Lizzie Borden

"Lizzie Borden took an axe,
and gave her mother 40 whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
she gave her father 41."

... goes the nursery rhyme. But a hundred years later, how many people know the real story of Lizzie Borden? Guilty in the minds of many, Lizzie was tried, but never convicted of the gruesome hatchet murder of Abby and Andrew Borden. “Case Reopened” will lay out the facts and the fictions surrounding the mystery. The murder weapon was never found, no blood was found on Lizzie's person after her arrest, and there was very little evidence at the scene of the crime.

So who did it? There are many theories that make this a compelling case to reopen. There is the intriguing possibility of the existence of William Borden, Andrew's illegitimate son, who was known to be an expert with an axe and fit the description of a pale-faced man seen around the Borden house the day of the murders. Or maybe Lizzie's Uncle, John Morse, who conveniently arrived in town the night before the tragedy, arranged to have Andrew and Abby killed. Or maybe Lizzie really did do it, with the maid, Bridget, as her accomplice.

It is a fascinating murder-mystery, reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel. Once we reopen the Lizzie Borden case, the nursery rhyme may no longer sound as convincing, especially when we hear the shocking “solution” to the case, posed by one of our best-known crime fiction writers, Ed McBain.

1 x 60:00