"Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
And when she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one."
A woman and a man were murdered in the same place in a very violent manner
There were tense and unpleasant family relationships
There was extensive press coverage from the very beginning
Both defendants had exceptional financial resources
Both had the slickest lawyers that money could buy
Defense lawyers mocked the police investigation and implied corruption was involved
Judicial rulings were much criticized after the trial.
Part of the reason Lizzie was accused of the murders had to do with the layout of the house and its small size. There were no hallways, and so no way to pass from one point to another without going through a series of rooms. This problem was exacerbated by the locked door on the second floor which prevented anyone from moving from the front to the back of the house without going to the first floor. The small size made it likely that noises could be heard throughout the house.
Another factor is that the Bordens were much given to security measures. The three potential entryways to the house were habitually kept locked, even when they were at home The windows were seven feet off the ground, and neighboring houses were close by on either side. There was a six foot fence with barbed wire at the back of the house. Second Street was a well-populated part of Fall River where strangers were likely to be noticed. Breaking into such a place in broad daylight, killing one person, and hanging around for a couple of hours to kill another would have been difficult, to say the least.