The jury deliberated for just 90 minutes. More than 130 years later, the country still hasn't reached its own verdict.
Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted for the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. Despite her acquittal, the case remains one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries in American criminal history.
A Household Under Strain
Andrew Jackson Borden, worth roughly $300,000 at the time — equivalent to over $8 million today — had a reputation locally for being frugal to the point of making enemies. Tension had grown within the household after Andrew deeded property to his wife Abby's sister; Lizzie and her older sister Emma felt they deserved similar treatment, and Andrew ultimately sold them their late mother's former home for a nominal sum, which they then sold back to him for $5,000 just weeks before the murders. Days before the killings, the entire household fell ill, with Abby suspecting the family had been poisoned.
The Murders
On the morning of August 4, 1892, Abby Borden was killed first, struck roughly 18 to 19 times; Andrew was killed later that morning with around 11 blows, both with a hatchet-like weapon. The family's maid, Bridget Sullivan, testified she struggled to open the jammed front door when Andrew returned from a walk, and heard Lizzie laughing from the top of the stairs rather than coming to help — testimony that later became central to prosecutors' argument that Lizzie must have already known her stepmother was dead upstairs.
Suspicious Circumstances
A pharmacy clerk testified Lizzie had attempted to buy cyanide the day before the murders without a prescription and was refused; the judge ultimately ruled this inadmissible. Investigators found two hatchets in the home's basement, along with a hatchet head with a freshly broken handle, believed to be the murder weapon. Lizzie was also found to have burned a dress in the days following the murders, which she said had been stained with paint.
Trial and Acquittal
At trial, the skulls of both victims were presented as evidence, reportedly causing Lizzie to faint in the courtroom. Her original inquest testimony, given without an attorney present, was ruled inadmissible, significantly weakening the prosecution's case. After deliberating for just an hour and a half, the jury found Lizzie not guilty on June 20, 1893. No one else was ever charged.
A Rhyme That Outlived the Facts
The case became a cultural sensation, memorialized in a children's jump-rope rhyme claiming Lizzie gave her mother "forty whacks" and her father "forty-one" — figures that don't match the actual autopsy findings of roughly 18-19 and 11 blows, respectively.
Life After the Trial
Lizzie remained in Fall River after her acquittal, changing her name to Lizbeth and living with her sister Emma until a rift developed between them. She died in 1927; Emma died just nine days later. Neither sister ever married, and both are buried side by side in the family plot at Oak Grove Cemetery.
A Mystery Still Unresolved
Theories about the true killer have circulated for well over a century, implicating Lizzie herself, Bridget Sullivan, an unknown intruder, or some combination of family members acting together. No definitive resolution has ever emerged. The Borden home in Fall River now operates as a museum and bed-and-breakfast, where visitors can stay overnight near reproductions of the original crime scene photographs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Lizzie Borden ever convicted of the murders?
No. She was tried and acquitted in 1893 after just 90 minutes of jury deliberation.
Was anyone else ever charged?
No. Despite ongoing theories over the decades, no one else has ever been formally charged in connection with the murders.
Is the "forty whacks" rhyme accurate?
No. The actual autopsy found Abby Borden was struck roughly 18-19 times and Andrew roughly 11 times, not 40 and 41 as the popular rhyme claims.