Ryan Murphy's new Netflix Monster series revives the mystery of whether Lizzie Borden really axed her parents in 1892

From the Newshound archive · first published 20 September 2026 · last updated 21 September 2026.

Ella Beatty, daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, plays Lizzie Borden in Ryan Murphy's latest Monster instalment on Netflix, reigniting debate over one of America's most notorious unsolved double murders. Andrew and Abby Borden were discovered hacked to death at their Fall River, Massachusetts home on August 4, 1892, each struck far more times than needed to kill them. Lizzie, then 32, a Sunday school teacher and church stalwart, was arrested — yet was acquitted by an all-male jury, and nobody has ever been convicted. The case gripped America so severely that some feared Jack the Ripper had crossed the Atlantic.

Despite the savage nature of both attacks, Lizzie's clothing and body were entirely free of blood.

A burned dress, an alleged bid to buy poison, and the sheer physical effort required have fuelled rival theories for over 130 years.