The Man Who Lied About Everything: How John Morse Got Away With Murder

Police called his statements "false" - yet he was never considered a suspect

For three episodes, we've systematically dismantled 130 years of lies about the Lizzie Borden case. We've proven her innocence through the impossible timeline, the Victorian clothing debacle, and the openly biased investigation that ignored crucial evidence. But if Lizzie didn't commit these brutal murders, then who did?

The answer was hiding in plain sight all along: a man who was staying at the house during the murders, who had clear motive, who lied about everything—including his whereabouts, his relationships, and even the murder weapons. His name was John Morse, and today we're going to expose how his web of lies and contradictions should have made him suspect number one from day one.

What you're about to read will shock you. Police notes document that Morse's statements were "false." His alibi crumbles under the slightest scrutiny. His behavior was so suspicious that even newspapers questioned his mental state. Yet somehow, this obvious suspect was never seriously investigated while police focused their bias on an innocent woman.

This is the story of how the real killer got away with murder by hiding behind a badge of family respectability while weaving a web of lies so obvious that it's documented in the investigators' own handwriting.

The Cold Uncle: A Relationship Built on Secrets

Before we dive into John Morse's lies, let's paint a picture of who this man really was. You might expect that Lizzie would have had a warm relationship with Uncle John—after all, he was her mother's brother, the only link she had to her mother's side of the family. A mother she loved dearly and who was tragically taken from her when Lizzie was only four years old.

But if you expected warmth and family affection in their relationship, you'd be dead wrong.

The relationship between Lizzie and John Morse was formal and cold. They were more like distant acquaintances than family members. There's no evidence of affection or even of spending real time together over the years. While Lizzie's sister Emma did write to Uncle John occasionally, there was still no warmth in the family dynamic.

Here's something else that should have raised immediate red flags: John Morse wasn't a regular guest in the Borden household. He would show up from time to time, usually unannounced, but he didn't drop by for Sunday dinners or holiday celebrations. Most of the family assumed he was living "out west" somewhere, maintaining his distance from Fall River.

But here's where the lies begin: John Morse wasn't living out west at all. He had actually been living in nearby Dartmouth with a friend, Mr. Isaac C. Davis, for at least the past year before the murders. Dartmouth was an easy distance from Fall River—close enough for regular visits, yet he rarely appeared.

His sporadic appearances seemed to coincide with business matters rather than family obligations. So why was he in Fall River on August 3rd and 4th, 1892, right when the family was about to be torn apart by violence? That timing is more than suspicious—it's damning.

The Man Who Couldn't Be Pinned Down

John Morse was someone who was deliberately hard to pin down, and that should have been the first clue that something was seriously wrong. If you asked him where he lived, you'd get a vague "out west." Ask him what he did for a living, and you'd receive evasive answers like "cattle dealing." Try to pinpoint his whereabouts on any given day, and you'd be met with contradictions.

The truth was that Uncle John was deliberately obscuring his movements and whereabouts. He gave his family the false impression that he was living far away when he was actually living very close by. This deception served a crucial purpose: he was close enough to keep tabs on the Bordens—their whereabouts, their comings and goings—all while maintaining a safe distance and avoiding observation.

If anyone discovered his proximity, he could always claim he was just in Fall River on business. But this positioning allowed him to watch and plan, waiting for the right opportunity. And that opportunity came on August 4th, 1892.

The Business Partnership That Turned Deadly

Here's where the motive becomes crystal clear. While John Morse wanted to present himself to police as a family member who just occasionally visited, he was actually in business with Andrew Borden. They frequently dealt in cattle together, and Morse had just brought some cattle to Andrew's summer farm in Swansea.

But there had been a dispute—a serious business disagreement over a horse that had gotten injured. Andrew Borden wasn't one to lose money, even though he could afford the loss. According to Rich Little's book "Cold Case to Case Closed," there was significant friction between the two men the day before the murders.

This wasn't a minor disagreement between relatives. It was serious business between two men who were obsessed with money and profit. The Herald News reported that Andrew was "infuriated" about issues related to their joint livestock ventures. We're talking about two business partners, both known for their obsession with money, facing a significant financial loss because of what Andrew saw as Morse's incompetence or carelessness.

Andrew Borden was notoriously tightfisted and extremely serious about his money. This kind of confrontation could have left very bad feelings—maybe even thoughts of revenge. And the next morning, Andrew was dead.

The Rootless Existence of a Perfect Killer

John Morse's lifestyle made him the perfect candidate for committing murder and getting away with it. He had a rootless existence that made his movements difficult to track, giving him the kind of anonymity that would be invaluable for planning and executing a crime.

He had no wife to account to. He didn't have a permanent community watching his behavior. He didn't even have an established routine. He could come and go, appear and disappear as he pleased, without anyone questioning his whereabouts or activities.

The newspapers' description of John Morse is telling: "A tall man who looks like a farmer. He has a closely cropped beard and mustache and his eyes are bloodshot or have prominent veins in them."

That detail about his bloodshot eyes is particularly significant. While it could have been due to fatigue or emotion, it could also have been from the stress of committing a brutal, violent double homicide.

Even more damning is what the Fall River Globe reported: "It is also reported that some members of the family have developed symptoms of insanity in the past, and some at least are known to old residents of having always been considered a little queer."

Even the newspapers had their doubts about John Morse's mental state and behavior.

The Alibi That Crumbles Under Scrutiny

Now we come to the heart of the matter: John Morse's alibi for the morning of the murders. This is where his web of lies becomes so obvious that it's shocking the police didn't immediately recognize him as their prime suspect.

According to police notes, John Morse stated that he left the Borden homestead on Second Street at about 8:50 AM and went to see a nephew and niece whom he had never seen before. They were staying at Mr. Emory's house at number 4 Weybosset Street. Morse claimed he arrived there at about 9:30 AM and remained until 11:30 AM, then took a streetcar directly back to the Borden home, arriving at about 11:50 AM when he discovered the murders.

To verify this alibi, police went to the Emory house and spoke with Mrs. Emory. She confirmed that Mr. Morse did come there about 9:40 AM and left at 11:20 AM or thereabouts. She also confirmed that he met his nephew and niece, and that he hadn't been to their house in several years.

But here's where the alibi completely falls apart, and it's so obvious that it's shocking the police missed it.

Mrs. Emory also told police that Dr. Bowen came to her house just as Mr. Morse was leaving. When asked if they met, Mrs. Emory said, "No, they did not." This detail is extremely important because we know from testimony that Dr. Bowen arrived back at his house (across the street from the Borden house) around 11:15-11:20 AM.

Here's the problem: if Dr. Bowen left his house after 10:00 AM to go to Mrs. Emory's house and returned by 11:15-11:20 AM, and if John Morse was at Mrs. Emory's house from 9:40 AM until 11:20 AM as claimed, then there's no way they didn't cross paths.

We're not talking about a five-minute difference here. If Dr. Bowen arrived at Mrs. Emory's at 10:30 AM and John Morse didn't leave until 11:20 AM, then they would have been there together for at least 30 minutes. But Mrs. Emory specifically said Dr. Bowen was coming in as John Morse was leaving—they didn't even see each other.

This means John Morse had to leave Mrs. Emory's house before 10:30 AM, not 11:20 AM as he claimed. That's almost an hour of unaccounted time—time during which the murders occurred.

The Police Called His Statements "False"

The evidence of John Morse's lies doesn't end with his destroyed alibi. Police notes document multiple instances where his statements were proven false. Constable L. Edson wrote: "J.V. Morris testified that one axe and three hatchets were taken from the house, put in a light colored bag of course cereal, and carried away. This is false."

Even the constable was documenting that John Morse was lying about crucial details related to the murder weapons. So why wasn't this a huge red flag for the investigation?

We already know the police had bias against Lizzie, but this level of documented deception from another person in the house should have immediately shifted their focus. Instead, they filed away these contradictions and continued building their case against an innocent woman.

The Suspicious Questions That Revealed a Guilty Mind

Perhaps the most chilling evidence of John Morse's guilt comes from his own words to police. According to police notes, "Mr. Morris afterwards asked if I suspected that the murderer could have been concealed in the house last night. I replied that I did not. Then I said that he might have been in the house, but could not see how he could have been there without some of them seeing him."

Think about this: John Morse was asking police if they thought the murderer might have been hiding in the house the night before. Why would an innocent person's mind go to such a specific scenario unless they were trying to plant seeds of doubt or deflect suspicion?

But it gets worse. Morse then said, "It is very strange that this should be done in the daytime and right in the heart of the city. It reminds me of the Nathan murder which was 20 or 25 years ago. In that case, they never found the murderer."

Let that sink in. John Morse had just witnessed his brother-in-law and sister-in-law murdered and bludgeoned in the most hideous way, and he was talking to police about an unsolved case from 25 years earlier, noting how interesting it was that both murders happened in the daytime and how the earlier killer was never caught.

Was John Morse taking notes on how to get away with murder? Was he involved in that earlier case? Or was he just making sure police understood that some murders go unsolved?

The Evidence That Made the Investigator Gasp

The most shocking piece of evidence comes from what happened after the murders were discovered. According to police notes, there was something so significant that when the investigator reviewing this case saw it, they literally gasped out loud.

The evidence shows a pattern of behavior and statements from John Morse that goes far beyond simple lies or contradictions. It reveals a man who was not only deceptive about his whereabouts and activities but who seemed to have intimate knowledge of how the murders were committed and what evidence might be found.

His questions to police, his references to unsolved murders, his false statements about weapons, and his destroyed alibi all point to one inescapable conclusion: John Morse wasn't just a witness to these crimes—he was the perpetrator.

The Perfect Crime Hidden in Plain Sight

John Morse committed what he thought was the perfect crime. He had motive (the business dispute with Andrew), opportunity (he was staying in the house), and means (access to the weapons). His rootless lifestyle made him difficult to track, and his family connection gave him a perfect cover story.

But Morse made one crucial mistake: he underestimated the power of documentation. His lies were so numerous and so obvious that they were recorded in multiple police reports. His alibi was so flawed that it crumbled under the slightest scrutiny. His behavior was so suspicious that even newspapers questioned his mental state.

The evidence of his guilt was hiding in plain sight, documented in the investigators' own handwriting. But because the police had decided from day one that they "didn't like" Lizzie Borden, they never seriously investigated the obvious suspect who was right in front of them.

The Real Killer's Escape

John Morse got away with murder not because he was particularly clever, but because the police were looking in the wrong direction. Their documented bias against Lizzie blinded them to the obvious evidence pointing to the real killer.

While they were building a case against an innocent woman based on their personal feelings about her demeanor, the actual murderer was establishing his alibi, disposing of evidence, and covering his tracks. The police bias that we documented in previous episodes didn't just deny justice to Lizzie—it provided the perfect cover for a killer to escape.

The Truth That's Been Waiting 130 Years

For over a century, we've accepted the narrative that Lizzie Borden was the only possible suspect in these murders. We've ignored the obvious evidence pointing to John Morse because the original investigators were too biased to see what was right in front of them.

But the evidence has been there all along, documented in police notes and court transcripts that few people have bothered to read carefully. When you examine this evidence without the bias that corrupted the original investigation, the truth becomes undeniable:

John Morse had motive, opportunity, and means. He lied repeatedly about crucial details. His alibi was false and easily disproven. His behavior was suspicious enough to concern even contemporary newspapers. Police documented that his statements were "false," yet he was never seriously investigated.

Meanwhile, Lizzie Borden—who had no motive, no opportunity during the crucial time window, and whose innocence is proven by the physical impossibility of the prosecution's timeline—was put on trial for her life.

Justice Denied, Truth Revealed

The Lizzie Borden case represents one of the most egregious failures of justice in American history. Not only was an innocent woman wrongly accused, but the real killer was allowed to escape because investigators were too biased to follow the obvious evidence.

John Morse committed these murders and got away with them because the police decided they "didn't like" Lizzie Borden more than they cared about finding the truth. His web of lies, false alibis, and suspicious behavior were all documented but ignored in favor of building a case against someone whose only crime was not grieving in the way police expected.

But the truth has been waiting 130 years for someone to finally pay attention to what the evidence actually says. John Morse was the real killer, and the proof has been hiding in plain sight all along, documented in the very police notes that should have led to his arrest.

The man who lied about everything got away with murder, but he can't escape the judgment of history. The evidence is clear, the documentation is undeniable, and the truth can no longer be ignored: John Morse killed Abby and Andrew Borden, and the biased investigation that followed allowed him to walk free while an innocent woman faced the gallows.

Justice was denied in 1892, but the truth has finally been revealed. The real killer's name was John Morse, and the evidence proving his guilt has been waiting over a century for someone to finally read it without the bias that blinded the original investigators.

This investigation is based on actual police notes and court transcripts that document John Morse's lies, false alibis, and suspicious behavior. The evidence proving his guilt and Lizzie Borden's innocence has been available for 130 years—it just took someone willing to look past the bias that corrupted the original investigation to finally see the truth.

The bombshell testimony came from the notes of officer George Seaver when interviewing Mr. Eddy.    You can fin it all here in "Lizzie Borden: The Lies Behind the Legend"