Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I've learned that Lizzie may have suffered from Kleptomania, and have read that some people will relate a female's kleptomania with some sort of unstable relationship with the father figure in the girl's life, specifically sexual abuse. I know that Lizzie's father bought her many expensive gifts, even sent her on her Grand Tour of Europe for 19 weeks. Is there a possibility that Andrew sexually abused Lizzie, and perhaps the gifts were a means of keeping her quiet about the abuse? Perhaps the abuse is why she became a kleptomaniac....and perhaps her motive for the murders, if she did commit them. Maybe even the reason Lizzie believes Abby disliked her and thought she was spoiled....maybe Abby knew about the abuse and let it continue and that is why Lizzie hated her so. What does anyone else know, or has heard of or read about?

I've always suspected that for the same reasons, but there is no established proof.

It's possible that the killing of Andrew was motivated by his sexual abuse of Lizzie, IF such abuse happened. Andrew's gift-giving could have been his way of saying "I'm sorry, Lizzie."

I still cling to the idea that money was the true motive. Lizzie was getting into her thirties with no husband on the scene and living in her father's house. She wanted a better lifestyle. She and Abby could have been in a power struggle for control of how the house is run (two "roosters" in a hen house, so to speak). That combined with the desire for money could have been the breaking point for Lizzie. Her habit of stealing could have come from some other "need" I suppose.

-1bigsteve (o:

I don't think it was any one thing. I think it was a very complicated compilation of dysfunctional things happening in the family. It could have been money, jealousy, incest, frustration, repression, anger, etc. etc. etc. all rolled up into one final last straw somewhere along the line. The other day I envisioned myself slamming someone in the brains nineteen times just to see the time and energy it must have taken, and it was really mindboggling. The frenzy had to have been unbelievable. It was someone totally over the edge in those moments. That couldn't have happened over one little thing- it had to be a mass build up of pent up rage over what was perceived to be many grave injustices.

I think it was both money and abuse. Both of them would have served good reason for a motive into kleptomania and murder.