What Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Gets Right and Wrong About the Borden Murders

Editor’s Note: This content contains spoilers about Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story tells the tale of notorious murder suspect Lizzie Borden. In 1893, Lizzie was found not guilty of killing her parents, Andrew and Abby Borden, in a brutal hatchet attack in Fall River, Massachusetts. Despite her acquittal, Lizzie was treated as a pariah and lived a life of relative isolation until her death in 1927.Monster portrays Lizzie, played by actor Ella Beatty, as a repressed young woman who plots to kill her parents after years of mistreatment. She enlists the help of Borden family maid, Bridget Sullivan, known as Maggie (Vicky Krieps) in the show. Focusing on its overarching theme of female rage, the show also includes several scenes featuring serial killer Aileen Wuornos (Sarah Paulson).But is Monster’s portrayal of Lizzie and the Borden murders actually accurate? Here’s what the show gets right and wrong.Did Lizzie Borden’s Parents Mistreat Her?At the start of the series, Monster reveals that Lizzie is mistreated and abused by her father Andrew (Charlie Hunman) and stepmother Abby (Rebecca Hall). Her stepmother is repeatedly cruel to Lizzie, calling her “stupid” and “mentally sluggish,” among other insults. Abby tries to get rid of Lizzie by marrying her off. But her potential suitor, Heath, declines to propose, telling Lizzie she has “the face of a horse.”Later on, Abby exacts revenge by killing Lizzie’s pet doves and slapping her across the face. When Lizzie pleads with Andrew to do something about her stepmother’s act of violence, he informs her that he doesn’t care about her birds and wishes he had a son.In real life, there is no historical evidence to suggest Lizzie had a hostile or abusive relationship with either of her parents. However, there were certainly tensions and resentments in the Borden household. Both Lizzie and her older sister, Emma, were frustrated with their father’s frugality and generally disliked their stepmother.Lizzie stopped calling Abby “Mother” around five years before the murders after Andrew gave property to Abby’s half-sister. While Lizzie disclosed her feelings about her stepmother to a few people, including a local dressmaker, no one close to the family ever witnessed the pair fighting or exchanging harsh words, let alone slaps.Did Lizzie Borden Plan Her Parents’ Murders?In Monster, Lizzie gets fed up with the way her parents treat her and conspires to kill them with their maid, Maggie. While Maggie first suggests the idea, Lizzie initially shuts it down, but the dove incident pushes her over the edge.Together, the two women go about deciding which method they should use to murder Andrew and Abby. They first attempt to poison their food, which results in Abby and Andrew projectile vomiting at the dinner table. After this fails, they eventually settle on killing them with axes.Though the real Lizzie was accused and indicted in the 1892 murders of her parents, who were killed in a hatchet attack, the evidence against her was entirely circumstantial. Prosecutors argued that she killed them over financial matters, pointing to her father’s stinginess and her dispute over property with her stepmother, but they did not produce any proof that the killings had been premeditated.There was also no evidence that the Bordens’ maid, whose real name is Bridget Sullivan, was involved. In fact, Sullivan, an Irish immigrant (not German as depicted in Monster), was the prosecution’s star witness during Lizzie’s high-profile murder trial.Were Andrew and Abby Borden Unhappily Married?In addition to mistreating Lizzie, Monster portrays Andrew and Abby as an unhappily married couple, who are both cheating on each other. In episodes 4 and 5, Abby has an affair with John Morse (Joey Pollari)—the brother of Andrew’s first wife, Sarah. Andrew is intimate with, and impregnates, Maggie. He also frequents a brothel.Though there was speculation that the real Andrew and Abby had a more transactional relationship, with Andrew needing a housekeeper and Abby in need of money, there is no hard proof of this. Their family physician, Dr. Seabury W. Bowen, later testified that there was nothing to suggest their marriage was not cordial. There is also no evidence he had an intimate relationship with Sullivan, his maid.Did Andrew Borden Mutilate Dead Bodies to Fit in Undersized Coffins?In more than one instance, Monster’s Andrew sells mourning families coffins that are far too small for their loved ones and chops off the corpses’ feet with an axe to make them fit. However, this account is entirely ahistorical. While the businessman did sell coffins, among other items, he did not handle burial arrangements or mutilate dead bodies.Was Lizzie Borden in Love with Her Maid?While planning the murders together, Monster shows Lizzie and Maggie caught up in a romantic relationship. Maggie first kisses Lizzie in episode 2, though the pair immediately spark a connection. Eventually, they both confess their love for each other and end up living together long after Lizzie’s trial.Though there have certainly been rumors that Lizzie Borden was a lesbian, there is nothing to suggest she specifically had feelings for her maid or that she even had a friendship with her. In fact, it was actor Nance O’Neil with whom Lizzie was rumored to be in a relationship.Did Lizzie Borden Meet Nance O’Neil Before the Murders?We see O’Neil (Jessica Barden) quite early on in Monster, with Lizzie first meeting her after watching her perform in a play. Lizzie later invites O’Neil over for dinner, along with several other guests. Following the murders, O’Neil offers her acting expertise to Lizzie, instructing her on how to put on a performance that will convince a jury she’s not guilty. In exchange, Lizzie agrees to become her benefactor.In reality, Lizzie befriended O’Neil in 1904—years after her trial. Their close, and reportedly intense, friendship fueled speculation that the pair were romantically involved. While we can’t say for sure, Lizzie never publicly revealed whether she was in love with O’Neil.Did Andrew Borden Try to Kill Lizzie Borden?After Lizzie kills Abby in Monster, she next sets her sights on her father. She first whacks him in the head, but Andrew manages to run away and fall down the basement stairs. She and Maggie leave him there to bleed out, but he is somehow still alive. After seeing a vision of his late first wife, Sarah, he vows to “return” Lizzie to her so she can raise their daughter right. Andrew then attempts to kill Lizzie, but she ultimately gets the upper hand and murders him.Of course, the real Andrew Borden was killed while he was sleeping on the sofa, so it’s unlikely he fought back against his attacker, whether that was Lizzie or someone else.Did Lizzie Borden’s Alibi Involve Fishing Sinkers?In order to maintain her innocence, Monster’s Lizzie tells the authorities that she was out back looking for fishing sinkers when her parents were murdered.This is a fairly accurate account of the real Lizzie’s police inquest testimony, in which she claimed she was preparing for a fishing trip and went out to the barn to look for fishing sinkers and eat pears. When she went back in the house, she said she discovered her father’s dead body on the sitting room sofa.Did Emma Borden Attack Lizzie After the Murders?After returning from a trip, Monster shows Emma Borden (Billie Lourd) attack Lizzie upon discovering her parents were murdered, repeatedly slapping and hitting her. Later on, right before the trial, Emma calmly asks Lizzie if she killed Abby and Andrew, which Lizzie denies.While Emma was visiting friends in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, at the time of the Borden murders, there’s no historical evidence she hurt Lizzie when she returned home. In fact, she was very supportive and stood by Lizzie during her trial.Were Emma Borden and John Morse the Only Witnesses at Lizzie Borden’s Trial?During Monster’s portrayal of the trial of the century, there are only two witnesses at Lizzie’s murder trial: Emma and her Uncle John. Emma’s testimony proves to be the most disruptive. Fulfilling her promised to her deceased mother, Emma protects Lizzie by proclaiming her innocence, asserting that a man with an axe broke into the Bordens’ home a week before the murders.The real Emma reportedly did make a promise to her mother, Sarah Borden, on her deathbed to protect Lizzie, but that’s where the truth ends. Emma supported Lizzie, but did not provide an alternative suspect. In addition, there were multiple witnesses at the real trial, including Borden family maid Bridget Sullivan. Another key witness was Lizzie’s friend and neighbor Alice Russell, who saw her burn a dress just days after the murders.Was Lizzie Borden Actually Acquitted?Much like Monster depicts near the end of the season, Lizzie was acquitted of her parents’ murders in 1893. An all-male jury found her not guilty, deciding that a woman of her stature was simply not capable of such brutal violence.In addition to gender norms, the prosecution’s lack of physical evidence helped Lizzie walk free. With no murder weapon or confession, they relied on witness testimony, which ultimately failed to adequately portray Lizzie as a cold-blooded killer.Was Aileen Wuornos Inspired by Lizzie Borden?Throughout the season, there are several time jumps to the future, where late 20th century serial killer Aileen Wuornos is seen discussing Lizzie Borden’s case with her girlfriend, Selby (Jessie Lee), using the Borden murders as inspiration for eventually killing her own victims. She even visits the Bordens’ house, which has been turned into a bed and breakfast.Wuornos murdered seven men between 1989 and 1990, but there are no statements she made to her real-life girlfriend, Tyria Moore, or anyone else indicating she was influenced by Lizzie.Did Emma Borden Move Out of Maplecroft?Following her acquittal, Monster’s Lizzie uses her inheritance to buy a large estate with Emma named Maplecroft. But her sister soon realizes that Lizzie was responsible for their parents’ murders after all and decides to moves out.This is somewhat accurate. Lizzie and Emma did live together at Maplecroft for some time and eventually had a falling-out, prompting Emma to move out in 1905. There reason for this rift, however, remains a mystery, though many have speculated that Emma disapproved of Lizzie’s relationship with O’Neil.Did Lizzie Borden Become a Suffragette?Not long after Emma leaves Maplecroft in the final episode, Lizzie becomes distressed after seeing children dress up as her for Halloween. Wanting to make the murders and her acquittal mean something, she and Maggie decide to join the women’s suffrage movement.The real Lizzie, however, was not a known suffragette, and lived a relatively private and isolated life after her trial.Watch Monster: The Lizzie Borden StoryThe fourth installment of Ryan Murphy’s Monster is now streaming on Netflix. Previous seasons include Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.