Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman who was tried and acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No other individuals were charged with the murders.
After the trial, Borden and her older sister Emma bought a house in the wealthier Highlands, or Hill District, of Fall River, where Borden lived out her life. Emma moved away after twelve years and lived in New Hampshire. Borden died of pneumonia at age 66 on June 1, 1927, before her sister Emma who died 9 days later on June 10.
The Borden murders and 1893 trial received widespread publicity in the United States, and have remained a topic in American popular culture, inspiring numerous films, theatrical productions, literary works, and even folk rhymes.
Lizzie Andrew Borden was born on July 19, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Sarah (Anthony) Borden (née Morse; 1823–1863) and Andrew Jackson Borden (1822–1892). She was the third child born to the couple; ahead of Lizzie were Emma Lenora and Alice Esther, who died of hydrocephalus at 22 months.
Their father, Andrew Borden, was of English and Welsh descent. He grew up in very modest surroundings and had struggled financially as a young man, despite being the descendant of a wealthy and influential family. He eventually prospered in the manufacture and sale of furniture and caskets, then became a successful property developer.
Borden's father became a director of several textile mills and owned considerable commercial property. He was also president of the Union Savings Bank and a director of the Durfee Safe Deposit and Trust Co. At the time of his murder, his estate was valued at $300,000 (equivalent to $10.8 million in 2025).
Despite his wealth, Borden was known for his frugality; the Borden residence still lacked indoor plumbing, even though it was common for the wealthy by then. The house stood in an affluent area, but immigrants were moving in and the wealthiest residents of Fall River generally lived in the more fashionable neighborhood called The Highlands, which was farther from the industrial areas of the city.
Lizzie and her sister Emma had a relatively religious upbringing and attended Central Congregational Church. As a young woman, Lizzie was very involved in church activities, including teaching Sunday school to children of recent immigrants. She was also involved in such religious organizations as the Christian Endeavor Society, for which she served as secretary-treasurer, and contemporary social movements such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. She was also a member of the Ladies' Fruit and Flower Mission.
Andrew Borden had married Abby Durfee Gray (1828–1892) three years after the death of Lizzie's mother, when his youngest daughter was six. Lizzie later said she called her stepmother "Mrs. Borden" and said she was unsure whether they had a cordial relationship. She long believed that Abby had married her father for his wealth.
By 1890, the Bordens had a live-in maid, Bridget Sullivan, a 25-year-old who had emigrated from Ireland. She testified at the 1893 trial that the adult sisters Lizzie and Emma rarely ate meals with their father and stepmother.
In May 1892, Andrew killed pigeons in his barn with a hatchet, believing that they carried infections and diseases. Lizzie had recently built a roost for the pigeons, and it has been commonly recounted that she was upset about him killing the birds, although the veracity of this has been disputed. A family argument in July 1892 prompted both sisters to take extended vacations in New Bedford. They returned to Fall River and Lizzie chose to stay in a local rooming house for four days before returning to the Borden residence.
Other tension had been growing within the Borden family during 1892; the grown daughters resented Andrew's gifts of real estate to various branches of Abby's family. After their stepmother's half-sister received a house, Lizzie and Emma demanded a rental property, the house which they had lived in until their mother died; they purchased it from their father for one dollar. In July, they sold the property back to their father for $5,000 (equivalent to $179,000 in 2025).
John Vinnicum Morse, Lizzie and Emma's maternal uncle, visited the Borden home on August 3, 1892. Andrew invited him to stay for a few days to discuss business matters. This has led to speculation that their conversation may have aggravated an already tense situation within the family, particularly about property transfer.
The entire household had been violently ill for several days before his visit. A family friend later speculated that it was caused by mutton left on the stove to use in meals over several days. Abby had feared poison, given that Andrew was not a popular man in Fall River.
Morse arrived in the evening of August 3 and slept in the guest room that night. Andrew, Abby, Morse, and the maid Sullivan were present at breakfast the next morning, after which Andrew and Morse went to the sitting room, where they chatted for nearly an hour. Morse left around 8:48 am to buy a pair of oxen and visit a nephew and niece in Fall River. He planned to return to the Borden home for lunch at noon. Andrew left for his morning walk sometime after 9:00.
One of Lizzie and Emma's regular chores was to clean the guest room, but this morning Abby went upstairs sometime between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. to make the bed. According to the forensic investigation, Abby was facing her killer at the time of the attack. She was first struck on the side of the head with a hatchet, which cut her just above the ear, causing her to turn and fall face down on the floor and creating contusions on her nose and forehead. Her killer struck her multiple times, delivering 17 more hits to the back of her head and killing her.
Andrew returned at around 10:30 a.m. His key failed to open the door, so he knocked. Sullivan went to unlock the door but found it jammed; she uttered a curse. She testified that she heard Lizzie laughing immediately after this; she did not see Lizzie, but stated that the laughter was coming from the top of the stairs. This was considered significant, as Abby was already dead by this time, and her body would have been visible to anyone on the second floor. Lizzie later denied being upstairs and testified that her father had asked her where Abby was, to which she replied that a messenger had delivered Abby a summons to visit a sick friend.
Lizzie stated that Andrew had removed his boots and put on his slippers before he lay down on the sofa, a detail contradicted by the crime-scene photos which show him wearing boots. Sullivan testified that she was in her third-floor room, resting from cleaning windows just before 11:10 am when she heard Lizzie call from downstairs, "Father's dead! Somebody's come in and killed him!"