Lizzie Borden

Lizzie Borden was an American woman acquitted in 1893 of the axe murders of her father, Andrew Borden, and stepmother, Abby Borden, in Fall River, Massachusetts.

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Borden murders: The 1892 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden in their Fall River home. The killings for which Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted.
Circumstantial evidence: Evidence that supports a conclusion through inference rather than direct observation. The prosecution's case relied on indirect evidence rather than an eyewitness to the murders.
Emma Borden: Lizzie Borden's older sister, who was away from Fall River when the murders occurred. Emma's absence and later life shaped accounts of the family and its aftermath.
Lizzie Borden rhyme: A popular English-language counting rhyme about Lizzie Borden and the murders. The rhyme turned a disputed criminal case into a compact piece of folklore.
Lizzie Borden trial: The 1893 Massachusetts murder trial that ended with Lizzie Borden's acquittal. The proceedings tested the evidence against her and shaped public memory of the case.
Forensic science: The application of scientific methods to questions in criminal and civil investigations. The investigation's limited forensic tools left important questions unresolved.
John Morse: A maternal uncle of Lizzie and Emma Borden who visited the family shortly before the murders. His movements and testimony formed part of the investigation's chronology.
American true crime: A genre of nonfiction and popular media focused on real crimes and investigations in the United States. The Borden case became a recurring subject of American crime storytelling.
Andrew Borden: A wealthy Fall River businessman murdered in his home in 1892. He was Lizzie Borden's father and one of the two victims.
Hearsay: An out-of-court statement offered in court to prove the truth of what it asserts. Evidentiary rules affected which statements could be considered at trial.