Could a Lizzie Borden really have taken an ax and ended her parents lives committing a double murder, its been 120 years and this is still a continuing question? On August 4, 1892 a double murder was committed. Abby Borden was discovered dead upstairs and her husband Andrew dead downstairs. Both were axed to death in a matter of minutes. Officially the case is unsolved but what is known is that in 1892, in Fall River, Massachusetts a Murder escaped from justice.
In the Lizzie Borden controversial court case, the innocent verdict correctly acquitted Lizzie borden because she had no motive, not enough time to commit the act, and was wrongly accused. Lizzie Borden did not have a motive to kill her father. This was a huge murder for the town of Fall River. The court had to place the blame on someone. Lizzie was one of two people in the house and was the eases and most obvious target. The court made Lizzie and Andrew into monsters, something they most definitely were not.
Olivia Katrandjian looked through Michael Martins, the lead attorney, journals and discovered that Michael believe the court was creating villains in order to justify the murders and portraying Andrew Borden assail, when really he gave his daughters a lot more than some of the other fathers gave theirs. The town was scared, people were panicked and they all wanted to believe that Lizzie had committed the crime. If they allowed them selfs to believe Lizzie was the murder it kept them from imagining where the actual murder was hiding and who might be their next target.
Lizzie and her father had a very good relationship and he was a very loving father. He gave both his girls lots of money. Lizzie was old enough to be living on her own but her father allowed her to continue to live with him. “Lizzie Borden cared for her father very deeply,” Martins said. “There was a tremendous outpouring of grief in the letters, and that’s a new side to the story” (Katrandjian). Unlike what is commonly known Lizzie and her father actually had a very good reaction ship. He gave her lots of money so she would have had no reason to kill him.
The court made Lizzie and her father Andrew into monsters because they needed someone to blame for the murders. Lizzie Borden did not have time to commit the murder and then change cloths before the police arrived. Lizzie borden would have been wearing an elaborate out fit that would of had blood on it if she had committed the crime. There was a small spot of blood on her dress but if she would did committed the murder, there would have been way more blood on her dress. Who ever kill Lizzie’s parents left that house covered in blood.
It was the woman who as the social representatives of their husbands showed the world how sorrowing the family was by wearing clothes and following little rules that reflected this” (Weston). In the year of 1892, fashion showed wealth and power. That day Lizzie would have been wearing a cotton dress, with tight sleeves and puffs that extended almost horizontal from the shoulders. A hooped petticoat under her dress and many layers of extra fabric to make the dress look fuller and more elegant. If she committed the crime naked she would not of had time to change into cloths.
In 1892, the amount of clothing women had to wear was huge and took a lot of tim put on. Some times women even need someone to close up the back of their dress for them. Lizzie would not of had time to change before the police showed up. By 1892, the shoulder and skirts begin to expand. Frills and collars widen the shoulder, while hems are padded and held out with layers of petticoats. When the first body was found dead in the house the police were immediately called. It took ruffly about five minutes for them to arrive at the house.
Upon arrival the blood and the body were still warm indicating that the body had only been dead for a mater of minutes. Some speculate that Lizzie killed her father and step mother naked and then put her cloths on to avoid getting bloody. But it would have taken Lizzie to much time to wash off all the blood, put on all the items that were included in her dress and then present her self to the police. If Lizzie Borden did commit the murder then she would of had the blood all over her dress. Other people had been interviewed but then never considered suspects because of their social status.
The lead investigator interviewed may people he then decided not to consider for many different reasons. Some of the interviewees held very high social status or held a lot of popularity among the town. Anyone of these people could have been the murder but no one ever questioned them because of their status. A number of the people Jennings, the lead interviewer, spoke to he knew, on a social or business level. Many of these people could have been better candidates for the murder than Lizzie. In 1892 social status was everything.
People of high status were interviewed but it would have made the lead investigator look bad if he questioned them too much. They had a lot of power through out the town and questioning them might hurt his reputation. Jennings only interviewed people that knew or were related to the family. Anyone could have committed the murders the lead investigator should have interviewed anyone. Sense he did interview everyone the murder could have just walked away from the crime. Jennings’ notes in his journal that he interviewed people who knew the borden family and were familiar with Andrew Borden’s relationship with his daughters.
Most likely the murder was not someone the family knew. There was other people that should have been considered suspects but were not because of their social status or wealth. In the Lizzie Borden controversial court case, the innocent verdict correctly acquitted Lizzie borden because she had no motive, not enough time to commit the act, and was wrongly accused. Today researcher, investigators, and conspiracy enthuses still debate this controversial court case. Murder is a deadly crime, punishable by the death penalty. Sadly every once in a wile someone gets a way with it. Leaving investigators dumfound and society tariffed.