck at least 18 times, mostly from behind.
Both murders occurred in broad daylight. No signs of forced entry were found. No weapon was recovered at the scene.
Abby Borden
Why Lizzie Borden became the prime suspect
Lizzie Borden, Andrew’s 32-year-old daughter, was in the house at the time of the murders. She was the person who alerted authorities after discovering her father’s body.
Investigators focused on Lizzie quickly. She had a strained relationship with her stepmother. She stood to inherit a substantial estate. Her accounts of the morning shifted during questioning.
Several days after the murders, Lizzie was arrested and charged with killing both Andrew and Abby Borden.
The trial that captivated the nation
Lizzie Borden’s trial began in 1893 and drew intense national attention. It was one of the first American murder trials to be widely covered by newspapers across the country.
The prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence. No eyewitnesses placed Lizzie at the scene during the murders. No bloodstained clothing was produced. A hatchet head found in the basement could not be definitively linked to the crime.
The defense highlighted the lack of physical evidence and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s theory. They also emphasized the improbability of Lizzie committing two violent killings without leaving visible traces.
After deliberating for less than two hours, the jury found Lizzie Borden not guilty.
Why the case remains unresolved
Lizzie Borden was acquitted, but the question of who killed Andrew and Abby Borden was never answered.
Other suspects were discussed at the time, including household employees and outside intruders, but no alternative theory was ever proven. Modern forensic analysis has been limited by the loss of physical evidence and the investigative standards of the 19th century.
What remains is a closed legal case and an open historical debate.
How the murders shaped true crime culture
The Lizzie Borden case helped define how Americans consume and discuss violent crime. It became a template for public obsession, media speculation, and enduring disagreement.
The murders inspired books, plays, films, and the infamous rhyme that cemented Lizzie Borden in popular memory, despite its inaccuracy.
The house in Fall River, now a museum and lodging site, continues to draw visitors interested in one of the nation’s earliest true crime phenomena.
What can be said with certainty
Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered inside their home. Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted. No one else was ever convicted. The true identity of the killer remains unknown.
That unresolved ending is why the case still matters. It is not just a story about guilt or innocence. It is a reminder of how limited certainty can be, even in the most scrutinized crimes in American history.
