John List was a devout Lutheran who lived with his wife, mother and three children. [24][25] On June 1, less than two weeks after the broadcast, List was arrested at a Richmond accounting firm after a Denver neighbor recognized the description and alerted authorities. Madeleine Astor - Wikipedia John List: The Father Who Killed His Entire Family and - The Lineup This is not the man I know. He died on March 21, 2008 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. 1971 Family Killer Breaks Silence - ABC News and more from FamousFix.com. John A. List Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family No one has stepped forward to claim the body of mass murderer John List, who died while serving a life sentence for killing his Westfield family in 1971, authorities said today. The first seven episodes of Father Wants Us Dead are available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can subscribe on those platforms to be alerted when new episodes drop every Tuesday through June 21. After light bulbs began burning out one by one, they called the police. Born in Bay City, Michigan, List was the only child of German-American parents John Frederick List (18591944) and Alma Barbara Florence List (18871971). List and his family were the embodiment of the American dream in 1965. Delores Miller (wife) is an American Homemaker. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. "[37] When asked why he had not taken his own life, he said he believed that suicide would have prevented him from going to heaven, where he hoped to be reunited with his family. Following his high school graduation, he enlisted into the American military and worked as a lab technician. "I approached all of them from behind so they wouldn't realize till the last minute what I was going to do to them," he said. All List wanted was to reunite with his wife, mother, and children in the afterlife, where he believed there would be no pain or suffering. After making the decision, List says, there was no turning back. In 2008, John Walsh, the host of America's Most Wanted, donated the age-progressed bust by Frank Bender that played a pivotal role in List's apprehension to a forensic science exhibit at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment in Washington, D.C., whose collection was later moved to Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. List laid the bodies of his wife and three children on sleeping bags according to size in the home's ballroom, went to sleep after dinner, and fled the next day. [5] By 1959, List had risen to general supervisor of the company's accounting department; but Helen, an alcoholic, had become increasingly unstable. A manhunt for John was declared, but it was not until 18 years that he was arrested. He killed his immediate family since he could not pay the mansions mortgage after losing his job and did not want them to face ridicule. Assistant Prosecutor Eleanor Clark strongly protested telling the jury of Helen List's syphilis during bitter legal arguments over several days. He murdered his mother, wife and three children in November 1971, due to financial distress and other issues within the family, and fled. He later took a job as the vice president at a bank in New Jersey, where the family finally got settled. Born in 1925 in a conservative Lutheran family, single child John List was a fairly shy, odd and obsessed with military books child from Michigan. In an effort to baffle the police, he cleaned the crime scenes and used scissors to remove his image from every photo in the mansion. Next he went upstairs, to where his 84-year-old mother was having breakfast, kissed her ("like Judas," he told Downtown), and shot her in the head. The family car was found parked at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, but police found no evidence that List had boarded a flight. Authorities walk John List to a plane in Richmond, Virginia in 1989 before transporting him to New Jersey to stand trial.Steve Helber/AP. As I was doing it I knew it was wrong," he said. Because syphilis is not infectious in its later phases, she did not pass it on to John List or her children, although she suffered several miscarriages during her first marriage. "I'm sure that if we recognize each other that we'll like each other's company just as we did here, when times were better.". FBI agents visited his unsuspecting second wife in Virginia and handcuffed the killer, who was going by the name Robert P. Clark, at his accounting office. He was finally apprehended in Virginia on June 1, 1989, after the story of his murders was broadcast on the television program America's Most Wanted. The list of retirees in the second half of 2022 isn't very long, but the years of service add up into the hundreds. He went upstairs and shot his 84-year-old mother. They were shot methodically one by one. He married Helen and raised three children with her, while working as an accountant in many places, such as New York and New Jersey. John List's confession to his 2nd wife revealed in new episode of A seemingly admirable and usual American man, John List and his family lived happily in New Jersey. After driving John Frederick home, List shot him repeatedly because, as misfire evidence showed, his son attempted to defend himself. John List was born on September 17, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. . [12], He was also dealing with his wife's alcoholism and her untreated tertiary syphilis, contracted from her first husband and concealed for 18 years. He says he wanted to spare them the shame of losing their New Jersey mansion and to make sure they got to heaven. In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. Now, in his first-ever public comments about the 1971 crime, the 76-year-old former Sunday school teacher says he is waiting to be reunited with them in the hereafter. It rippled through the county and state: John List, the man who had meticulously murdered his mother, wife and three kids in their Westfield mansion and disappeared without a trace, was in custody. He imposed a sentence of five terms of life imprisonment, to be served consecutively, the maximum permissible penalty at the time. An aerial view of the List family home in Westfield, New Jersey. Then he sat down and wrote a confession letter to his pastor explaining his financial problems. [13] List also stopped milk, mail, and newspaper deliveries. Additionally, the financial burden on the family was increasing, causing him severe psychological distress. Authorities went to Clarks home and spoke to his wife, whom he met at a church social gathering. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "I knew it was wrong. He had saved the souls of the people he loved. Inside the mansion's cavernous ballroom, the bodies of List's wife Helen, 46, and his three children Patricia, 16, John, 15, and Frederick, 13, were laid out on the floor on sleeping bags. [44], In 2022, NJ Advance Media released "Father Wants Us Dead," a podcast serial on the events.[45]. The research in this book is outstanding, and Sharkey clearly put a great deal of time and effort into it. [8], On November 9, 1971, List murdered his entire immediate family, using his own 9mm Steyr 1912 semi-automatic handgun[9] and his father's Colt .22 caliber revolver. After seeing all his children off to school, John List set his plan in motion. Examples include "Savior," the season 6, episode 16 of the television series Law & Order; the 1987 film The Stepfather and its 2009 remake; the 1993 film Judgment Day: The John List Story, in which List was portrayed by Robert Blake;[39] and the character Keyser Sze in the 1995 film The Usual Suspects.[40]. He says he wanted to spare them the shame of losing their New Jersey mansion and to make sure they got to heaven. He settled in New Jersey and took a job at a local bank. He believed that killing them would assure their souls a place in Heaven, where he hoped to eventually join them. He was apprehended 18 years later in 1989 and was sentenced to five terms of life sentence. One night after dinner, he even asked his family what should be done with their bodies after they died. John List | Criminal Minds Wiki | Fandom Associated With. Jury in List family-killing trial told of wife's syphilis - UPI Login John Sr. drove over to his school and watched him playing in a soccer game. Ideal YouTube Profile Picture: Size, Dimensions, Tricks, and More, Reasons To Invest In A Good Gaming Laptop, Microphone Sound Recording for Live Streaming, Delores Miller Clark: Learn More about John Lists Ex-Wife, Johanna Thiebaud- All about Shania Twains Stepdaughter, What You May Not Know About Gweneth Gonzales Thomas, Richard Thomas Daughter, Linnell S. Nobori: All there is to Know about Ted Bessells Wife, Online Pharmacies Make it Easy to Compare Medicines Prices, Katya Ariel Tylo Personal Life, Net Worth, & More, Isis Rae Boykin, Personal Life and Net Worth, Finn William Leeves Coben Lifestyle and Personal Life. The Case of John List. Born in 1925 in a conservative Lutheran | by Alex Murdaugh's defense rests after 14 witnesses over two weeks in ", Woman wins $100,000 lottery prize 11 hours after $11,000 casino jackpot. Delores and John moved to a house around Brandermill, Midlothian, Virginia, where her husband worked as an accountant at an accounting firm. Because this is one of the most. After the June 7, 2021, killings of Maggie . [32][34] Welfare was an unacceptable option, he reasoned, because it would expose him and his family to ridicule and violate his authoritarian father's teachings regarding the care and protection of family members. Alex Murdaugh trial updates: John Marvin faults SLED, doesn't believe He refused to go on welfare, as it would entail excruciating embarrassment in the community and violate the principles of self-sufficiency that he learned at his fathers knee. My Life With John Steinbeck - Gwen Gonger - The Forgotten Wife The Twisted Mind of Family Annihilator John List - America's Most Haunted List, 64, faces multiple life sentences if he is convicted. 07, 2022, 8:00 a.m. The wife of Robert P. Clark--whom the FBI says is really John List, a man who killed his family in 1971--says his arrest is unbelievable and that the alleged killer is not the man I know.. In addition, it will contact the Social Security Administration, Veteran's Administration and Public Welfare for any possible death benefits. See who retired from Pitt in the second half of 2022 . Eventually, he took a decently paying job with a paper company at Kalamazoo, Michigan, and settled there with his family. [12] Neighbors noticed that all of the mansion's rooms were illuminated day and night, with no apparent activity within the house. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. "I've regretted my action and prayed for forgiveness ever since. He also claimed to be suffering from PTSD. Following the end of the war, he resumed his studies and enrolled into the University of Michigan, from where he completed his bachelors degree in business administration. "I finally decided the only way to save them from that was to kill them," he said. Moreover, his wife was a heavy drinker and she had also contracted Syphilis from her first marriage. He then cleaned the various crime scenes, removed his own picture from all family photographs in the house, tuned a radio to a religious station, and departed. In a second attempt at love, he was lucky enough to find a business and life partner in Allain, a producer and hairstylist. Edward Saresky told the jury Thursday that he heard Helen List taunting her husband by telling him that if he was 'half the man her first husband was the family wouldn't have the troubles they were having. [12], In May 1989, the 18-year-old crime was recounted on the Fox television program America's Most Wanted during its first year on the air. Dr. Sheldon Miller, who examined List after his arrest last year, described him Friday as a man who had already been hit by the loss of his job and then learned that his wife had deceived him for years about her medical condition. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Then, read the chilling story of John Wayne Gacy, the original killer clown. American Criminal John List was born John Emil List on 17th September, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan, USA and passed away on 21st Mar 2008 Trenton, New Jersey, USA aged 82. . His mother, Alma was overprotective and dominating that would forbid him to go outside and play with the other children because he might get sick. He worked as an accountant, bringing a stable income back to his Victorian mansion; home to himself, his wife, three children and his mother. For the economist, see, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, Dupont de Ligonns murders and disappearance, "Wanted: A Killer Disappears Into Another Life", "John List, famous murderer The Crime Library", "Breeze Knoll: The John List Murder House", "John E. List, 82, Killer of 5 Family Members, Dies", "In Hiding for 18 Years, a Wanted Man Is Caught by the FBI and a TV Posse", "Prosaic Life of Suspect in '71 New Jersey Murders", "Real Estate Assessment Data for 13919 Sagewood Trace", "Notorious AMW Fugitive John List Dead at 82", "Frank Bender, 'Recomposer' of Faces of the Dead, Dies at 70", "John List Bust Remembered as Sculptor Faces Death", "The List Murders Stun Westfield In 1971", "Slaying Suspect Saw 2 Choices, Doctor Testifies", "I Know That What Has Been Done Is Wrong", "Killer of Family Gets 5 Life Terms: Court: Judge sentences accountant who murdered his mother, wife and children 18 years ago to the maximum sentence", "Judge Sentences Family Killer to Life in Prison", "The boogeyman of Westfield, a ghost story that won't end", "How Profitable Sequels Succeed: They Just Bring 'em Back Alive", "The Watcher's Grisly John Graff Murder Sequence Is Based on True Story of a Family Massacre. Help keep John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) profile up to date. Oct 9, 2018. But then his life began to crumble. He was arrested in 1989 after a former neighbor recognized him from a profile on the syndicated TV show America's Most Wanted. As his daughter Patricia, 16, and younger son Frederick, 13, arrived home from school, List shot each of them in the back of the head. When the police entered the house, on December 7th, the bodies had begun to decompose. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. A deputy sheriff at the Henrico County Jail was tasked with watching John List after his arrest in 1989. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He killed Patricia when she returned home from school, then the youngest son, Frederick. [1] She was the second wife and widow of businessman John Jacob Astor IV . Judge William L'E. The episode, "Murder House", premiered on November 18, 2015. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Dr. Miller said List had learned before the killings that syphilis was the cause of his wife's worsening medical and psychological problems and that knowing she had a sexually transmitted disease would have a 'tremendous impact' on someone of his background. His sixteen years old daughter and 13 years old son returned from the school at noon. Dr. Steven Simring, a psychiatrist who examined List after his arrest years later, told Downtown his "sense of neatness" was the result of a compulsive personality. Returning home, he made several calls to explain that the family had gone to North Carolina to visit his wife's ailing mother, and that he was planning to follow by car. His father died in 1944. He is a quiet yet friendly man who loves his work and the people he works with.. The Army, realizing List's accounting skills, reassigned him to the Finance Corps. She was born 25th October 1916. [17] From 1979 to 1986, he was the comptroller at a paper box manufacturer outside Denver. [7] In 1965, List accepted a position as vice president and comptroller at a bank in Jersey City, New Jersey, and moved with his wife, children, and mother into Breeze Knoll, a 19-room Victorian mansion at 431 Hillside Avenue in Westfield. He met his first wife, Helen Morris Taylor, whose husband had been killed in action in Korea. John List may refer to: John A. Helen List lied to her doctors during several hospitalizations, Liss said. The jury finally found John List guilty and a judge sentenced him to five life terms in a New Jersey prison. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Although it is a work of fiction, much of the character John Graff was borrowed from the story of the John List murders. He waited for Helen to come down for her morning coffee. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. He grew up as an only child with strict German parents, he had an overly protective and domineering mother (sort of like Norman Bates). John List's confession to his 2nd wife revealed in new episode of 'Father Wants Us Dead' podcast Published: Jun. After List's discharge in 1946, List enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in accounting, and was commissioned a second lieutenant through ROTC. He defended himself saying that he was not mentally stable. John was convicted of five counts of first degree murder in April 1990 and was imprisoned with five terms of consecutive life imprisonment. The arrest followed Foxs Americas Most Wanted, featuring a sculpted clay bust of Johns age-progressed face. Born In: Bay City, Michigan, United States. The army discharged him in 1946, after which he joined the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He watched John Jr. play soccer at school, then drove him home and killed him, too. Los Angeles, 12 reasons why Sycamore Avenue is L.A.s coolest new hangout, Fox News finally reveals its kryptonite: the bottom line, The Week in Photos: California exits pandemic emergency amid a winter landscape, Snowboarder dies at South Lake Tahoe resort, California to alter COVID rules in healthcare settings: Masks and vaccinations not required, Welcome to the world, baby Winter, born amid a snowstorm in Lake Arrowhead, Gripped by grace: Thousands gather for Bishop OConnells funeral Mass. In 1989, Fox network broadcasted a TV show titled Americas Most Wanted, where an episode featured the New Jersey mass murders of John by his family. ELIZABETH, N.J. -- Accused family-killer John Emil List, who had always looked to his religious faith for answers, was so overwrought over the discovery that his wife had advanced syphilis that 'like a small rubber band, he snapped,' a psychiatrist said. However, the marriage was not very good. 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness World Record. Upstairs, the body of List's 84-year-old mother Alma was found. John List: He Committed the (Almost) Perfect Murder [46] Played by Joe Mantello, much of John Graff's story was identical such as his being an accountant, attending a Lutheran church, and murdering his family members and live-in mother, along with leaving music playing in the house and planning an alibi that would cause the bodies to remain undiscovered for several weeks. John Emil List, 63, was profiled on the TV program "America's Most Wanted" May 21. The family were devout Lutherans. According to trial testimony, Helen had pressured List into marriage by falsely claiming that she was pregnant, then insisted that they marry in Maryland, which did not require the premarital syphilis test mandated in most other states at the time. While there is no set timetable on when that might happen, Daly said the remains of other prison inmates have been stored for up to roughly three months by the medical examiner's office. The New Jersey mansion he inhabited with his mother, wife, and three children had 19 rooms, including a ballroom, marble fireplaces, and a Tiffany skylight. He killed them to save their souls so they would go to heaven. John Emil List was born in Michigan, in 1925, the only child of John and Alma List. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. He settled in New Jersey and took a job at a local bank. Financial troubles combined with his discontentment with his family over many issues caused severe depression to John, who then decided to take a drastic step to end everything once and for all. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Under Review. Just as the kids entered from the main door, he shot both of them in the heads as well. He murdered his mother, wife and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey on November 9, 1971. Interview statement on List's confession to his second wife. John was arrested and extradited to New Jersey. Helen and her three children were buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. Wanted - The Lives They Lived - Obituaries - The New York Times John had first moved to Michigan, and then to Colorado, where he took an accounting job in Denver. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. He then shot both his wife and mother in their heads. The mass murderer was an active member of his local Lutheran church and married his second wife Delores in 1985. He later completed his masters degree in accounting and worked as an accountant in the military.