Beyond Lizzie: The Most Intriguing Suspects in the Borden Case

There was only one person charged for the bloody 1892 murders of banker Andrew Borden and his second wife, Abby Borden: Andrew’s 32-year-old daughter, Lizzie. While Lizzie’s innocence or guilt is still a hotly debated topic to this day, some historians have pointed to other people who had the means, motive, or opportunity to kill the wealthy Bordens. 

To see the crime scene of one of the most famous axe murders of all time, book a ghost tour at the Lizzie Borden House. Or, if you really want the experience of a lifetime, book an overnight stay at possibly the most cursed bed and breakfast in the entire U.S. 

Who are the main suspects in the Borden Murders?

While Lizzie Borden was the prime suspect for brutally murdering her father and stepmother, there are others who were considered by police or have been identified by later generations of sleuths and detectives. These include:

• The “Wild Man,” a crazed man who was spotted in the woods carrying a hatchet with blood on his clothes
• Bridget Sullivan, the maid who was cleaning the house the day of the murders
• John Morse, the brother of Andrew Borden’s first wife, who was visiting the day of the murders

Lizzie Borden

There are many reasons why Lizzie Borden was the main suspect in the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden:

• She was on the property when the murders occurred, claiming she had been in the barn when the fatal blows were dealt (even though they took place 1.5 hours apart).  
• No one was seen entering or leaving the Borden property during the time of the deaths, leaving only Lizzie and the maid, Bridget Sullivan, on-site. 
• Lizzie found the body of her father and told Sullivan to run to fetch the family doctor across town. When he wasn’t home, Lizzie had Sullivan get a family friend — rather than one of the two immigrant physicians who lived next door. 
• Lizzie was known to hate her stepmother. 
• While very wealthy, Lizzie’s father was quite frugal and wouldn’t let Lizzie spend money the way she wanted. 
• Lizzie would inherit a great deal if her father and stepmother died — roughly $3.5 million. 
• She showed no grief or even sadness on the day of the murders. 
• She tried to purchase deadly prussic acid from a drugstore the day before to “clean a cape.” The pharmacist was so suspicious that he didn’t sell it to her. 

Trial Evidence

However, in trial, Lizzie’s soft, “feminine” demeaner was very much used in her favor — with people claiming a Sunday school teacher could never commit such a heinous crime. Also, the fact that she didn’t have any blood on her, and no bloody clothes of hers were found, convinced people that she couldn’t have committed the messy murders. 

Recent researchers have pointed out, however, that a pail of bloody rags was, in fact, found in the basement — however, Lizzie explained the rags away by saying that she was menstruating. 

Social etiquette at the time meant that the police only confirmed this fact with her family doctor and then completely ignored the bloody pail of clothing. (Later, Sullivan noted that she had not seen the bucket when she had done laundry earlier in the week.) 

Regardless of all these indicators, Lizzie was found not guilty. 

The “Wild Man” 

During Lizzie Borden’s trial, several witnesses stepped forward to describe strange people they had seen hanging around the Borden house in the days leading up to the killings. 

Two men who lived near the Bordens saw a man sitting on the sidewalk close to their home the night before the crime. When they tried to speak to him, he didn’t respond, though he didn’t appear drunk either.

Two other townspeople confirmed seeing a pale young man who had a strange air to him near the Borden home. One woman said she even saw him leaning against the Bordens’ gatepost the day of the murders. 

While these strangers no doubt sewed some doubt into the jurors’ minds, the account of a farmer really cemented the “Wild Man” theory as having some legs to it. 

Twelve days after the murders, a farmer said he was in the woods, four miles outside of town. He heard a man repeating, “Poor Mrs. Borden,” to himself three times. 

The farmer, who only spoke French, attempted to speak to the man but received no response. Then, the man picked up a hatchet he had next to him and shook it at the farmer. 

The farmer shook back his own axe, which prompted the mysterious man to jump over a wall and disappear into the woods. When he fled, the farmer noticed specks of blood on his shirt and immediately contacted police about the bizarre incident. 

After hearing all this, the jurors were told the next day to discard this testimony, as it was too far after the murder — but it’s impossible to truly unhear something as interesting as a hatchet-wielding man in the woods. Some believe this “Wild Man” theory played a large role in Lizzie being found innocent. 

Bridget Sullivan

Bridget Sullivan was 25 years old when she was working as a maid for the Bordens. Many believe that while she may not have murdered her employers herself, she was an accomplice to Lizzie. 

Many point to the fact that Sullivan was resting on the third floor during the time of Andrew Borden’s murder on the first floor. He no doubt was screaming — she didn’t hear anything? Or what about when Abby was hacked by the hatchet 19 times an hour earlier? She didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary?

There’s also a longstanding rumor that Lizzie gave Sullivan money after the trial and instructed her to “go back to Ireland and never come back.” Instead, Sullivan moved to a small town in Montana — far away from the Lizzie Borden home in Fall River, Massachusetts. 

For the rest of her life, the majority of people in Sullivan’s life had no idea she was connected to the infamous Borden murders. 

John Morse

Another contender who may have played a hand in assisting in the deaths of Andrew and Abby is John Morse. Morse was the brother of Andrew’s first wife and Lizzie’s mother. He was visiting the Bordens on the day of their deaths, even staying in the room where Abby was slaughtered. 

While John was confirmed to be visiting other family members at the time of the killings, he was one of the last people to see his brother-in-law and his wife alive. Many believe he must have seen something or helped Lizzie plan for the murder, perhaps in exchange for part of the estate. 

The Haunted Lizzie Borden House

With such a dark history, it’s no wonder that the house where the gruesome murders were committed is now haunted. Guests have experienced everything from doors opening on their own to objects flying across the room. One guest even captured the reflection of a phantom woman standing next to him. 

To experience this enigmatic phenomena for yourself, book a ghost tour of the Lizzie Borden House. If you want the best chance of experiencing something otherworldly, book a stay in one of the haunted rooms. 

To learn about other haunted murder sites around the U.S., follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. For more information on the case of the Borden murders, check out our blog. 

Sources:

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lizzie-borden-didnt-kill-her-parents-maybe-180963721/
• https://lizzie-borden.com/
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-lizzie-borden-got-away-with-murder-180972707/
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lizzie-borden-case-blood-evidence-48-hours/
• https://www.westfield.ma.edu/historical-journal/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/lizzie-borden.pdf
• https://anacondaleader.com/content/strange-story-bridget-sullivan
• https://www.famous-trials.com/lizzieborden/1457-morsetestimony