Lizzie Borden biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Lizzie Andrew Borden was born on July 19, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Sarah and Andrew Borden. Soon thereafter, Sarah Borden died. Andrew Borden remarried three years later, to Abby Durfee Gray. The family lived well. Andrew Borden was successful enough in the fields of manufacturing and real estate development to support his wife and two daughters, Emma and Lizzie, and employ servants to keep their home in order. Both Emma and Lizzie lived with their father and stepmother into adulthood.

The relationship between the Borden sisters and their stepmother, Abby Borden, was not close. They greeted her as "Mrs. Borden" and worried that Abby Borden's family sought to gain access to their father's money. Emma was protective of her younger sister and, together, the two sisters helped to manage the rental properties owned by Andrew Borden. The family attended the Congregationalist Church, an institution in which Lizzie was particularly involved.

Borden Murders and Trial

On the morning of August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered and mutilated in their Fall River home. Lizzie Borden alerted the maid, Bridget, to her father's dead body. He had been attacked and killed while sleeping on the sofa. A search of the home led to the discovery of the body of Abby Borden in an upstairs bedroom. Like her husband, Abby Borden was the victim of a brutal hatchet attack.

Policemen called to the scene suspected Lizzie immediately, although she was not taken into custody at that time. Her sister, Emma, was out of town at the time and was never a suspect. During the week between the murders and her arrest, Lizzie burned a dress that she claimed was stained with paint. Prosecutors would later allege that the dress was stained with blood, and that Lizzie had burned the dress in order to cover up her crime.

Lizzie Borden was indicted on December 2, 1892. Her widely publicized trial began the following June in New Bedford. Borden did not take the stand in her own defense and her inquest testimony was not admitted into evidence. The testimony provided by others proved inconclusive. On June 20, 1893, Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders. No one else was ever charged with the crimes.

Later Life

Lizzie and Emma Borden inherited a significant portion of their father's estate, which allowed them to purchase a new home together. The Borden sisters lived together for the following decade. Although free, Lizzie was considered guilty by many of her neighbors, and thusly never enjoyed acceptance in the community following her trial.