Combining melodrama with true crime, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster series has returned to Netflix for season 4 and turns its spotlight on its first female protagonist.

The fourth season, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, focuses on the titular woman in question who remains at the heart of one of America's greatest mysteries.

Whereas in previous seasons of the Monster anthology series, the subjects have been found guilty of their crimes, Lizzie was actually tried and acquitted of the axe murders of her father and stepmother, which took place in Fall River, Massachusetts.

“The strange fact is that she was acquitted for something where what evidence there is seems to point to the fact that it was her,” co-creator Brennan told Tudum. “So from there, you have to look at the environment that’s around her.”

But what is the true story behind the Netflix series? With various figures like Aileen Wuornos and Elizabeth Báthory mentioned, what were their true stories? Read on to find out.

What is the true story behind Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story?

Perhaps one of America's greatest unsolved mysteries, the case of Lizzie Borden went on to influence the coining of the term 'axe murderer' due to the nature of the crimes committed.

Over the years, there have been many theories about what actually happened in the Borden household on that fateful day in 1892, with the new Netflix series reimagining what happened through its own lens to focus on "an icon who refuses to live imprisoned in a cage, choosing instead to forge her own legend: shocking, monstrous, and gloriously free", as per Monster's synopsis.

Growing up fairly religious with her sister Emma, Lizzie was involved in various religious organisations and groups. Three years after the death of her mother, her father Andrew married Abby. Lizzie and Emma were said to be increasingly at odds with their father and new stepmother, over financial matters especially. It was said that Andrew was incredibly frugal even though he was the descendant of an influential family and had wealth from investing in mills and various real estate.

Rather than choosing to live in a more affluent part of their neighbourhood, he favoured Second Street where he converted a two-tenant home (with no indoor plumbing) into a place to live with his small family.

As for the daughters' relationship with Abby, it was said to be fraught, with the girls referring to Abby simply as 'Mrs Borden'. They suspected that she was with Andrew for his money, as well as his good financial and societal standing.

In the weeks leading up to the murders of Andrew and Abby, there were tensions in the Borden household over Andrew handing over property to members of Abby's family. An argument between the daughters and Andrew led the pair of women to take a long break away in New Bedford, only returning to Fall River a week before the murders.

Lizzie and Emma's maternal uncle, John Morse – who hadn't actually been in regular contact since the death of his sister – actually stayed at the Borden household the night before the murders. He would later become a significant suspect in the case.

On the morning of 4 August 1892, Andrew and Abby were found murdered in their home. Lizzie discovered her father, who had been napping on the sofa, and alerted maid Bridget "Maggie" Sullivan as they were the only two other people in the home. Once they searched the house, they also found Abby in an upstairs bedroom. It became clear that the pair had been murdered and mutilated with an axe, having been struck multiple times.

The investigation of the crimes came under the spotlight for its lack of diligence, as well as the lack of concrete evidence and continued theories about who killed Andrew and Abby. The police at the time would reference Lizzie's attitude, while residents suspected Lizzie of purchasing prussic acid (which is poisonous) the day before the murders.

Was Lizzie charged with the murders?

The week between the murders and Lizzie's arrest, she burned a dress which she claimed had been stained with paint. Prosecutors later alleged that it wasn't paint but blood on the dress, which Lizzie had allegedly burnt in order to destroy evidence.

Her trial was highly publicised and Lizzie did not take the stand in her own defence, with the testimony from others proving to be inconclusive. On 20 June 1883, Lizzie was acquitted and nobody else was ever charged with the murders. She was ostracised by her local community in Fall River, with her reputation taking another plummet when she was accused of shoplifting some years later.

Lizzie and Emma had inherited a major portion of Andrew's estate and had lived together for another 10 years before Emma abruptly moved out in 1905, with the pair never speaking again afterwards. It was said that the rift was caused by Lizzie throwing a party for her friend and actress Nance O'Neil. While details of the sisters' falling out have never been disclosed, there was plenty of gossip surrounding Lizzie and Nance at the time due to the close nature of their friendship.

Lizzie died of pneumonia on 1 June 1927 at the age of 66, with Emma also passing away nine days later from chronic nephritis.

Were Lizzie and Maggie actually in a relationship?

As we see in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, it's suggested that Lizzie and maid Maggie romantically involved with one another. However, it was never known to be a fact and remains unconfirmed, largely stemming from recent interpretations and theories about the case.

The Netflix drama’s version of Lizzie (Ella Beatty) and Maggie (Vicky Krieps) shows them in a heady, intoxicating affair.

“Vicky is unlike anyone I've ever met before, which I think is not dissimilar from how Lizzie feels about Maggie,” series lead Beatty told Tudum. “She created such a joyful, fun, exploratory dynamic between our two characters that I just loved delving into with her.”

Maggie was a live-in maid in the Borden household, who had emigrated from Ireland to the US. At the time of Andrew and Abby's murders, only Maggie and Lizzie were in the household. Maggie was said to have been outside the home, washing windows and therefore looking into the rooms. So many have thought that Maggie would have witnessed the attacks and known the truth about what had happened, with many alleging that could point to her playing a part in the crime and potentially being an accomplice.

During the real-life trial, Maggie was a star witness and testified that she didn't see any blood or signs of distress on Lizzie and also said that relations between the Bordens were civil, although the daughters rarely ate meals together with their parents. Other witnesses did testify and dispute Maggie's claims of civility within the family.

In the series, it's shown that Lizzie and Maggie concocted the murder plot together after Abby kills all of Lizzie's doves and Andrew does nothing about it. Frustrated at her treatment, Lizzie enlists Maggie's help and they try to poison their food, which doesn't work so they then turn to using axes at a later date.

Simply put, we'll never know what actually happened in that house that day or whether there was anything more to Lizzie and Maggie's relationship than employer-employee.

Author Evan Hunter was the first to publicise theories relating to Lizzie's sexuality and relationship with Maggie in his 1984 novel Lizzie. In the book, Hunter sets out that Andrew and Abby find out about their affair but their reaction leaves a sour taste in Lizzie's mouth and she murders them.

It's clearly a theory that has caught on over the years, with the 2018 film of the same name (which starred Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart) drawing on the theory of their affair.

At the time of the trial though, there was no mention of Lizzie's sexuality nor of her relationship with Maggie.

Was Aileen Wuornos actually inspired by Lizzie Borden?

In the series, we see Aileen Wuornos become fascinated with Lizzie’s story, even telling her first victim that her name was Lizzie initially.

Aileen shot, killed and robbed seven of her male clients while working as a sex worker during the years of 1989 and 1990. As we see in the series, Aileen initially claims that these murders were done in self-defence, claiming that the men had raped or attempted to rape her.

In Monster, we later see Aileen getting her girlfriend Shelby (Jessie Lee) to read a book about Lizzie's life and she becomes increasingly incensed at what transpired in Lizzie’s life. Aileen sympathises with Lizzie, going on to suggest that the misogynistic treatment Lizzie suffered was akin to her own.

However, there is no proof of Aileen ever having been inspired by Lizzie and it appears to just be a fictionalised storyline for the sake of the Netflix series.

It's shown in the series that Aileen and Shelby travelled to the Borden house in Fall River, going on to stay there for the night but again, that appears to just be a concoction of the series writers' minds.

Aileen spent a total of 10 years on death row and was executed by lethal injection in October 2002.

Was Elizabeth Báthory a real person?

The series utilises the tale of Elizabeth Báthory (also played in a dual role by Vicky Krieps) to break up the Lizzie Borden story and transport us into another deadly tale of a female killer.

Maggie suggests that Lizzie read the story to expand her mind a little once she arrives in the Borden household but seeing as it's written in French, Lizzie is unable to read it initially. Instead, she favours Maggie reading it to her at night and it's in those evenings, that we see the story come to life.

But it turns out that Elizabeth Báthory was in fact a real person, born in 1560. The Hungarian countess was born into a family of nobility but it was after the death of her husband Count Ferencz Nádasdy that rumours of her cruelty started to circulate. It was alleged that Elizabeth had tortured and killed more than 600 girls with the assistance of her servants, something we see unfold in Monster.

Elizabeth and her servants were arrested in 1609, with her servants put on trial in 1611 and three eventually executed. As for Elizabeth, she was never put on trial and lived out the rest of her life in the Castle of Csejte (Čachtice), where she died in her sleep in 1614.

While her crimes have gone down as folklore and legend ever since – including a focus on the rumour of her bathing in blood to retain her youth – the reality of them has been disputed over the years. Some scholars have concluded that accusations were made against her in a politically motivated move at the time, also pointing to the fact that the main investigator appointed to the case supposedly owed Elizabeth a large financial debt.

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is streaming now on Netflix. You can sign up to Netflix from £7.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky TV and Virgin Media.

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