Andrew and Abby Borden are at the center of both the historical case and Netflix's Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. The series dramatizes their household, but the surviving historical record is more limited than the show's private scenes suggest.
Who Was Andrew Borden?
Andrew Jackson Borden was Lizzie and Emma Borden's father and a prominent Fall River businessman. Contemporary reporting and later historical accounts place the family among the city's established households.
Who Was Abby Borden?
Abby Durfee Gray Borden was Andrew's second wife and Lizzie's stepmother. The series gives Abby a major dramatic role in the family's conflicts, but individual private conversations shown onscreen cannot be independently established from the historical record.
What Happened on August 4, 1892?
Andrew and Abby were murdered at the Fall River home on Aug. 4, 1892. Lizzie was arrested Aug. 11, tried in 1893 and acquitted June 20.
Did the Trial Prove Lizzie Killed Them?
No. Lizzie was acquitted. The Library of Congress continues to describe the question of whether she committed the murders as unresolved.
Why the Family Story Matters
The case became a national sensation because it combined a wealthy household, a double homicide, a highly publicized trial and intense newspaper coverage. Monster builds a much more detailed psychological portrait from that historical framework.
Quick Answer
Were Andrew and Abby legally proven to have been killed by Lizzie? No. Lizzie was acquitted, and the historical record does not establish the killer.
Sources
Library of Congress · Netflix Tudum: The True Story
Fact-check note
This article distinguishes the Netflix dramatization from documented history. Lizzie Borden was acquitted in 1893; claims about guilt, private relationships, motives and events not established by surviving records are described as fictionalized or disputed rather than settled fact.
Netflix Tudum: The True Story · Netflix Tudum: Ending Explained · PEOPLE: Fact vs Fiction · PEOPLE: Emma/Lizzie Fact Check
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