Lizzie borden rhyme

The murder trial of Lizzie Borden was a media sensation, dubbed the trial of the century by reporters who covered the lurid details of the brutal deaths of her father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby. The murders inspired a famous nursery rhyme, which continued to haunt Lizzie long after her acquittal, as she struggled to make a life for herself in a world in which many remained convinced of her guilt.

Did lizzie borden have a baby

Her relationship with her stepmother was strained, and friends and relatives later noted the uptick in tension within the family in the months before the murders. On the morning of August 4, , the lifeless bodies of Andrew and Abby were found in their home. Andrew was napping on a couch; Abby was cleaning an upstairs bedroom; Bridget, feeling unwell, was resting in her room.

Around am, Bridget said she heard screams, and rushed downstairs, where she found Lizzie yelling that Andrew had been killed. He had been so viciously attacked that his face was nearly unrecognizable. Andrew was struck 11 times and Abby received 18 or 19 blows. But her conflicting testimony throughout the investigation led many to doubt her claims of innocence, and she was arrested for the double murder.

She hired a talented defense team, including a former Massachusetts governor. In an era before more sophisticated forensic testing, the defense noted the lack of physical evidence linking Lizzie to the murders.

What happened to lizzie borden

They also played the gender card, arguing to the all-male jury women were not allowed to sit on juries at the time that Lizzie, a well-liked churchgoer, would not have been capable of committing such a heinous act. They presented a hatchet with its handle broken off as the possible murder weapon. Lizzie did not take the stand in her own defense.

The jury adjourned and returned an hour later there were later reports that they deliberated for just 10 minutes. They found her not guilty on all counts, as Lizzie sank to her chair in relief. Lizzie and her older sister, Emma, briefly returned to the house, but soon purchased a room, Queen-Anne style home on The Hill, which they named Maplecroft.