Real Lizzie Borden behind gory Netflix show from actress romance to sister rift

Netflix’s Monster series returns with Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, focusing on the 19th-century Fall River, Massachusetts heiress acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abby. The article notes that the unanswered questions persist, with the truth reportedly taken “to Lizzie’s grave” at Oak Grove Cemetery. It highlights an August 3, 1892 episode in which 32-year-old Lizzie attempted to buy prussic acid (a toxic cyanide form) from D. R. Smith’s drugstore, claiming she wanted to stop moths from gnawing a sealskin cape, but she was denied due to lack of a prescription. The piece includes commentary from author Dr. Cara Robertson about how the defense limited key testimony reaching jurors and what investigators saw as intent.