The Lizzie Borden Case Philosophical Summary
Jennifer Martin
Regis University
Author Note
This paper was prepared for Introduction to Philosophy PL250, instructed by Professor Mengel.
Thought to be the crime of the century by many, the Lizzie Borden case has baffled many for over one hundred years. Lizzie Borden was one of two children born to Andrew Borden and his late wife. Although the Borden’s were considered one of the wealthiest families in town, they lived in the working class district in a small home with no running water or conveniences of that time. Andrew Borden remarried after his wife’s death to Abby, a woman seven years his junior. Although it is thought that Lizzie was considered to be close to her father, she and her sister Emma did not particularly get along with their stepmother and showed this by referring to her as Mrs. Borden and refusing to take meals at the table. It was five years later, on August 4, 1892 that the police were called to the Borden home on Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts to discover the brutally murdered bodies of both Andrew age 70 and Abby Borden age 63. This is where the conflict begins on what really happened on that hot summer day in Fall River, Massachusetts.
It was determined by police that Abby was murdered up to two hours before her husband and the only people accounted for in the house during this time were Andrew, Abby, Lizzie, and the maid. The investigators also found that the door was triple locked from the inside and the house showed no signs of forced entry or any suspicious clues. The most controversial piece of this puzzle was the questioning of Lizzie Borden by the police. Almost every question that was asked of her she gave conflicting answers. The investigator would ask three different ways where she was during the period of the murders. Her answer was different every time. She claimed to be in the kitchen reading, in the yard eating pears, and in the barn looking for fish sinks. This...
