Rock singer and paranormal expert Brocarde spent the night inside the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts, and emerged convinced that Lizzie Borden did not act alone in the 1892 hatchet murders of her father and stepmother.
The murders of Andrew and Abby Borden have fascinated the public for more than a century. On August 4, 1892, the wealthy couple were found dead inside their family home after suffering multiple blows to the head with a hatchet. Andrew was the father of Lizzie Borden, while Abby was her stepmother. Lizzie was ultimately tried for both murders but was acquitted and walked free from court.
The case has never been officially solved, and the circumstances surrounding Lizzie's acquittal have continued to fuel theories about what really happened inside the Borden home that August morning. Brocarde was given the opportunity to spend a night at the property with one goal in mind: to delve into the evidence, investigate the story for herself and see whether she could reach her own conclusion about who was responsible.
A Night in the John Morse Room
When she first arrived, the house immediately lived up to its reputation. The dark grey and green building stands prominently on a street corner just a block from the centre of Fall River, and its imposing appearance makes it difficult to ignore. The “Ded and Breakfast” sign outside, complete with a swinging axe, gave an unmistakable reminder of the terrible events that took place inside.
The property has been carefully restored to recreate the atmosphere of the 19th century, allowing guests to experience the rooms and surroundings much as they would have appeared during the Borden era. The house has also become a destination for paranormal investigators, with visitors reporting ghostly encounters and unexplained activity throughout the property.
Brocarde's room was the John Morse Room, regarded as one of the most haunted rooms in the house. Nothing prepared her for the life-sized replica of Abby Borden's body lying just inches from her pillow. The replica has been positioned on the floor in the same place where Abby was found after her murder, complete with a blood stain around the neck. Abby was struck 19 times in the head with a hatchet before being left face down on the floor. A life-sized replica of Andrew's body also lies on the downstairs sofa where he was murdered.
Investigating the 1892 Case
Although the paranormal history of the house was fascinating, Brocarde quickly found herself more interested in the murder investigation itself. The deeper she looked into the details, the more questions began to emerge. The investigation took place in 1892, when forensic science was still in its early stages, and the methods used to collect evidence were very different from those used today.
Five people woke up in the Borden household that morning. By the end of the day, only three remained. One of those people was John Morse, Lizzie's uncle and the brother of Andrew Borden's former wife. Morse was staying in the guest room and reportedly left early in the morning to visit family members elsewhere in Fall River, giving him what police regarded as an alibi. Brocarde noted that Morse was able to remember every person he encountered on the carriage journey back to the Borden home after the murders, an unusually detailed recollection.
Lizzie was inside the house at the time of the murders and naturally became the prime suspect. The only other person home was Bridget Sullivan, the family's maid, who said she had been outside washing windows before going upstairs to her attic room to rest. It has been suggested that she returned to the house between the two murders, which would potentially have placed her inside when Andrew was attacked.
Abby was murdered first in the first-floor bedroom, now known as the John Morse Room. Andrew returned at around 10am, lay down on the downstairs sofa and fell asleep. He was struck 11 times with a hatchet. Reports from the time described the injuries as horrific. By approximately 10.30am, both Andrew and Abby were dead. Police concluded that Abby had been killed first because her body was cold and her blood had congealed by the time investigators arrived, while Andrew's blood was reportedly still warm.
Evidence and Acquittal
Attention soon turned to Lizzie, whose behaviour after the murders became another part of the investigation. She was reportedly calm and detached despite the deaths of her father and stepmother, and investigators noted that she was remarkably clean. Only one speck of blood was reportedly found on her undergarments. Elsewhere in the house, police discovered a bucket containing bloodied clothing. When Lizzie was questioned about it, she said she was menstruating, and the explanation apparently brought the matter to an end.
A handleless hatchet was also discovered in the basement. It had been dipped in ash, meaning that no blood was found on it. The day after the funeral, Lizzie and her sister Emma were reportedly found burning a dress on the stove. Their explanation was that it had paint on it, and again the matter did not lead to further questioning.
Lizzie's acquittal has to be viewed against the attitudes of the period. The jury was entirely male, while Lizzie was presented as a respectable young Sunday school teacher. The idea that a woman of her background could have possessed the physical strength and aggression required to repeatedly attack two people with an axe was difficult for many to accept. There was also the question of motive. Andrew Borden was wealthy but known for being extremely frugal, reportedly refusing to install basic conveniences such as electricity and running water. Lizzie reportedly feared losing her inheritance to her stepmother, and Abby's death before Andrew could have altered the eventual distribution of the family's wealth.
After Andrew and Abby died, Lizzie and her sister Emma reportedly inherited approximately $500,000, which would be worth around $11 million today. Emma was out of town during the week surrounding the murders, giving her a plausible alibi, but she did stick by Lizzie during the trial and said it was her idea to burn the dress.
Spirit Rod Session
After spending so much time looking at the case, Brocarde became convinced that Lizzie was responsible for Abby's murder, but she could not shake the feeling that she had help. Her theory is that there were two killers, with John Morse responsible for Andrew's death. She also believes that other people may have become involved in the subsequent cover up.
In the small hours, Brocarde struggled to sleep in the John Morse Room, so she decided to sit beside the replica of Abby's body, in the same location where she was murdered, and conduct a spirit rod session. She began asking questions, most of which received no response. Then she asked: “Did Lizzie Borden murder you?” The response was an emphatic yes. She then asked whether there had been two murderers. Again, the answer was yes. When she asked specifically about John Morse, his name was confirmed as the second murderer. Brocarde believes Lizzie killed Abby, John Morse killed Andrew, and that Bridget and Emma were ultimately involved in the subsequent cover up.
Following the trial, Bridget Sullivan reportedly became quite wealthy, leading to speculation that she may have received a reward for supporting Lizzie during the murder proceedings. Bridget eventually moved to a mining town in Montana and spent the rest of her life largely separated from the Borden family. There were also rumours that Lizzie ordered her to return to Ireland and live on a secluded farm. She reportedly did return to Ireland for a time before eventually coming back to the United States.
There is also a much older tragedy connected to the area. In 1848, on the plot next to the Borden House, Eliza Darling Borden reportedly took her two young children into the basement and drowned them both in a cistern before returning upstairs and slitting her own throat with a razor. Her two children are believed to haunt the Lizzie Borden House.
By the end of her stay, Brocarde had arrived at the Borden House expecting the ghosts to be the main attraction. Instead, she became completely absorbed by the details of the murders and the unanswered questions surrounding them. For anyone fascinated by true crime, spending a night at the Lizzie Borden House is an experience unlike any other. And if you want to immerse yourself completely in the mystery, the John Morse Room is the one to choose.
