Quick Answer
The Lizzie Borden true story revolves around a real woman from Fall River, Massachusetts, who was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe in 1892. She was acquitted by a jury in 1893, and the case remains unsolved to this day. Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story keeps the real-life events surrounding the infamous case while adding a made-up love story and murder plot between Lizzie and the family’s maid, Bridget Sullivan, which never happened.
Lizzie Borden took an axe,
As we all know from the nursery rhyme. The streaming network’s latest biographical film continues the hunt for the truth about the Borden family massacre while making up plenty of fiction for the sake of the real-life story. Here’s a quick summary of the actual events that have taken place.
Who Was Lizzie Borden?
Lizzie Andrew Borden was born on 19 July 1860 in Fall River, Massachusetts. She lost her mother when she was very young, and her father, wealthy banker and property developer Andrew Jackson Borden, later remarried to Abby Durfee Gray. Andrew was a penny-pinching millionaire. Lizzie’s home was filled with the sound of her older sister’s voice. Emma, the stepmother Abby and the hired housekeeper Bridget Sullivan, also known as Maggie, were also present. By 1892, Lizzie had turned 32 and was still single, and she taught Sunday school at the local church.
What Actually Happened on 4 August 1892?
Andrew and Abby Borden were found dead in the house, each one murdered with a hatchet blows to the head. First his wife was murdered upstairs at 9:30 a.m., then her husband following him on a walk around the district. When she was found dead, only two of her daughters were at home, Lizzie and Bridget, while Emma was out of town, and their uncle, John Morse, left for the morning in the previous day. Lizzie said she was in the barn, searching for sinkers for the fishing. The police at first suspected a burglar and arrested an innocent local man, but later focused on Lizzie.
Was Lizzie Borden Found Guilty?
No. Lizzie was arrested a week after the murders, on 11 August 1892, and indicted that December. Her trial opened on 5 June 1893 in New Bedford. Two pieces of evidence failed to reach the jury: her rambling inquest testimony (thrown out due to her lack of counsel at that hearing) and proof that she had tried to purchase poison days earlier. With no blood on her clothing and the murder weapon never found, an all-male jury exonerated Lizzie after 90 minutes on 20 June 1893. She was never accused again, and the case remains officially unsolved.
How Netflix’s Monster Changes the Story
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is, in fact, the fourth installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true crime anthology series. On Netflix, it was released on September 17th, 2026, and it starred Ella Beatty as Lizzie and Vicky Krieps as Bridget Sullivan. The show’s most significant deviation from reality revolves around the assumption that the murders were the result of a conspiracy between Lizzie and her father, driven by their secret romance, which is entirely fictional. Prior to its appearance in Monster, this theory had been presented in the 2018 film Lizzie, where it was also used as a tool to examine themes of repressed desire in the Victorian era.
The Maid, Bridget Sullivan
The real Bridget Sullivan was a young Irish immigrant who worked for the Bordens. Parts of her testimony actually complicated Lizzie’s alibi. But nothing in the historical record links her romantically to Lizzie — that is a modern dramatic addition, not a documented fact.
The Motive Netflix Picks
Prosecutors at the time drew attention to the defendant’s financial problems and the family feud: Andrew was notoriously cheap despite his vast wealth, and a dispute arose regarding the property gifted to Abby’s relatives. Monster reiterates the financial conflict but adds a psychological layer of “rage against repression,” which is more of an interpretation than a fact.
Fact vs. Fiction at a Glance
| Detail | Real Case | Netflix’s Monster |
| Verdict | Not guilty, June 1893 | Kept accurate |
| Lizzie and Bridget’s relationship | No evidence of romance | Central romantic plot |
| The murders | Unsolved, no confession | Shown as a joint plan |
| Physical evidence | No blood, weapon unconfirmed | Dramatised trial scenes |
| Life afterwards | Bought a house called Maplecroft, shunned locally | Touched on briefly |
What Happened to Lizzie After the Trial?
Acquitted but shunned by much of Fall River society, Lizzie and Emma nevertheless inherited much of their father’s estate. They bought a larger home, which they called Maplecroft, and lived in it for more than ten years. Then, in 1905, after falling out with one of her sisters, Emma moved out. This was said to be because Lizzie had become very close to actress Nance O’Neil, with whom she might have had an affair, but this cannot be proved. Lizzie died in June 1927, aged 66, and was buried with her family in Fall River.
Why Are We Still Talking About Her, Nearly 150 Years On?
No confession was ever obtained, and no other suspects were ever charged. The case remained shrouded in mystery to this day. A mix of wealth, gender, and Victorian repression made for a compelling melodrama that has since starred different actresses in different film adaptations. It was first depicted in The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975), then appeared in Lizzie Borden Took an Ax (2014), and most recently – in Lizzie (2018).
FAQs
Was Lizzie Borden ever proven guilty?
No. She was tried for both murders and acquitted by an all-male jury in June 1893. The case has never been solved, and no one else was ever charged.
Did Lizzie Borden confess before she died?
No. There is no public record of a confession. She maintained her innocence and died in 1927 without ever being convicted.
Is the romance between Lizzie and Bridget in Monster real?
No. It is a dramatic invention with no historical backing. It first appeared as a theory in the 2018 film Lizzie and was picked up again by Netflix’s Monster.
Where can I watch Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?
It is streaming exclusively on Netflix, with all eight episodes released on 17 September 2026.
What happened to the Borden family house?
The home at 230 Second Street in Fall River, where the murders took place, is now a bed and breakfast that visitors can tour.
Who else was suspected in the murders?
Uncle John Morse and maid Bridget Sullivan were both questioned but never charged. Other outside suspects have been proposed by researchers over the years, but none has ever been proven.
The Bottom Line
While Netflix’s Monster certainly is captivating TV, a significant amount of the central plot — the romance and the shared murder plan — is inventive, not historical. The real-life case remains unsolved, which is precisely the reason it continues to be retold. If one is to go deeper than the show, the Lizzie Borden House Museum in Fall River and the original trial transcripts are worth exploring.
