When people hear the name Lizzie Borden, they usually think of one thing: the infamous 1892 murders of her father and stepmother.
But there is another Borden sister whose story is just as fascinating—and much less well known.
Her name was Emma Borden.
Emma was Lizzie’s older sister. She stood by Lizzie during one of the most sensational murder trials in American history, helped support her defense, and later lived with her after Lizzie was acquitted.
Yet the sisters eventually had a bitter falling-out.
They never truly reconciled.
And in one of the strangest twists of the story, Emma died just nine days before Lizzie in 1927.
So what happened to Emma Borden after the trial?
Here is the story of Lizzie Borden’s sister, from the famous murder trial to the sisters’ final years.
Who Was Emma Borden?
Emma Borden was born in 1851, making her about nine years older than Lizzie.
She was the older daughter in the Borden family and was described as more reserved and conservative than her younger sister.
After their mother, Sarah Borden, died in 1863, Emma became an important figure in the family.
For years, Emma and Lizzie were extremely close.
They were both unmarried women living in the family home in Fall River, Massachusetts, with their father, Andrew Borden, and their stepmother, Abby Borden.
That changed dramatically on August 4, 1892.
On that morning, Andrew and Abby Borden were found brutally murdered inside their home.
But there was one important detail:
Emma wasn’t home when the murders happened.
She was visiting friends in nearby Fairhaven.
That fact would become an important part of her story.
Why Was Lizzie Borden Accused of Murder?
The murders quickly became one of America’s biggest criminal stories.
Andrew Borden and Abby Borden had suffered severe injuries from what investigators believed was a hatchet or axe-like weapon.
Lizzie soon became the main suspect.
She was eventually arrested and charged with killing both her father and stepmother.
The prosecution’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence.
But there was no definitive piece of evidence proving that Lizzie was the killer.
During the trial, some potentially damaging evidence was also excluded.
For example, the judge prevented certain testimony involving an alleged attempt by Lizzie to purchase poison from being presented to the jury.
After weeks of testimony, the case came down to whether the evidence was strong enough to prove Lizzie’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
It wasn’t.
On June 20, 1893, the jury found Lizzie not guilty.
The jury reportedly took only about 90 minutes to reach its verdict.
Legally, Lizzie was free.
But the mystery surrounding the murders was far from over.
Emma Borden Stood by Lizzie
Emma wasn’t simply watching the trial from the sidelines.
She supported her younger sister throughout the case.
According to recent reporting from People, Emma testified in support of Lizzie’s defense and helped with the family’s legal expenses.
Her support was especially significant because the Borden sisters had already been through an extraordinary family tragedy.
Their father and stepmother were dead.
Lizzie was facing the possibility of spending the rest of her life in prison.
And the entire country was watching.
Emma stayed on her sister’s side.
Eventually, Lizzie walked out of court as a free woman.
The sisters then began a completely different chapter of their lives.
Emma and Lizzie Moved Into Maplecroft
After Lizzie’s acquittal, the sisters inherited money from their father.
They left the old Borden house—the place forever associated with the murders—and moved into a much more comfortable home.
The new property became known as Maplecroft.
For a while, it looked as though the sisters had survived the worst chapter of their lives together.
But life after the trial was very different for Emma and Lizzie.
Lizzie became increasingly interested in theater, entertainment and high society.
She began using the name Lizbeth and spent more time traveling to places such as Boston and New York.
Emma, meanwhile, remained much more private.
The sisters’ personalities and lifestyles were gradually moving in different directions.
And eventually, those differences became impossible to ignore.
Why Did Emma and Lizzie Borden Fall Out?
This is one of the most intriguing parts of the story.
After surviving the murder case together, Emma and Lizzie eventually became estranged.
The split happened around 1905.
One of the major issues was Lizzie’s growing social life and her close relationship with actress Nance O’Neil.
O’Neil was a popular stage actress at the time.
Lizzie and O’Neil became very close, and their relationship attracted gossip and speculation.
Some later accounts described the relationship as romantic, but there is no definitive historical evidence establishing all of the rumors surrounding it.
What is known is that Emma reportedly disapproved of the relationship.
The conflict eventually became serious enough for Emma to leave Maplecroft.
The sisters went their separate ways.
And this wasn’t just a temporary family argument.
They never truly reconciled.
Where Did Emma Borden Go After Leaving Lizzie?
After leaving Maplecroft, Emma moved away from Fall River.
She eventually settled in Newmarket, New Hampshire.
Unlike Lizzie, Emma largely avoided the spotlight.
Lizzie remained one of America’s most recognizable figures from the history of true crime.
Emma’s later life was much quieter.
She lived away from the intense public attention that had followed the Borden family for decades.
But despite their estrangement, Emma and Lizzie remained connected by the most unusual family story in American criminal history.
And their final chapter was almost unbelievably close.
When Did Emma Borden Die?
Emma died in June 1927, at the age of 76.
According to People, she died from chronic nephritis, a serious kidney condition.
But here’s the remarkable part:
Emma died only nine days before Lizzie.
Lizzie died on June 1, 1927, at the age of 66.
So after spending more than two decades estranged, the sisters died less than two weeks apart.
Their lives had begun together.
They had survived the murder investigation together.
They had lived together at Maplecroft.
They had eventually separated.
And then, almost 35 years after the infamous murders, they died within days of one another.
What Happened to Emma’s Money?
Emma remained financially comfortable during her later years.
After her death, her estate was distributed according to her will.
Recent reporting indicates that Emma left money to more than a dozen charities, as well as friends and other beneficiaries.
Her final financial arrangements also highlight how different her later life was from the sensational image surrounding the Borden murders.
Emma had largely stepped away from the public drama.
She had built a quieter life far from the headlines.
Did Emma and Lizzie Ever Reconcile?
There is no clear evidence that the sisters fully repaired their relationship before their deaths.
In fact, their wills provide another striking detail.
Lizzie’s will did not name Emma as a beneficiary.
Instead, Lizzie left portions of her estate to other beneficiaries and charitable causes, including organizations connected with animal welfare.
Emma likewise distributed her estate among charities, friends and other beneficiaries.
After everything they had experienced together, the sisters apparently remained separated until the end.
There was no dramatic last-minute reconciliation.
No final public reunion.
Just two sisters who had once been extremely close—and ultimately lived the final decades of their lives apart.
Did Lizzie Borden Actually Kill Her Father and Stepmother?
This remains the biggest question surrounding the entire story.
The legal answer is straightforward:
Lizzie Borden was acquitted.
She was never convicted of murdering Andrew and Abby Borden.
The jury concluded that the prosecution had not proved its case.
But an acquittal did not erase public suspicion.
For more than a century, historians, true-crime writers and the public have continued to debate what really happened inside the Borden home on August 4, 1892.
The identity of the person responsible for the murders has never been conclusively established in court.
That distinction is important.
Lizzie was accused.
She was prosecuted.
She was tried.
But she was not found guilty.
And that unresolved mystery is a major reason the Borden case continues to fascinate people more than 130 years later.
Why Is Lizzie Borden Trending Again in 2026?
The Borden story has received a major pop-culture revival in 2026 with Netflix’s “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.”
The series is the fourth season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster anthology.
Ella Beatty plays Lizzie Borden, while Billie Lourd plays Emma Borden.
The series premiered on Netflix on September 17, 2026.
And Emma’s role is particularly interesting because she gives viewers another way to look at the story.
Instead of focusing only on the murders, the series explores the relationships, social pressures and personal conflicts surrounding Lizzie.
That has brought Emma Borden back into the spotlight as well.
But How Much of the Netflix Story Is Real?
This is where viewers need to be careful.
Netflix’s Monster is a dramatic television series—not a documentary.
Some events and relationships have been dramatized or invented for storytelling purposes.
Recent reporting by People has pointed out that several elements of the series are not supported by historical evidence, including certain character relationships and connections between Lizzie and other crimes.
So if you’re watching the show and wondering what actually happened, it’s worth separating the historical record from the fictionalized version.
The real story is already dramatic enough.
The Strange Legacy of Emma Borden
Lizzie Borden became the famous name.
Emma became the forgotten sister.
But Emma’s story adds an entirely different dimension to the Borden mystery.
She wasn’t the accused killer.
She wasn’t at the house when the murders happened.
She wasn’t the star of the trial.
Instead, she was the older sister who stood beside Lizzie when almost everyone else was watching from the outside.
She supported Lizzie during the trial.
She helped with the defense.
She lived with Lizzie after the acquittal.
And then, more than a decade later, their relationship collapsed.
Emma left Maplecroft.
She moved away.
She lived quietly.
And she never truly returned to her sister’s side.
Emma Borden’s Story in One Timeline
Here’s the simplest way to understand what happened:
- 1851: Emma Borden is born.
- 1860: Lizzie Borden is born.
- 1863: Their mother, Sarah Borden, dies.
- August 4, 1892: Andrew and Abby Borden are murdered.
- 1892: Lizzie is arrested and charged.
- June 20, 1893: Lizzie is found not guilty.
- After the trial: Emma and Lizzie move into Maplecroft.
- Early 1900s: Lizzie becomes increasingly involved in theater and social circles.
- Around 1905: Emma and Lizzie become estranged.
- After the split: Emma leaves Maplecroft and eventually moves to Newmarket, New Hampshire.
- June 1927: Emma dies at 76.
- June 1, 1927: Lizzie dies, just nine days apart from Emma.
The Part of the Borden Story We Rarely Hear
The murders are what made Lizzie Borden famous.
But Emma’s story reveals what happened after the courtroom doors closed.
For Emma, the biggest tragedy may not have been simply watching her sister become one of America’s most infamous murder suspects.
It was watching the relationship between the two sisters slowly disappear.
They had once been close enough to face a national scandal together.
They had inherited the same family fortune.
They had shared a home.
They had survived the trial.
But eventually, they could no longer share the same life.
And when Emma died in 1927, Lizzie was still alive—but only for another nine days.
More than a century later, the Borden murders remain unsolved in the public imagination.
But Emma’s story gives the famous case another layer: behind the headlines, courtroom drama and endless theories was a complicated family relationship that lasted far beyond the trial.
Emma Borden didn’t become famous because she committed a crime. She became part of history because she stood beside the woman accused of one—and later became the sister who walked away.