10 Oct 2026
Lizzie Borden, Part 2: The Real Story Behind Netflix’s Monster
Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has brought this infamous case back into the spotlight—but the real courtroom story is even more dramatic.
In Part 2 of Lizzie Borden: The Real Story Behind Netflix’s Monster, Pure Malice follows Lizzie from her arrest and indictment through her sensational trial, shocking acquittal, and the life she lived afterward.
By the time Lizzie entered the courtroom in New Bedford, the public had already formed strong opinions about her guilt or innocence. But what would the prosecution actually be able to prove?
What did Lizzie’s statements reveal? How did Alice Russell’s testimony about the burned dress become such a damaging piece of evidence? What did the medical experts say about the wounds, the suspected hatchet, and the absence of blood evidence connecting Lizzie to the murders?
We’ll examine the prosecution’s case, the defense strategy, the testimony of key witnesses, and the dramatic physical evidence presented to the jury—including the moment Andrew Borden’s skull was brought into the courtroom and used to demonstrate the size of the weapon that may have caused his fatal wounds.
We’ll also take a closer look at the all-male jury that ultimately decided Lizzie’s fate, the public reaction inside the courtroom, and the moment the foreman delivered the words, “Not guilty.”
But Lizzie’s acquittal did not end the story. It only changed the questions.
After the trial, Lizzie and Emma left the murder house behind and moved into Maplecroft, a grand mansion in Fall River’s wealthy Hill neighborhood. There, Lizzie attempted to build the high-society life she had always wanted—hosting lavish parties, surrounding herself with theater people, traveling, supporting charitable causes, and creating a new identity for herself.
But public suspicion followed her everywhere.
We’ll explore the strange post-trial rumors, Lizzie’s controversial friendship with actress Nance O’Neil, the devastating estrangement between Lizzie and Emma, the later theories about Lizzie’s sexuality, and the harassment she endured from neighbors, church members, and children who turned the murders into a playground rhyme.
More than a century later, Lizzie Borden remains legally acquitted—but permanently trapped inside the court of public opinion.
Did the prosecution fail to prove that Lizzie was guilty? Did the jury believe she was innocent? Or did they simply decide that the evidence was not strong enough to send her to prison for life?
The legend of Lizzie Borden has been told countless times. In Part 2, we’re going beyond the verdict and into the courtroom shadows, the unanswered questions, and the life Lizzie lived after the world decided it already knew the truth.
This is the real story behind Lizzie Borden, Part 2.
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Pure Malice is hosted by Riane Nix, Taylor Lynch and Britni Burks.
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