06/20/2026
133 years ago today (June 20, 1893), Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders of her father, Andrew Borden, and stepmother, Abby Borden.
Lizzie had spent nearly 10 months in Taunton Jail before her trial began on June 5, 1893.
Throughout the proceedings, prosecutors pointed to her inconsistent statements, the burning of a dress days after the murders, and theories involving family tensions and inheritance. However, key evidence proved problematic.
Witnesses gave conflicting testimony about a suspected hatchet and its missing handle, while evidence that Lizzie had allegedly attempted to purchase prussic acid before the murders was ruled inadmissible.
Without a definitive murder weapon, clear motive, or physical evidence linking Lizzie to the crime, the prosecution's case faltered.
After just over an hour of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict: Not Guilty.
The acquittal ended the trial, but it did not end public suspicion.
Lizzie Borden remains one of the most controversial figures in American true crime history, and the Borden murders remain unsolved.
