1. THE CASE OF
LIZZIE BORDEN
Did she really give her parents whacks with an ax?
2. MOST PEOPLE ONLY KNOW
Lizzie Borden took an ax,
And gave her mother forty whacks;
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
3. WHAT ACTUALLY
HAPPENED
No one will ever truly know what happened on August 4, 1892,
but we can examine the facts that are known.
4. FACTS
Lisbeth (Lizzie) Borden lived in Fall River, MA with her wealthy father
Andrew Borden, her step mother Abby Borden, her sister Emma Borden.
On August 4, 1892 Andrew and Abby Borden were found dead in the
house, killed by an ax.
Lizzie was the prime suspect and was tried for murder, but found not
guilty. The only other suspect was Bridget, the maid.
This case was and still is in the media and attracts many people to the
mystery of what really happened that hot summer day.
5. THE TRIAL
The trial was held on June 5th- 20th, 1892.
Lizzie Borden hired the former governor as her defense attorney. This
aided her defense since the people in the jury trusted the former
governor.
One of the main reasons she was acquitted was her incriminating
testimony was not allowed in court. The judged ruled that she was under
arrest while she gave it and did not have legal representation. Similar to
not having her Miranda Rights read.
6. THE TRIAL
A key point of the trial was when the prosecutor brought the skulls of Lizzie’s father and
step-mother into the court room to prove that the ax was the murder weapon.
Lizzie fainted immediately. This made her look very feminine, which aided her case, since
murder with an ax was considered a manly crime. A more feminine murder would be death by
poison.
Another testimony that was key, but not considered valid during the trial, was that of Eli
Bence, a pharmacist. Lizzie went to his shop the day before the murder to buy prussic acid. She
claimed that the poisonous substance was for cleaning a cape. The court ruled that it was not
connected to the trial.
7. EVIDENCE
Evidence in the trial included the ax and her parent’s skulls.
There was also a dress in question. A witness claimed to see Lizzie
burn a dress three days after the crime. She claimed it had paint on it,
which could have very well been, but many people thought it was
blood. People were also curious why the police did not find the dress
when they search the house. That question will never be answered
though.
8. LIFE AFTER THE VERDICT
Lizzie Borden was found not guilty.
• Some believed she was the killer since she would gain her father inheritance.
• Others believed her innocence and supported her – some even created a fan
club
After the trial, Lizzie continue to live in Falls River until she died.
She lived in isolation mostly, other than the few friends she had. For example
she continued to go to church and sit in the family pew, but all the other pews
around her were empty.
She received many death threats, letters, and even marriage proposals.
She died on June 1, 1927.
9. AFFECTS OF THE MEDIA
This trial was the talk of the town with many news articles written about it.
Some people believed Lizzie could not have done it because she came from such
a prominent family, while others believed she did it for the money, as would some
other of Andrew’s enemies have done.
She became a legend as stories grew from the mystery that went unsolved.
That’s how the twenty or so whacks that killed her step mother and ten or
eleven whacks that killed her father turned into 40 and 41.
Many books were written about Lizzie Borden and her house is now a Bed and
Breakfast where many people come and survive the night in the “haunted” house.
10. OVERVIEW
The case of Lizzie Borden is very interesting. Her defense included a
lack of evidence and how this type of crime is one a woman would never
commit. It shows just how far the justice system has come over 100 years.
Comparing it to today, testimonies that were not allowed would be key
today. Forensic evidence would have been used such as fingerprinting and
DNA results. If this case occurred today, it may make headlines, but it
would not be such a big deal because technology would make the case
pretty easy to figure out and the mystery would be solved.
