Netflix's first female Monster 'killer' Lizzie Borden was actually acquitted of infamous axe-murders
Netflix’s fourth season of the hit show Monster will feature their first ever female ‘killer’, following on from their massively controversial seasons focused on Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez Brothers, and Ed Gein.
Netflix came under fire for the previous seasons of Monster, with the families of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims and the Menendez Brothers themselves criticising the first two seasons.
With season three, focused on the killer Ed Gein, they went further back in time to the 1950s, leaving fewer living relatives in the spotlight. With season four’s focus, Lizzie Borden, Ryan Murphy’s hit Netflix true crime goes all the way back to 1892.
Borden is known by many for the folk rhyme about how she killed her father and step-mother with an axe, however she never was actually found guilty of the double murders.
Who is Lizzie Borden?
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Borden was born in 1860 in Fall River, Massachusetts, the daughter of Andrew and Sarah Anthony Borden.
Growing up with a religious upbringing, her father Andrew was incredibly wealthy from his roles as the director of multiple textile mills.
In 1892 Andrew and Lizzie’s step-mother Abby were found murdered, hacked to death with either a hatchet or axe, dying within a few hours of one another.
Lizzie and the family maid Bridget Sullivan were the only people confirmed to be there at the time of the murder, leading to a widely agreed theory that Lizzie killer her father and his wife. She had a tough relationship with her step-mother, gave conflicting stories to police, and was ultimately charged with their murders.
She faced widespread media attention following the murders, with debate raging across the US as to whether an unmarried 32-year-old church devotee could be capable of such a horrific crime. Lizzie was ultimately acquitted of the crimes, with the prosecution unable to tie her to any murder weapon.
Despite being acquitted she lived the rest of her life as a social pariah, becoming immortalised in an inaccurate nursery rhyme which suggests she took an axe and ‘gave her mother 40 whacks’. No killer was ever convicted of the crime, leading many to believe it was actually Lizzie who murdered them.
What has creator Ryan Murphy said about how they will portray Lizzie Borden so far?
Ryan Murphy, the creator of Monster, has been outspoken when previous seasons have come under fire. This arguably peaked when he told the Menendez Brothers they should be ‘sending him flowers’ for their portrayal in the show after they criticised the series.
He has been typically bullish in his discussion of Borden, but he has not yet revealed whether he will portray her as the true murderer of her father and step-mother.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I find that show to be very interesting because you know that no matter what you do, it’s going to be controversial.
“That’s baked into the cake. I’m always interested in, not glorifying these characters, but the Monster franchise is only about one thing: Are monsters made, or are they born?
“I like investigating that story because, in many ways, you can look at what it deals with women and society and it’s very about today. It’s a very modern story. The story of Lizzie Borden is: Did she do it or did she not? There are many theories.”
Borden will be played by Ella Beatty, whilst Charlie Hunnam returns to the show as Lizzie’s father Andrew.
Rebecca Hall will play Abby, whilst Sarah Poulson will play Aileen Wuornos in the show, a serial killer from the late 1980s who was executed in prison in 2002.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story releases on Netflix 17 September.
Topics: Netflix, True Crime, TV and Film, TV, History
Michael Slavin