FALL RIVER — Lizzie Borden can be a good quarantine friend to those who adore chilling, macabre and historic tales of murders past.
Having been the subject of books, films, articles and podcasts, Borden buffs can learn all about the infamous Lizzie even if they can’t visit her beloved Maplecroft home or the house where her parents were bludgeoned with a hatchet nearly 128 years ago.
Two new podcasts that focus on the Borden murders attempt to educate listeners, and offer a little diversion from today’s struggles.
A new podcast episode of “It’s Just a Ghost” by Mary Jensen of Sturbridge is ready for listening. It offers facts, as well as interviews, and a little smattering of the supernatural.
There is also a new four-part podcast series, “Lizzie Borden Audio: The Inquest Episodes,” by Kate Lavender of Portland, Oregon.
Lavender’s inquest podcast delves into the true crime story that continues to appeal to new generations with “100 percent trial testimony from the lady herself.”
Listeners will hear testimony from Lizzie Borden about the day of the murders revealing what a “clever and sophisticated liar she has become,” Lavender said.
Lizzie’s father Andrew and step-mother Abby were brutally killed in their home at 92 Second St. on Aug. 4, 1892. Although Lizzie was found not guilty after her trial the following year, many believe she not only got away with murder, but took the truth about what happened that day to her grave.
Lavender said she believes Lizzie is guilty of the horrific murders.
“All the clues are there and I purposely spaced them into specific episodes so that you can digest the information into bite-sized pieces,” Lavender said.
News stories of serial killer Ted Bundy led to Lavender’s “obsession” with true crime in the 1970s, and it’s never relented.
“All the girls he was killing looked just like me – long brown hair parted in the middle with bangs,” Lavender said. “I was convinced he was coming for me.”
In 2016, Lavender watched a television show about Lizzie Borden and the cold case murders of her parents.
“I couldn’t believe that the case was still unsolved, so I began to study it day and night,” she said. “The more I read, the more I wanted to know.”
Lavender’s hope is to not only educate people about the Borden case, but: “I want people to have a good time.”
In “It’s Just a Ghost,” Jensen discusses parts of the unsolved murder case, interviews paranormal investigators and a historian, and even offers a mock interview with Lizzie herself.
In an English accent, “Lizzie” tells Jensen in her interview that “she would rather talk about it than hear whispers behind my back.”
But, that doesn’t stop Lizzie from whispering her confession, or denial, during the interview.
Lizzie tells Jensen that her step-mother Abby was a “fine woman,” even if the two didn’t see eye to eye.
“I never heard nor saw a thing,” Lizzie tells Jensen about the day of the murders, even though Lizzie and her maid Maggie were both at home. “I didn’t do anything to hurt Abby or Father.”
Jensen, who said she grew up in a haunted house and wrote a paper about Lizzie Borden in high school, has been interested in the case for many years.
Jensen last year visited the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast, where the murders occurred, and the Borden grave site at Oak Grove Cemetery.
“The whole whodunit aspect is fascinating,” Jensen said.
Jensen started her podcast early this year and knew she had to feature Lizzie Borden in one of the episodes.
“I don’t think we will ever truly know who did it … unless Andrew or Abby Borden’s spirits ever reveal the truth,” Jensen said. “That would be amazing.”
Both podcasts can be found on Spotify, Apple, Google, and other podcast destinations.
Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com.