1. The Lizzie Borden Case
By: Zoe Spadaro
“Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave
her mother forty whacks. When
she saw what she had done, she
gave her father forty-one.”

2. The Crime
Who were the victims?
1. Andrew Borden: Lizzie’s father
• One of the wealthiest men in the town of Fall River,
after being the head of one of the largest banks
and also being a property owner. Despite his
wealth, he was extremely unpopular and disliked,
having many enemies maybe because of his
“shady business dealings.”
2. Abby Borden: Lizzie’s stepmother
• Andrew married her after his first wife died. This
marriage put a huge dent in Lizzie and, her sister,
Emma’s relationship with their father.

3. The Crime (continued)
What happened to the victims?
• Abby and Andrew were murdered by hatchet
blows
• Abby was murdered first and was killed by 19 blows.
Her body was found in a guest bedroom of their
house.
• Andrew was killed by 10 to 11 blows, mostly in the
head. His body was found in the parlor of their
house.
• Both bodies were found on August 4th, 1892.

4. The Investigation
What evidence was found by the police?
• There was not particularly a lot of evidence, especially
because there was no forensic testing done.
• A hatchet, although clean, was found in the basement of the
house with the handle broken off. This was thought to be the
murder weapon and police claimed that Lizzie must have
been the one to break the handle off, when committing the
murders.
• Lizzie burned a dress of hers that she claimed had been
“stained” while she was doing homework.
• Lizzie attempted to buy prussic acid a couple of days before
the murder, however she did not succeed at this. It was
suspected that she may have had intentions to murder her
parents with the acid.
• Lizzie was reported to not have a good relationship with her
step-mother.

5. The Investigation
(continued)
Who were the likely suspects?
• Lizzie, the victims’ daughter (was at the house at the
time of the murder)
• Bridget Sullivan, the Bordens’ maid (was at the house at
the time of the murder)
• Common people like the Borden’s neighbors and
enemies of Andrew Borden.
Why was Lizzie arrested?
• Lizzie was arrested on August 11th, 1892.
• The evidence, even though little, only pointed to Lizzie.
• Her story of being in the family barn while her parents
were murdered, was not backed up considering there
was no footprints on the dusty floor of the barn.
• Lizzie gave confusing answers when she was questioned.

6. The Trial
What evidence was presented in court?
• All of the evidence was circumstantial evidence.
• The skulls of Andrew and Abby, with the hatchet marks in
them.
• The hatchet that was the suspected murder weapon.
• Witness statements, such as statements from Lizzie’s sister
Emma who stated that Lizzie’s relationship with her father
was good and her relationship with her step-mother was
cordial and two men, Charles Gifford and Uriah Kirby
who claimed to have seen a young man on the
sidewalk of the house, on the day of the murders.

7. The Trial (continued)
What was Lizzie’s defense?
• Lizzie obviously claimed that she was not guilty.
• Lizzie claimed that she had been in the family’s barn, looking
for items for an upcoming fishing trip, and found her father’s
body when she came inside.
• Lizzie also told that her step-mother had gone upstairs to “put
shams on the pillows.”
• Her defense team also argued that in the five to fifteen
minutes that it took for Andrew to be murdered to the time
that Lizzie told the maid that he was dead, would not have
been enough time for Lizzie to get rid of all the evidence, such
as blood from the hatchet blows.
What was the verdict?
• The jury, made up of 12 men, gave the verdict of not guilty.
• It only took the jury approximately 90 minutes to make their
decision.

8. The Aftermath
What happened to Lizzie after the trial ended?
• Lizzie and her sister Emma inherited their father’s estate.
• Lizzie frequently spent time traveling to New York and
Boston to enjoy her passion for theatre.
• Lizzie was accused of shoplifting 5 years after the
murders.
• Lizzie eventually lost pretty much all connection with her
sister, a few years before she died.
• Lizzie died in June 1927, at the age of 67, and was buried
next to her parents.
• The case has continued to be very popular. In fact, the
case has been the center of many plays, films, books, TV
shows, and more.

9. The Media
What impact did the media and public opinion have
on the investigation, trial, and verdict?
• At the time of this case, female murderers were
basically unheard of, which is why this trial brought
upon so much media.
• The media brought false information about the
case, like the riddle, which states that Lizzie killed
her mother in 40 blows with an axe, and 41 blows to
kill her father.
• The media made this case very popular, so the
investigation, trial, and verdict were pressured.

10. My Opinion
Do you think that Lizzie’s verdict was influenced by the fact
that she was a woman from a well-to-do family?
• No, I don’t think that the verdict was influenced by the
fact that she was a woman from a well-to-do family
because many people didn’t like her family, so they
might have found it easy to convict her of murder, just
because of the family she grew up in, but yet they didn’t
find her guilty.
What do you think about the verdict? Was it right or
wrong? Why?
• I agree with the verdict because there wasn’t enough
evidence to link Lizzie to the murders. If the investigation
would have found some direct evidence, then it would
have been more likable to find Lizzie guilty, but the trial
only had circumstantial evidence.

11. Sources I Used
• http://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-
not-know-about-lizzie-borden
• http://www.thelizziebordencollection.com/fall-river-
history.php
• http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/LizzieB
orden/bordenchrono.html
• http://www.yankeefoliage.com/mysteries/lizzie-
borden-murders/all
• http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lizzieb
orden/bordenaccount.html