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Did Lizzie Borden REALLY do it?

Breakfast Serial

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Lizzie Borden was found not guilty. Her reputation apparently missed the announcement. But does the evidence actually support the story everybody knows?

With Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story bringing the case back into the spotlight, I am gracefully climbing onto the bandwagon to examine what we actually know about the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden.

From the burned dress and alleged poison purchase to the disputed murder weapon, family tensions and police investigation, this episode looks at why Lizzie became the prime suspect, why she was acquitted, and why people are still arguing about it.

I also discuss the Netflix dramatization and the important difference between a convincing scene and convincing evidence.

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: This episode discusses the historical case and includes a clearly marked section about Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.

Before watching, leave your verdict in the comments: do you think Lizzie did it? Come back afterward and tell me which piece of evidence changed your mind, or made you more certain.

Subscribe to Breakfast Serial for research-driven true crime, uncomfortable questions and occasional evidence that I should not be left unsupervised with a microphone.

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20 Comments

@breakfastserial Creator 2 weeks ago Pinned

Do you think Lizzie did it, or is the evidence too weak to say? 🪓 Leave your answer BEFORE watching, then reply to your own comment afterward with the detail that most influenced your verdict.
And remember: “I think she did it” and “I would convict her” are two different answers.
Subscribe for more Breakfast Serial. I cannot promise to solve a 134-year-old murder, but I can promise to have questions about the police work.

@marilynsd1474 2 weeks ago

my theory is she did not murder them, but she did plan it. during that time period, woman's cloths were pretty difficult to change in and out of; so it pretty impossible for her to change that quickly between murders. add that to the fact she cant wash off quickly (no plumbing) and the hatchet found having no blood, its pretty slim for her to be the killer.

but, it is possible she hired someone to do it and guided the killer. its alot quicker for someone like her back then to hide a whole person then a dress and hatchet. especially within like 10mins.

@thomaskendrick6766 2 weeks ago

If I had a paint-stained dress, that'd be my murdering dress. Just like my murdering gloves would be the ones that don't fit.

@victauroraborealis 2 weeks ago

Just really shows that back then you definitely could have just gone away with just murdering whoever and whenever you wanted if you were smart enough

@alexcook1843 2 weeks ago

I’ve visited the Lizzie Borden house on a tour. Our guide made it very clear he did not believe the place was haunted but learning about the history itself and actually getting to be where everything took place was enough for me. Never going back to Fall River again tho lol, that town is sketchy af

@TheSSUltimateGoku 2 weeks ago

Netflix was inaccurate on what happened and fact of the case and should not be viewed as factual information also there was no factual evidence that she ever was gay. This is once again a fallacy that the documentary as well as other people that have made plays on Lizzie Borden over the years claim that she’s gay when there’s no actual evidence that she was a lesbian.

@joedirt1965 2 weeks ago

I grew up in a poorly planned 5 bedroom house that had no hallways. It likely took a toll on her mental health.

@madonnaoftheplasticlove6291 2 weeks ago (edited)

So early that fingerprinting hasn’t been discovered yet

@briannam3140 2 weeks ago

one thing about this case that always sticks in my mind is how, being local to the area, that fall river used to be a rich city and now it’s. fall river.

@nix_frostbite 11 days ago

I'm going to give a take and it is fully opinion. I can't diagnose people, especially dead people. But, neurodivergence also explains why Lizzie would be so plain and matter-of-fact with no understanding of what looks wrong to others while burning a dress. She may remember some things happening and then others later or even being blissfully unaware. And the brother remembering extreme details can also be neurodivergence. It's hereditary. Two of the siblings could have something. The maid could know something/be responsible or she could simply feel extra protective of Lizzie because she knew something was "different" about her but didn't have a word for it. Honestly, if this was true and the maid knew lizzie was off in her own world, it would be a perfect cover for her...

@wardrobewings8000 13 days ago

Her burning the dress because it was stained with paint is suspicious because back then you didn't just toss out fabric, you recycled it. Period rags, cleaning rags, to insulate windows, etc. Especially since she grew up with a parent focused on frugality. At the very least it shows that she was expecting to quickly get her inheritance and that there was emotional distance between her and her father.
I don't think she killed them herself, dresses back then took time to get in and out. But I think she had someone else kill them and later time she noticed small bloodstains on the dress from being near the ongoing murder.

@jeremiahlaurent9058 2 weeks ago

So if she did clean it up... how, precisely? The house didn't have running water. This seems very obviously a "not guilty" and maybe even an innocent just because the facts don't match up whatsoever with her guilt. It requires her to somehow teleport all around the house dodging bloodsplatters like she's in a bullet hell and, in the prosecution's view of things, somehow putting fake dust on the hatchet handle to make it look as if it had been in disuse. Yeah an outside intruder is implausible, but at least it doesn't require the person to blatantly ignore or twist evidence, just to believe something implausible.

@punkrockgirl1999 2 weeks ago

Did anyone else grow up hearing the rhyme about her that kids said to scare each other? I'm from New England, and there everybody knows it.

@perchperkins06 2 weeks ago

I think shes pretty much the only person who could have done it, but I also would have said theres not enough evidence to convict her

@quinnietftw2676 11 days ago

My great grandmother was a Borden so we talk about this case all the time in my family. My mom and I think that she planned the murders but it was her half brother who actually committed them. He was a butcher and had a strained relationship with their father. He was never investigated, but he's a character that is rarely discussed in this case. With this investigation being so botched, I don't think it's out of the question that he could have been involved

@terriwilliams4628 2 weeks ago

The “poison” was not incriminating as rat and ant poison contain Arsenic and Otha agents that kill humans and do not require a prescription. And some diluted acids are used as cleaning agents.

@TinkerTaylor-zv1ml 2 weeks ago

What makes me think she did it, is the burning of the dress, for having some paint on it. In those days fabric was reused, in the worst case to make filling for her period-rags. So burning a dress for some paint spots on it is just very suspicious. It was just not done.

@retriever19golden55 2 weeks ago

After watching...I still think Lizzie did it. She had well over an hour to clean up after Abby's death. As for Andrew, his coat was found under his head. It was a sweltering day...did anyone see him actually wearing it on his way home? Lizzie could have taken it from him as he came home, waited until he fell asleep, then put it on before she killed him, keeping her changed clothes clean, then putting it under his head afterwards. Blood on her hands would have been easy to explain, as he was her father, touching him when she found him dead would have been a natural thing. I wish we knew more, but at the time she was viewed as a bereaved upper class woman, suspicion didn't fall on her until later.

@Mattipedersen 5 days ago (edited)

The one thing that makes no sense is that, if the house had no plumbing, how would she have cleaned herself up? With the number of blows Andrew had received, the perpetrator would have been covered head to toe in blood. I'm sure they likely used wash basins, but standing water with a red tint would have been noticeable. I suppose she could have washed up, in a wash basin, changed her clothes and poured the wash basins outside. However, with the limited amount of time, it's a fairly signigicant stretch.