Who Is Lizzie Borden Guilty

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Many people know the story of Lizzie Borden from the popular nursery rhyme. What most don’t know, however, are the gruesome, malicious details behind the rhyme, and what caused the killer to get away with murder, unscathed. The story of Lizzie Borden, and the murders of her parents brings up many different arguments, and anyone who knows about the murders, knows that there are multiple opinions on what happened that fateful night. Though the background of the Borden family, discovery of the bodies, the trials and life after the murders, many suspicions and much evidence arise that leads most to suspect that Lizzie Borden was guilty of the murders of her own two parents. The victims of the gruesome murder on August 4, 1892, were Andrew and …show more content…
Bowen, making the conclusion that the suffering of the Borden’s was short lived. Shortly after Dr. Bowen indicated this, police arrived on the scene of the crime to keep neighbors at a distance. The medical examiner who was the next to arrive, concluded that the wounds were created by a heavy, sharp object, such as an ax or hatchet, and that the killer had to be a tall, strong person. During the police search of the house, they looked for any traces of the murderer or the weapon, but nothing was discovered that could identify who the murderer was. The only thing found was an outline of a body in the loft of the barn, as if someone had slept there the night before. The main suspect for the murders, immediately, was Lizzie. Suspicion had turned to Lizzie, since no one else was in the house that day, and no signs of an intruder were present. On August 11, 1892, Lizzie Borden was arrested and accused of the murders of her father and stepmother. She was questioned two days earlier, and gave “confused and contradictory answers” according to the police. After she was arrested and taken to jail, she pleaded not guilty. On August 22, lizzie had a preliminary hearing, and at the end, the judge pronounced her “probably guilty” and ordered her to face a grand jury. After her trial in front of the grand jury, she, again, gave confusing and jumbled answers when she was asked questions, and during the maid’s questioning, she sat with her …show more content…
Most of their fathers money was given to Lizzie, and she used some of it to attend arts conventions and associate with the arts. Her sister moved out of their house in 1905, and gave all her money to charity before dying on June 10, 1927, in New Hampshire. Lizzie, however, remained on the property for the rest of her life, being accused of shoplifting in 1907, further tarnishing her reputation. She died of pneumonia in 1927. (Howard) The suspicion that Lizzie Borden was, in fact, the murderer of her parents, was further backed up by Lizzie’s background and evidence that found her guilty. Even though her trial proved her not guilty, many still believe she is the murderer and specific examples and evidence is given to prove that. The fact that she did get away with murder and lived out the rest of her life free of charge makes most people upset, but the guilt she had to live with, knowing she murdered her parents, is almost punishment