Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story arrives on September 17, bringing one of America’s oldest unsolved crimes back into the spotlight. Ella Beatty leads the eight-episode season as Lizzie Borden, the woman accused of killing her father and stepmother with an axe in 1892. Billie Lourd plays Emma Borden, Lizzie’s older sister, whose real-life story is just as complicated as the murder case itself.
Emma stood beside Lizzie through the trial, lived with her for years afterward, and then left without a clear explanation in 1905. The two sisters never spoke again.
Who Was Emma Borden?
Emma Leonora Borden was born in 1851, making her nine years older than Lizzie, who was born in 1860. A third sister, Alice Esther, was born in 1856 and died before her second birthday.
After their mother, Sarah Anthony Morse Borden, died, Emma reportedly promised on her deathbed that she would look after young Lizzie. She kept that promise for decades, acting as a maternal figure and later standing by Lizzie during the 1893 murder trial.
Emma was also protective of the family’s name. In a 1913 interview with the Boston Sunday Post, she pushed back against claims that her father was a miser, calling those rumors a “wicked lie.”
Where Emma Was During the Murders
On the morning of August 4, 1892, Emma was not at the Borden home in Fall River, Massachusetts. She was visiting her friend Helen Brownell in Fairhaven, about 17 miles away by train.
When Andrew Borden’s body was found, Lizzie asked the family doctor, Dr. Seabury Bowen, to send Emma a telegram calling her home. That distance gave Emma a solid alibi. She was never seriously considered a suspect, even as her sister became the face of the case.
Emma Stood By Lizzie Through the Trial and After
Lizzie was arrested and tried for the murders of her father Andrew and stepmother Abby. The trial became a national sensation. Emma remained by her sister’s side the entire time.
Lizzie was acquitted in 1893. After the trial, the sisters moved out of their Second Street home and into a large house at 306 French Street called Maplecroft. Both women largely withdrew from Fall River society, which had turned against them after the trial.
Emma was seen as the quieter and more serious sister. Newspaper gossip at the time painted Lizzie as a free spirit, but Emma never publicly turned on her.
Why Did Emma and Lizzie Borden Fall Out?
After moving to Maplecroft, Lizzie developed a close friendship with actress Nance O’Neil, whom she met in Boston around 1904. Lizzie began hosting O’Neil and her theater friends at the house, throwing lavish parties.
Emma disapproved. Some believe the dispute over O’Neil caused the split, though the exact reason has never been confirmed. In 1905, Emma moved out of Maplecroft for good.
Neither sister ever fully explained what happened. In her 1913 interview, Emma said she left only after conditions had become “absolutely unbearable,” suggesting the disagreement had been building for years.
“As for why, neither Emma nor Lizzie ever offered a deeper explanation.” — Herald News
The sisters never reconciled.
Emma Never Stopped Defending Lizzie
Despite their estrangement, Emma did not publicly accuse Lizzie of the murders. The Herald News reported that Emma continued to reject claims that Lizzie was responsible. She also objected to the annual rehashing of the Borden murders in Fall River newspapers.
Emma eventually moved to New Hampshire. Like Lizzie, she never married and never had children.
Lizzie died on June 1, 1927, at age 66, from pneumonia after gallbladder surgery. Emma was too ill to attend the private funeral. She died just 10 days later, on June 10, 1927, at age 76, from chronic kidney disease.
Billie Lourd Takes On Emma Borden in Monster Season 4
Billie Lourd steps into the role of Emma Borden for Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. This is the first season of the Monster anthology led by a female central figure. The season explores the 1892 axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Ella Beatty stars as Lizzie Borden, the daughter of Hollywood legends Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. She previously appeared in Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.
The full cast includes:
- Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden
- Billie Lourd as Emma Borden
- Charlie Hunnam as Andrew Borden
- Rebecca Hall as Abby Borden
- Vicky Krieps as Bridget Sullivan
- Jessica Barden as Nance O’Neil
- Joey Pollari as John Morse
- Sarah Paulson as Aileen Wuornos
Creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan return as executive producers. Max Winkler and Sarah Adina Smith direct the season.
Monster The Lizzie Borden Story Release Date and Streaming Details
All eight episodes of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story arrive on Netflix on Thursday, September 17, 2026. Every episode drops at the same time, so viewers can binge the full season in one sitting.
Release times by region:
- US West Coast: 12:00 a.m. PT
- US East Coast: 3:00 a.m. ET
- UK: 8:00 a.m. BST
- India: 12:30 p.m. IST
- Australia: 5:00 p.m. AEST
- South Korea: 4:00 p.m. KST
- Japan: 4:00 p.m. JST
The season is rated FSK 18 in Germany for its violent content. The official synopsis describes a repressed daughter of a wealthy New England family and her rebellious maid trapped in a home built on cruelty and humiliation. Their growing desire for freedom leads to brutal killings that change public views on crime and justice.
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Fan Reactions to the Monster Lizzie Borden Story Trailer
The first teaser and full trailer for the season generated strong reactions online. Fans flooded X and YouTube comments with their thoughts.
One user on X wrote: “That teaser looks chilling. Ryan Murphy is going all in with this one. September 17 can’t come soon enough!”
Another fan commented: “Ryan Murphy said ‘hold my axe’ and delivered.”
A YouTube commenter said: “This looks even more horrifying than Dahmer.”
Some viewers expressed discomfort with the Monster anthology approach, with one X user writing: “A serial killer cinematic universe is the sickest thing I’ve ever seen.”
What to Know About the Real Case
Lizzie Borden was accused of killing her father Andrew and stepmother Abby with a hatchet on August 4, 1892, in their Fall River home. She was arrested and tried in 1893. An all-male jury found her not guilty after two weeks.
The case remains unsolved. The murders inspired a famous nursery rhyme that followed Lizzie for the rest of her life. Netflix’s season takes a definitive stand on the case, with its synopsis stating outright that Lizzie “kills her parents in a gory axe murder.”
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story marks the fourth season of the anthology, following seasons about Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers, and Ed Gein.
Monster The Lizzie Borden Story is bringing a forgotten sister back into the spotlight; stay with VvipTimes for more true-crime coverage you can trust.
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