On June 20, 1893, Lizzie Borden was found not guilty of murdering her father and stepmother. In my opinion, I believe that Lizzie and John V. Morse (Lizzie’s uncle) worked together in committing these murders. You might think only Lizzie is guilty because she bought the prussic poison, but the pharmacist wouldn’t sell it to her. John had multiple hours he couldn’t recall for when talking to the police. Lizzie didn’t like her stepmother anyways, so it added to why people thought she was guilty. On multiple police reports it says the murderer had to be a tall stronger man because there’s no way a smaller person like her could’ve made contact with the skull that many times. Mr. Borden had a wound that was six by four inches and was made from the dull end of an ax. This was stated in article one subheading: “Father Is Stabbed.” Also, in article one subheading: “Seven Wounds” it is stated that Mrs. Borden “had no less than seven wounds in her head.” In article one subheading: “Another Story” it states “He found the skull fractured in both instances and concluded that death was instantaneous. As to the blow which killed Mrs.Borden he thought that it had been delivered by a tall man, who struck the woman from behind.” “In the hay was seen the perfect outline of a man as if one has slept there overnight.” (Article one subheading: A Significant Incident) So I’m thinking during the hours John “visited his niece and nephew” he really just went out and laid in the barn and waited for his signal. John basically incriminated himself because articles states “Mr. Borden had a wound that was six by four inches and was made from the dull end of an ax.” but then hours later in his testimony John keeps mentioning four by six. “When I had gone up the stairs so that my head was four or six inches above the floor, I could see her body.” (heraldnews) 

 John and Lizzie worked together to commit these murders, and either paid Bridget to lie on the stand or forced her to lie on the stand to cover their mess up. In the trial, when Morse was asked “Did you bring with you, Mr. Morse, any luggage, baggage of any kind-hand bag, or anything of that sort?” He replied, “No sir.” His testimony went as follows, “I got up about six, dressed and went down… Mr. and Mrs. Borden ate with me about seven. After that-some fifteen minutes before I went away-she went into the front hall. I left the house fifteen or twenty minutes before nine. I left by the rear door-the screen door. Mr. Borden came to the door with me. I saw Bridget in the kitchen as I went out. I unhooked the door, and Mr. Borden hooked it after me. When I left the house I went to the post office; then to Weybosset Street, to see my nephew and niece. It is about a mile and a quarter distant, and I walked. My nephew was out, but I called on my niece, staying until about 11:20. I returned by the horsecar, alighting from the car at Pleasant and Second streets and walking to the Borden house. Nothing attracted my attention at first. I went into the back yard, to a pear tree, picked up two or three pears and ate part of one of them. Then I went to the house where someone informed me that something had happened. I went in and saw the body of Mr. Borden; then I went up the front stairs far enough so I could look under the bed and see Mrs. Borden. This was the bed where I slept the night before. When I had gone up the stairs so that my head was four or six inches above the floor, I could see her body. I had been told she was there. I had not seen Lizzie at all, from the time of my arrival on Wednesday, until I returned to the house on Thursday, after the murders. When I came back, Mr. Sawyer was at the door, and, I think, Bridget Sullivan. Dr Bowen and two or three policemen were in the house, and, I think, Mrs. Churchill and Miss Russell.” (famous-trials)  The statement he gave made the jury think Lizzie was the only one in the house at the time because he “left” but according to “heraldnews” Morse, according to Little, left the house after the first killing, likely in search of an alibi, and then returned to the Borden residence and killed Andrew. The story was later changed to 11:30 a.m., and then finally to 11:20 a.m. Little believes he was lying, and it was actually about an hour earlier. “I think he killed Andrew because he had no choice. Andrew would know it was him who killed his wife.,” Little said. Little speculated that Morse may have been having an affair with the maid, Bridget. During his previous visits, Morse slept in a third-floor guest room, not far from Bridget’s room.” Little said Morse was overlooked so easily by police because his alibi, once established, seemed to make sense. He said half the police force that day was on a trip to Rocky Point, so they were also short-handed and were dealing with a flood of people in and around the Borden house. (heraldnews) I’m thinking Lizzie mentioned to him about the life insurance money Abby’s whole family was going to get while Lizzie was getting none of it. That sparked an idea in John V. Morse. The police didn’t handle this trial very well. They overlooked all the evidence and suspects, and they were too busy to pay attention to detail. Little said they were dealing with people in and around the Borden House, which means the evidence was definitely tampered with. If only we had the technology back then that we have today, this murder trial would have been solved years ago. 

Lizzie bought the acid to “clean her sealskin cape” but the pharmacist wouldn’t sell it to her because she didn’t have a prescription. The report also said that the murderer had to be someone they knew because there were no defense wounds on the body. On the night before the murders, Lizzie visited a neighbor, Alice Russell, and told her that she feared that some unidentified enemy of her father’s might soon try to kill him. (Famous-trials) In article four in the section “Lizzie Borden’s ordeal” it states “She didn’t have her hands up to her face. She wasn’t crying. She told me to go to Dr.Bowen’s and after that go after Mrs. Russell.” Lizzie just found her father murdered and she didn’t cry or even act upset when talking to Bridget Sullivan, that tells you something.