Credit: Netflix

Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s hit true-crime anthology series is back on Netflix with its fourth season, The Lizzie Borden Story, marking the first time it focuses on a female Monster.

The Netflix series dramatises the story of the young, repressed New England daughter who became the prime suspect in the 1892 axe murders of Lizzie Borden’s father, Andrew and stepmother, Abby, on August 4th in Fall River, Massachusetts.

While Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted of the gruesome murders, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story also focuses on the rebellious maid, Bridget Sullivan, who was reportedly the only other person present in the wealthy family home when Borden’s parents were killed. But who exactly was Sullivan? How is she relevant to the case?

After the double homicide left the nation in shock, Lizzie was tried and found not guilty of the killings. As for Sullivan, she spent 45 years in Anaconda following the unsettling incident. According to her testimony on June 7th, 1893, she was born in Cork County, Ireland, to her parents, Eugene and Margaret Sullivan. She allegedly entered the country seven years earlier.

“Was born in Ireland; came first to Newport, Rhode Island. After a year there, went to South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I came to Fall River four years ago; went to work for Mrs Reed. Had been working for Mr Borden two years and nine months at the time of his death. There was no other domestic servant, but a man from the farm used to come and do chores; his first name was Alfred; I don’t know the other name,” Sullivan’s testimony read.

The testimony further detailed her in-house responsibilities, including cooking, cleaning, ironing and washing. And while recounting the events of that fateful day, she revealed she was outside cleaning windows. As per her statement, no one else reportedly came into or near the house. In fact, it was only after Lizzie alerted her and called her downstairs that she came to know that someone had killed her father.

“I heard the City Hall bell ring, and I looked at my clock, and it was 11 o’clock. I wasn’t drowsing or sleeping. In my judgment, I think I was there three or four minutes. I don’t think I went to sleep at all. I heard no sound; I didn’t hear the opening or closing of the screen door. I can hear that from my room if anyone is careless and slams the door,” Sullivan explained during her trial.

“The next thing was that Miss Lizzie hollered, ‘Maggie, come down!” I said, ‘What is the matter?’ She says, “Come down quick; Father’s dead; somebody came in and killed him.’ This might be ten or fifteen minutes after the clock struck eleven, as far as I can judge.” Borden allegedly then sent Sullivan to seek a doctor.

Bridget Sullivan was 25 when the 1892 axe murders took place. She moved to Anaconda, Montana, in 1897 and tied the knot with John Sullivan in 1905. Sullivan reportedly died at the age of approximately 81 at the county hospital in Butte.

According to a report by The Anaconda Leader, which was effectively closed in 2026, several investigators thought Sullivan may have been an accomplice in the ruthless axe murders. It detailed how she was “less than forthright” during the trial, further disputing her claims and suggesting that it was almost impossible for her to notice something wrong when she was actually outside washing windows.

The report also pointed out that Sullivan didn’t open up about Lizzie’s complex relationship with her stepmother. She further told a friend, Minnie Green, that she had “helped Lizzie out at the trial” and had been “less than candid” (via Moneycontrol).