Lizzie Borden: Fall has arrived. That means pumpkin spice, changing leaves and a new season of Netflix's "Monster" anthology.
Creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan have already tackled the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer, brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, and Ed Gein.
Their latest installment turns to one of America's most infamous unsolved cases. "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" is now streaming on Netflix.
The series centers on the 1892 killings of Andrew and Abby Borden. Ella Beatty, daughter of Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, plays Lizzie Borden in the lead role.
Since the show dramatizes real events, here's what actually happened.
What was Lizzie Borden accused of doing?
The popular nursery rhyme gets the details wrong. Andrew Borden was struck 11 times with a hatchet. Abby Borden was struck 19 times.
The killings took place on Aug. 4, 1892. The Borden home sat in Fall River, Massachusetts. That's roughly 17 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island.
According to the Fisherman & Farmer, a North Carolina newspaper that covered the trial, Andrew had dozed off in the sitting room that morning.
The paper reported that Abby was likely already dead as she got dressed.
Lizzie Borden gave her own account of that day. She said she stroked her father's head before heading to the barn. She stayed there for about 30 minutes.
Borden's screams after discovering her father's body reportedly brought housemaid Bridget "Maggie" Sullivan running downstairs. A doctor was called. Abby's body was found soon after.
Police arrested Lizzie Borden one week later, on Aug. 11, 1892.
Was Lizzie Borden found guilty?
Borden was 32 years old at the time of her arrest. She sat in custody until her trial began on June 5, 1893, in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
An all-male jury acquitted her on June 20, 1893. Massachusetts didn't allow women to serve on juries until 1950. Historians say that gender imbalance likely shaped the verdict.
Smithsonian Magazine reported that Borden leaned into a sympathetic image in court. She appeared "as a helpless maiden," holding flowers in one hand and a fan in the other.
The Fisherman & Farmer described a dramatic courtroom moment. Prosecutor William H. Moody told jurors Borden had burned a dress days after the murders.
He then produced the hatchet believed to be the murder weapon. Borden reportedly fainted and stayed unconscious for several minutes.
Dr. Seabury Bowen, a family friend, publicly defended her character. He called her a woman of "undisputed virtue."
He argued no refined woman could commit such violence and then calmly carry out a second killing upstairs.
Did Lizzie Borden have a relationship with the housemaid?
Rumors have circulated for decades that Borden and Sullivan were secretly involved. Some theories claim the pair conspired together in the killings.
The idea surfaced in Evan Hunter's 1984 novel "Lizzie." It resurfaced in the 2018 film of the same name, starring Chloë Sevigny. The new Netflix series also hints at a romance between the two women.
No evidence has ever confirmed the theory.
What happened to Lizzie Borden after the trial?
Borden's life after the acquittal was marked by isolation. She died of pneumonia on June 1, 1927, at age 66.
A Springfield, Massachusetts, newspaper reflected on her final decades in its obituary coverage.
The Springfield Weekly Republican described her as a woman who lived out her life shunned by the community, even in freedom.
Her older sister, Emma Borden, had stood by her throughout the trial. The paper noted the sisters later became estranged, and Lizzie spent her remaining years largely alone.
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