Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Just wondering , if Lizzie had been convicted what the " usual " sentence was at that time for a double murder .

I may be wrong, but I think she would have been hanged. I wonder if there is a chance she would have been commited to the Taunton Insane Asylum for life? She was wealthy. Were wealthy people given special treatment at that time like they are today?

According to Robert Sullivan in his book, "Goodbye Lizzie Borden", the death penalty was mandatory for first degree murder in Massachusetts at the time of the trial. There had been instances where women were tried for lesser crimes to avoid sentencing them to death by hanging, even when the evidence supported first degree murder. Sullivan's work is an interesting insight into the legal aspects of the Borden case, he had been appointed Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court in 1958.

The death penalty at that time might have been mandatory at the time, but with Lizzies's dream team defence council, I think she would have been given life at "club med" or in a psych hospital somewhere.

She was paying to much money for them for them to just let her hang.

People who are wealthy are hardly ever, if ever, on Death Row. You hit the axe right on the skull, Snokkums, in a defendant getting it better for themselves because they could afford a Dream Team. The Dream Teams are extremely well-spoken and usually well known, and they can also hire top investigators, where a poor defendant with no money might only get one court-appointed attorney.

By "mandatory", that means "must". If Lizzie was found guilty, she would have gotten a death sentence automatically. If she was acquitted, of course, she walked.

Lizzie would have been hanged as her method of execution.

The first execution by electric chair was on August 6, 1890 in the state of New York of William Kemmler, age 30, found guilty of murder.

NY didn't execute anyone else until 1891 on July 7, when 4 men were electrocuted on the same day, all for murder. I don't know if they were in cahoots or not. A 5th person was electrocuted on December 7, 1891 - Loppy Martin, age 50 for murder.

In 1892 New York executed 5 males.

In 1893 New York executed 11 males.

The first state other than NY to use electrocution was Ohio. On April 21, 1897 two men were executed on the same day.

The first female execution by electric chair was on March 20, 1900 in New York. On that day they put Martha Place, age 44, to death.

(Source: The Espey List - online) Note: I might be off in some of the information above. The statistics are easy to confuse with the ones around it on their charts.)