# Netflix's Lizzie Borden invents a lover that history forgot

> Ryan Murphy's new Monster season reimagines the 1892 murders with a fictional romance between Lizzie and her maid, but historians say it's pure speculation.
- Title: Netflix's Lizzie Borden invents a lover that history forgot
- Summary: Ryan Murphy's new Monster season reimagines the 1892 murders with a fictional romance between Lizzie and her maid, but historians say it's pure speculation…
- Keywords: lizzie borden, bridget sullivan, monster netflix, ryan murphy, 1892 murders, true crime, historical fiction, massachusetts, hatchet murders, lizzie borden trial, business, technology
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/who-was-bridget-sullivan-true-story-lizzie-borden-murders-2026-9
- Author: Jason Guerrasio
- Published: 2026-09-17T22:31:05.622+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: lizzie borden, bridget sullivan, monster netflix, ryan murphy, 1892 murders, true crime, historical fiction, massachusetts, hatchet murders, lizzie borden trial, business, technology
## Lizzie Borden, Netflix's first female killer
Ryan Murphy's Monster series centers on Lizzie Borden, who was tried and acquitted of the 1892 hatchet murders of her father and stepmother in Massachusetts. The case captivated the nation and remains unsolved.
## The trial that split a nation
Borden's court proceedings captivated the country as people debated her guilt. She famously fainted when shown skeletal remains as evidence, but was ultimately acquitted due to lack of physical proof.
## Monster reimagines Lizzie's maid as her lover
In the Netflix series, Bridget Sullivan, the family's Irish immigrant maid, becomes Lizzie's romantic partner and co-conspirator in the murders. They plot together, attempt poisoning first, then kill with hatchets.
## Bridget Sullivan was real, the romance wasn't
Bridget Sullivan was indeed a real maid and the only other person known to be at the property during the murders. But historians say there's no evidence she and Lizzie were ever in a relationship.
## Historians trace the lover theory to 1984
The idea that Lizzie and Bridget were lovers first appeared in Evan Hunter's 1984 novel Lizzie, a fictional account. Historians have speculated about Borden's sexuality because she never married and had a close relationship with actress Nance O'Neil.
## Lizzie didn't even use Bridget's real name
According to Cara Robertson, author of The Trial of Lizzie Borden, Lizzie never bothered to call her maid by her real name. Instead, Borden called her Maggie, the name of the previous maid.

> Lizzie never bothered to call her by her real name.
## Key takeaway

Netflix's Monster series fictionalizes Lizzie Borden's relationship with her maid Bridget Sullivan as a romantic partnership and murder conspiracy, but there's no historical evidence they were ever involved.