After seeing his daughter and two sons off to school, List walked into the kitchen of his 19-room HIllside Avenue mansion on Nov. 9, 1971, and shot his wife, Helen, as she sipped her morning coffee. [16], List died of complications from pneumonia aged 82 on March 21, 2008, while imprisoned at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. The Lists might have appeared to be the ideal American family, but everything was not as it seemed. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. The army discharged him in 1946, after which he joined the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He was not, however, willing to suffer the earthly consequences of his actions. [11], Breeze Knoll remained empty until it was destroyed by fire in August 1972, nine months after the murders. . He then shot both his wife and mother in their heads. "It was my belief that if you kill yourself, you won't go to heaven," he said. An aerial view of the List family home in Westfield, New Jersey. 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. As I was doing it I knew it was wrong," he said. The inconspicuous accountant was arrested without incident Thursday at work. He gave him a ride home, then shot him in the chest. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). [6] In 1960, his stepdaughter Brenda married and left the household, and List moved with the remainder of his family to Rochester, New York, to take a job with Xerox. He simply exploded.'. Unlike the others, John didn't go quietly, his body jerking as List emptied both the 9 millimeter and the .22 into his son. YouTubeThe note John List wrote excusing his children from school. After driving John Frederick home, List shot him repeatedly because, as misfire evidence showed, his son attempted to defend himself. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. In a three-sentence statement to the court, he said he was sorry for "the tragedy that happened in 1971." YouTubeThe List house burned down several months after the List family bodies were discovered there. We have estimated John A. List's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets. John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. On 9 November 1971, John murdered his wife, mother, and three children by shooting them. They had an expert forensic artist, Frank Bender, create a physical bust of John List as Bender imagined he might have aged. March 3 (UPI) -- A 7-year-old Louisiana boy with a firm grasp of baseball rules is seeking a Guinness World Record as the world's youngest umpire. "It's just like D-Day, you go in, there's no stopping after you start," he said. He had saved the souls of the people he loved. He says today he felt he was letting the family down. However, the marriage was not very good. [35] At his sentencing hearing, he denied direct responsibility for his actions: "I feel that because of my mental state at the time, I was unaccountable for what happened. It took Johns fingerprints to match with the military records to convince the authorities that he was John List. This is not the man I know. Specifically: I am a member of St Lorenz Lutheran Church with access to burial records. So he spent his days at the train station, reading the newspaper and secretly skimming money from his mothers bank accounts to pay the mortgage. While his name is still occasionally mentioned in Cooper articles and documentaries, no direct evidence implicates him, and the FBI no longer considers him a suspect. John List Sr., husband, father, son, accountant, devout Lutheran, had announced that they were going on a family trip, had stopped the paper and milk deliveries and then killed his family. and more from FamousFix.com. John and Helen had three daughters when he worked as an audit supervisor at a paper company in Kalamazoo. YouTubeThe bust created of John List, right, next to the real John List, left. [18][19][20], In 1972, List was proposed as a suspect in the D. B. Cooper air piracy case because of the timing of his disappearance (two weeks prior to the airline hijacking), multiple matches to the hijacker's description, and the reasoning that "a fugitive accused of mass murder has nothing to lose. A South Carolina jury has found once-prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh guilty on all counts in the deaths of his wife and son. John Emil List (1925-2008) - Find a Grave Memorial The arrest followed Foxs Americas Most Wanted, featuring a sculpted clay bust of Johns age-progressed face. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. John Emil List, 63, was profiled on the TV program "America's Most Wanted" May 21. John List died in prison in 2008 at age 82. Expert psychologists believed rather that List was going through a mid-life crisis and as the prosecution pointed out, that was no excuse for killing five innocent people. He told her she went through a slow, agonizing death, the friend said. Flanery lived next door to John List, who was going by Robert Clark, and his second wife, Delores Clark, in Aurora, Colorado from 1985 to 1988. He. He first shot his wife, then his mother, waited for his children to get home, and murdered them. Alex Murdaugh's defense rests after 14 witnesses over two weeks in Helen lived with her daughter Brenda near Fort Eustis in Virginia, where John served. Of the more than 200 tips from viewers that the FBI received from the program, one said a man resembling List lived at a Midlothian address under the name Robert Clark, FBI Agent Tom ODonnell said. Following his high school graduation, he enlisted into the American military and worked as a lab technician. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He worked as an accountant, bringing a stable income back to his Victorian mansion; home to himself, his wife, three children and his mother. His zodiac sign is Virgo. He is a quiet yet friendly man who loves his work and the people he works with.. When they entered the house, music was still playing on the intercom, but List was long gone. With his first wife, John Frederick had had a son, William George, who happened to be the same . 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 gruesomely murdering his entire family, John List had begun living a normal life again. List, Patricia List, place of death: Trenton, New Jersey, United States, education: University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He met his first wife, Helen Morris Taylor, whose husband had been killed in action in Korea. "I finally decided the only way to save them from that was to kill them," he said. John List (murderer) - Wikipedia Later, John took a lucrative job at Xerox and moved to New York and lived there with his family for a few years. The day after the killings, List scoured the house for family photographs, tearing his image out of them so police would have nothing to use in Wanted posters. 1971 Family Killer Breaks Silence - ABC News Salary in 2021. They attended church every Sunday as devout Lutherans and List taught Sunday school. The video above will play a live video stream of the Monday, Feb. 27 proceedings in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial or a replay upon completion. List gave critical financial problems, as well as his perception that his family members were straying from their religious faith, as his motivations for the murders. 'To find his wife having a veneral disease was morally, ethically and religiously a very hard thing for him to accept,' the psychiatrist said. He died in the prison hospital at the age of 82, in 2008. 2023. The crime remains one of the most gruesome acts of all time. In 1965, when List and his family moved to affluent Westfield, N.J., he seemed to be a model of suburban success and propriety. At his trial in 1990, defense lawyers argued that List suffered from PTSD from his military service in World War II and Korea. . Alex Murdaugh trial updates: John Marvin faults SLED, doesn't believe But unlike the other members of the List family who dropped instantly, John Jr. struggled. 07, 2022, 8:00 a.m. My Life With John Steinbeck - Gwen Gonger - The Forgotten Wife Jurors deliberated for about . In an interview, he stated that he did not kill himself because suicide prevents one from going to heaven. 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. John List passed away on March 21, 2008, after suffering from pneumonia. From New York, he had traveled overland to Denver, where he began a new life under the name Robert P. Clark, working first as a hotel fry cook and later as an accountant for H&R Block. The Stepfather is Based on the True Story of John List - Wicked Horror List's death ended a sordid chapter in Westfield's history. John Sr. shot him nine more times before dragging him into the ballroom with the rest of his family. If you want to get the most Any streaming system that wants to deliver live audio must have microphones. All rights reserved (About Us). During that time, he was associated romantically with a number of celebrities, including a nine-year affair with actress Merle Oberon. He was sentenced to five consecutive life prison terms. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. John List was a devoutly religious man, and provided for his family in the town of Westfield, New Jerseywhere they lived in a 19-room mansion called Breeze Knoll. Born in an extremely strict Lutheran family, John was raised as a single child. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. In an interview with Connie Chung in 2002, List said he didnt kill himself after killing his own family because he felt that would prevent him from getting to heaven. List is accused of killing his wife, his three children and his mother in 1971. He had been fired from all his jobs due to his cold demeanor and his inability to be social with his co-workers. 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 began living with a new identity in Virginia, where he was spotted by a local and got arrested. The episode, "Murder House", premiered on November 18, 2015. He believed that killing them would assure their souls a place in Heaven, where he hoped to eventually join them. After the June 7, 2021, killings of Maggie . Tips came pouring in. Helen was first. John List - Trivia, Family, Bio | Famous Birthdays Extras - Father Wants Us Dead: A True Crime Podcast From NJ.com 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. Ten days after a creepy, glass-eyed bust of John List was shown on Americas Most Wanted, Westfield residents had not heard of a single promising lead. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. March 3 (UPI) -- A sheep spotted wandering loose on a British highway was given a lift back to its owner by a concerned bus driver on her first day on the job. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Alex Murdaugh murder trial: The jury finds him guilty on all counts : NPR He was arrested in 1989 after a former neighbor recognized him from a profile on the syndicated TV show America's Most Wanted. Then, he went up to the third floor and murdered his mother in her bed. List caught the tail end of the show with his wife, who did not know his past. John was arrested and extradited to New Jersey. [16] In reporting his death, the New Jersey Star-Ledger referred to him as "The Boogeyman of Westfield. When the police entered the house, on December 7th, the bodies had begun to decompose. John packed off his children to school and loaded both of his handguns. If no one claims List's body, Fedekenheuer said, "we call the local funeral director, and that person will have the body cremated. New revelations in the episode include what List said through tears to his shocked and heartsick second wife, who hoped it was all some mistake and her husband was really the man she thought she had married Robert Clark when she visited him in jail. When the children left for school, he shot his wife and his mother to death. This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, 17 things to do in Santa Cruz, the old-school beach town that makes for a charming getaway, Best coffee city in the world? John Emil List was born in Bay City, Michigan, on September 17, 1925, to John Frederick and Alma Marie List. "[21][22] List was questioned by FBI investigators after his capture, but he denied any involvement in the Cooper case. Once inside the kitchen, John Sr. shot him in the back of the head. Joseph Vought, Ludwig "Lou" Silbermann, Jerome Kendall, George Corbett,. In addition to the financial distress, his eldest daughter wanted to become an actress, which was not acceptable by John owing to his Conservative upbringing. The Rev. John List, going by the name Robert Clark, rented a room in this house in Richmond, Virginia from S. Wallace Parsons, until he and Delores Clark moved into their new home. Then List waited downstairs to kill his children, one by one, as they came home. Episodes, photos and other information are also available at fatherwantsusdead.com. One friend, unidentified by the newspaper, said that List had told Delores Clark he had been married before to an alcoholic who died of cancer. His father was a devout Lutheran who also taught at a local Sunday School in Bay City. [32], On April 12, 1990, List was convicted of five counts of first degree murder. He was the only child born to German-Americans John Frederick List and Alma Maria Barbara Florence List. List is charged with shooting his mother, wife and three children in their Westfield, N.J. home, and authorities said he left a five-page note detailing the crime. In an interview in 2008, parents told a reporter in New Jersey that children will not walk past that property, nor do they even want to live on the same street. Delores Miller Clark lived a simple life in Denver before she met and married John List, who then went by the name Robert Peter Bob Clark. John List met Helen Morris Taylor, a young widow of an American enlisted man who had died in the Korean War. The News Leaders copyright story quoted his pastor, closest friend and neighbors as saying that the arrest was unbelievable and impossible.. In addition, it will contact the Social Security Administration, Veteran's Administration and Public Welfare for any possible death benefits. His father-in-law had heard from the county sheriff: After nearly 18 years, List had been caught. Gwyn Conger Steinbeck was the second wife of John Steinbeck, master story-teller and Nobel Prize winner. He later took a job as the vice president at a bank in New Jersey, where the family finally got settled. 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. Overdue book returned to Massachusetts library after 56 years. . A former Denver neighbor alerted the police, who made the arrest later. He imposed a sentence of five terms of life imprisonment, to be served consecutively, the maximum permissible penalty at the time. Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool. A manhunt for John was declared, but it was not until 18 years that he was arrested. John E. List, 82, Killer of 5 Family Members, Dies Attempts to reach List's former wife, Delores, whom he married in Denver while a fugitive and later moved with to Richmond, Va., where he was apprehended, have been unsuccessful. He later completed his masters degree in accounting and worked as an accountant in the military. Delores Miller (wife) is an American Homemaker. Interview statement on List's confession to his second wife. It took 18 years for John List to be arrested. Then he made a sandwich, drove to the bank, and disappeared for 18 years. he is the biggest con man who ever walked the Earth, another unidentified friend told the paper. In November 1971, the mass murderer and long-time fugitive killed his wife, mother, and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey. If you take gaming seriously, you shouldn't accept anything less than the greatest. [16], List eventually expressed a degree of remorse for his crimes. His play times were replaced with gatherings around . By the late 1950s, the family was in a good financial situation as John had been promoted to the position of a general supervisor in the company. 'Father Wants Us Dead' podcast extras: Never before seen List - Nj Austin Goodrich, an ABCNEWS consultant who is writing a book with John List, contributed material for this report. At sixty-four, John's father was twenty-six years older than Alma, whom he had married one year earlier, after his first wife died of cancer. Police investigated hundreds of leads without success. [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. One tip came from a woman in Richmond, Virginia, who thought her next-door neighbor, Robert Clark, bore a striking resemblance to the bust. A federal appeals court rejected both arguments. Realizing he was overhearing an important conversation between List and his second wife, the young officer took notes and later related what he heard to investigators from New . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. John was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and five terms of life imprisonment. He then drove his son back to the house and emptied both the guns on him, shooting him in his head and chest repeatedly. [11][12], List placed the bodies of his wife and children on sleeping bags in the mansion's ballroom. [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. Delores Miller (wife) and John List are divorced. He settled in Denver in early 1972 and took an accounting job under the name Robert Peter "Bob" Clark, one of his college classmates (although the real Bob Clark later asserted that he had never known List). John List was born on September 17, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. He made himself a sandwich, closed out his bank accounts, and cheered for his only surviving son, John, at his high school soccer game. [33], A court-appointed psychiatrist testified that List suffered from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and that he saw only two solutions to his situation: accept welfare, or kill his family and send their souls to heaven. "I was perspiring like anything," he remembers, but said his wife did not seem to have recognized him. Westfield police did not discover the bodies until nearly a month later. He later pursued a masters degree in accounting from the same university and as the Korean War had escalated in 1950, he was recalled by the Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, stationed at Fort Eustis in Virginia, where he met his wife Helen. Authorities never found the cause of the fire, and a new house was built on the property years later. [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.
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