Murderous Teen Becomes New ‘Lizzie Borden’ Axing Mom To Death
A murderous teen has been branded the new “Lizzie Borden” after she axed her mother to death. It shocked everyone, but she remained unfazed by what she had done. So, when did this go down, and what was the outcome? Keep reading for more details.
Murderous Teen Becomes New ‘Lizzie Borden’
In 1892, Lizzie Borden was accused of axing her father and stepmother to death. She was thirty-two when this happened and was ultimately acquitted of her crime. The reason nothing happened to Lizzie was that there was not enough evidence against her, so she was able to walk free. In 1936, a new Lizzie emerged and followed in her footsteps. Gladys MacKnight caused a stir in her home on the night of July 31st. The seventeen-year-old caught the attention of the neighbor, Elizabeth Fuery, who checked in to see if everyone was fine. Screams alerted Elizabeth to something suspicious, so she questioned the teen.
Gladys alleged that her mother, Helen, had cut her finger and that everything was fine. Essentially, she tried to reassure her but ushered her away. When Gladys’ father, Edgar, came home, he realized it was more than a sliced finger. The forty-seven-year-old was surrounded by blood, and an ax lay next to her while Gladys and her boyfriend, Donald Wightman, had fled the scene. Neighbors saw them speed off, and there was no doubt that Gladys was the culprit. Although she was much younger, she was now looked at as the new Lizzie Borden.
Gladys and Donald were eventually found, and they tried to flee, but they were ultimately stopped by officers and guns. She did not even bother changing her clothes, but rather kept her bloody dress on. The authorities were beyond impressed with the teen and her ability to remain “cool.” One detective shared this:
“She was the coolest thing I ever saw. All the time she talked, she sat with one leg thrown over the arm of the chair. She smoked one cigarette after another.”
It seems she was unfazed by what she had done and made no apologies for killing Helen, and had a reason.
The Truth Behind The Ax
Why did Gladys MacKnight do this to her mother, Helen? She claims Helen caught her and Donald kissing, which set her off. Allegedly, she went after Donald with a knife, and he proceeded to grab the ax and go off, which he seemed to be on board with. However, Donald soon claimed that it was Gladys who murdered Helen, while he held her down so the teen could ax her mother. He told Gladys she needed to tell the truth, which she eventually did. The couple had a handful of beers, then wanted to go out early, so Gladys asked Helen to cook. She told her daughter to make her own dinner, and that was when the axing went down.
The couple faced the electric chair but ended up getting off with a second-degree murder charge. Unlike Lizzie Borden, who she was compared to, Gladys was found guilty. She and Donald faced up to thirty years of hard labor. In the end, Gladys was paroled in 1943, whereas he was released in 1945, both enlisting and fading away. However, she will always be known as the second coming of Lizzie Borden.
What do you think of this story, and is it mind-blowing to you the sentence teen Lizzie Borden received? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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