The True Story Behind Bridget Sullivan, Lizzie Borden's Maid and Lover in 'Monster'

The 1892 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden were shocking for the Fall River, Massachusetts community—especially when Andrew's daughter Lizzie was accused of the crimes. The story has since been mined for its parts, from a popular recited folk rhyme to novels, and now a Netflix miniseries under Ryan Murphy’s Monster franchise banner.

Ella Beatty stars in the titular role in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, and the series dramatizes the events and details surrounding the murders and Borden’s enduring legacy. That includes Borden’s alleged relationship with Bridget Sullivan, the family’s Irish live-in maid (also called Maggie) who was present the day of the fatal events. Vicky Krieps steps into Sullivan's shoes on Monster, embodying the key witness of the trial who was later also rumored to have a romantic relationship with the defendant. Here’s what we know about the true story behind Bridget Sullivan and Lizzie Borden's relationship.

What to Know About the Real Bridget Sullivan

A romantic relationship between the women was first suggested by novelist Evan Hunter (who wrote under the pen name Ed McBain).

Evan Hunter’s 1984 novel Lizzie suggested that Borden committed the murders after her relationship with Sullivan was discovered. His theory was that Abby, Lizzie’s stepmother, caught Borden and Sullivan together and reacted poorly, and Borden retaliated by hitting her with a candlestick. McBain further speculated that Borden confessed her relationship with Sullivan to her father, Andrew, later that day, but when he reacted just as poorly as Abby, she killed him too. None of this has been proven true.

The same storyline was dramatized in the 2018 Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart film 'Lizzie.'

In a script by Bryce Kass, Chloë Sevigny takes on the storied role of Borden, with Kristen Stewart as her paramour Sullivan. The film earned acclaim after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Rotten Tomatoes consensus called it “a new look at a widely known true-crime story,” though the events depicted in the film have never been confirmed.

Most likely, Borden and Sullivan were never more than employer and employee.

Despite all the stories—and Monster's depiction of Sullivan as a close mentor to Borden—it’s unlikely that they had anything more than a professional relationship. Similarly, Monster depicts Sullivan as being paid by Andrew Borden for sex, but there is no evidence of this ever happening.

In reality, after Sullivan arrived in the United States, she began working at the Borden household. Andrew and Abby employed her for almost three years before their murders. She lived in an attic room in their home, which gave her a first-hand view into the family’s life and interpersonal relationships. Monster depicts

Though she was a longtime employee of the family, Sullivan reportedly tried to quit on multiple occasions. According to the book Parallel Lives, which documents the history of Fall River, Sullivan sensed tension in the household between Emma, Lizzie, and their stepmother and tried to find work elsewhere. Abby allegedly convinced her to stay by offering higher wages, per The Herald News.

Sullivan’s testimony about that day in the Borden house revealed that she heard a laugh from the stairs, later claiming it to be Lizzie’s. Unbeknownst to Sullivan, Abby had already been murdered upstairs, creating suspicion around Lizzie, who later “found” Andrew’s body downstairs. However, Sullivan's witness testimony never provided concrete evidence to convict Borden. During the trial, Sullivan’s proximity to the murders and lack of knowledge about what actually happened in the Borden house made people speculate about her potential romantic involvement with Lizzie, but there is “no contemporary evidence” to suggest this was true.

Similarly,

Borden is believed to have been a lesbian.

Another element that has fueled the Borden-Sullivan romance rumors was the fact that many believed Borden was a lesbian, due to her close friendships with women (like actress Nance O’Neil, who is portrayed in Monster by Jessica Barden) and her lifelong spinsterhood. But just like her supposed romance with Sullivan, this theory has also not been proven.

Sullivan, meanwhile, left Fall River after Borden’s acquittal in 1983 and settled down in Montana. She married a man named John M. Sullivan in 1905 and largely disappeared from public life. Many years later, Sullivan’s friend Minnie Green spoke to author Victoria Lincoln, who wrote the 1967 book A Private Disgrace, revealing that Sullivan may not have told the full truth while on the stand. “Green said that Sullivan spoke to her about the Borden case late in life. Sullivan allegedly suggested that she had not told everything she knew about the murders and said she had ‘helped Lizzie out’ during the trial,” A&E summarized. What Sullivan may have meant by that will never be known.