Remembering the shocking, yet largely forgotten, murders connected to Frank Lloyd Wright that scandalized the world

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · Jun 07, 2026 · 1285 words · By Clare McHugh

True Crime Biographical History Romantic Tragedy

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What to know about True Crime

Remembering the shocking, yet largely forgotten, murders connected to Frank Lloyd Wright that scandalized the world See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 23

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Remembering the shocking, yet largely forgotten, murders connected to Frank Lloyd Wright that scandalized the world See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleFrank Lloyd Wright was never a modest man.

Common ground

Praised frequently as the greatest architect in American history, he would parry “Why limit it to America?” During his long life — he died in 1959 at the age of 91 — he married three times, sired seven children, infuriated clients, ran up debts he couldn’t…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Causal Oversimplification, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this True Crime story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Taliesin — the Welsh word for “shining brow,” as he called the 800-acre estate?
How does this story connect True Crime with Biographical History over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/07/lifestyle/inside-the-shocking-murders-connected-to…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 23 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 13

check_circle Corroborated 4

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “Taliesin — the Welsh word for “shining brow,” as he called the 800-acre estate”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Mamah embarked on a new career as a translator, producing English versions of the writings of the Swedish feminist Ellen Key”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “Next he killed young John with a single hatchet blow to the head, and pursued a screaming Martha as she ran outside... hacked her to death”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “His wife, Gertrude, employed as the estate’s cook”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “neighbors put out the fire and eventually found the butler hiding in a furnace, having swallowed acid. He died seven weeks later”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “The headline in Utah’s Ogden Standard read, “The Terrible Fate of Mamah Borthwick in Her Bungalow of Love... ””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “in 1924, when he met his third and final wife, the Montenegro-born dancer Olgivanna Lazović”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “Mamah... was married to one of Wright’s clients, a stolid businessman named Edwin Cheney with whom she shared a son and daughter”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia and other web results confirm Mamah Borthwick married Edwin Cheney in 1899. While the specific number of children (son and daughter) is not explicitly listed in the snippets, the marriage is verified.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Martha Bouton "Mamah" Borthwick was an American translator who had a romantic relationship with architect Frank Lloyd Wright, which ended when she was murdered.In 1899, Borthwick married Edwin Cheney,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamah_Borthwick

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Edwin Cheney married Mamah Borthwick on June 15, 1899, at her family's home in Oak Park, Illinois.
https://grokipedia.com/page/Edwin_Cheney

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The mistress of Frank Lloyd Wright, Mamah Borthwick was killed by an ax-wielding servant at Taliesin, Wright's Wisconsin home, on August 15, 1914.
https://allthatsinteresting.com/mamah-borthwick

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Claim 9: “Wright rushed into an ill-advised relationship with an unstable woman, sculptress Miriam Noel, who became his second wife”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “Emil Brodelle, a draftsman... called [Carlton] a racial epithet”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 11: “he married three times, sired seven children”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While Wikipedia confirms he had wives, the provided evidence does not explicitly state the total number of marriages (three) or the total number of children (seven).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright playe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Frank Lloyd Wright designed 1,141 houses, commercial buildings and other works throughout his lifetime, including 532 that were eventually built. As of 2013, there were 409 extant structures designed …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Frank_Lloyd_Wright_wor…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. (March 31, 1890 – May 31, 1978), commonly known as Lloyd Wright, was an American architect, active primarily in Los Angeles and Southern California. He was a landscape architect…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Wright

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 12: “Taliesin, the Wisconsin residence Wright designed for the great love of his life, Martha “Mamah” Borthwick”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Taliesin is a house-studio complex in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and other sources link it to his relationship with Mamah Borthwick.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taliesin ( tal-ee-ESS-in; sometimes known as Taliesin East, Taliesin Spring Green, or Taliesin North after 1937) is a house-studio complex located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of the village of Spring Gre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliesin_(studio)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taliesin West ( tal-ee-ESS-in) is a studio and home developed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Named after Wright's Taliesin studio in Spring Green, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliesin_West

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “Carlton poured the liquid under the door of the dining room... and set it afire... Only two survived”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 14: “In Berlin the couple moved into the Hotel Adlon”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the Hotel Adlon in Berlin.

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Claim 15: “Wright and Mamah moved again, this time to a secluded villa in the hilltop town of Fiesole, near Florence, Italy”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 16: “Mamah encouraged Wright to expand his practice and take on the daunting job of designing a vast new entertainment venue in Chicago, Midway Gardens”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 17: “Wright left Illinois in autumn 1909, and persuaded the tall and elegant Mamah, now his lover, to accompany him to Europe”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia and other web sources confirm that Wright and Mamah Borthwick left their spouses and traveled to Europe in 1909.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — His fame increased, and his personal life sometimes made headlines: leaving his first wife Catherine "Kitty" Tobin for Mamah Cheney in 1909; the murder of Mamah ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 8, 2020 ... A few years earlier Frank Lloyd had taken money from Catherine's father to build his own house. Frank Lloyd fell in love with Edwin's wife Mamah ...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Old.Cincinnati/posts/4205863…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In 1909, Mamah and Frank left their respective spouses and traveled to ... Photo is of Mamah Borthwick Cheney who fled with Frank Lloyd Wright to a ...
http://www.steinerag.com/flw/Artifact+Pages/Photos.htm

verified

Claim 18: ““The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise,” by Casey Sherman, describes an atrocity committed in 1914 at Taliesin”

VERIFIED

An Instagram post for a new book confirms Casey Sherman wrote 'The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright' regarding a murder/scandal, and other sources confirm the 1914 massacre at Taliesin.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 48 Hrs. (pronounced Forty-Eight Hours) is a 1982 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy (the latter in his film debut) as a cop and a convict, respectively, who tea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48_Hrs.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Albert Henry DeSalvo (September 3, 1931 – November 25, 1973), also known as the Green Man or the Measuring Man, was an American murderer and rapist who was active in Boston, Massachusetts, in the earl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_DeSalvo

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Casey Sherman is an American author, journalist and screenwriter most famous for his 2009 book The Finest Hours, which was adapted into the Disney Studios 2016 film of the same name, and Boston Strong…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Sherman

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 19: “The subsequent headline on the front page of the Tribune read: “Leave Families: Elope to Europe — Architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Mrs. Edwin Cheney of Oak Park Startle Friends.””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific Chicago Tribune headline.

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Claim 20: “On Aug. 15, 1914... Julian Carlton... used a small hatchet he’d hidden in his jacket to strike Mamah from behind, splitting her skull in two”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 21: “in the early 1900s, he spearheaded the innovative Prairie School of design”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Alamy, and Wikipedia, confirm his leadership/influence in the Prairie School of design in the early 1900s.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio is a historic house museum in Oak Park, Illinois, United States. It was built in 1889 by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who lived there with his fami…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright_Home_and_St…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Frank Lloyd Wright/Prairie School of Architecture Historic District is located in the village of Oak Park in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District is both …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright–Prairie_Sch…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Prairie School is a late 19th and early 20th-century architectural style, most commonly seen in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs wit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_School

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 22: “Wright... married [Catherine “Kitty” Tobin Wright] when he was 22”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results (a movie called 'Frank', Frank Sinatra, and a fish market). No evidence regarding the age of his marriage to Kitty Tobin was provided.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Frank is a 2014 black comedy film directed by Lenny Abrahamson from a screenplay by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan. It stars Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_(film)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Francis Albert Sinatra (/ sɪˈnɑːtrə /; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board " and " Ol' Blue Eyes ", he is regarded as one of the m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — At Frank’s, freshness isn’t just a slogan — it’s a way of life. We partner with reputable local fishermen, sustainable suppliers, and coastal distributors to bring in daily shipments of wild-caught an…
https://franksfishandseafoodmarket.website/

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Claim 23: “he died in 1959 at the age of 91”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including ABC7 Chicago, IMDb, and Wikipedia, confirm Frank Lloyd Wright died in 1959 at the age of 91.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Olgivanna Lloyd Wright (December 27, 1898 – March 1, 1985) was the third and last wife of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. They met in November 1924 and married in 1928. Together they established the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olgivanna_Lloyd_Wright

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.