He was born as the only child in the highly religious German-American household. The family were devout Lutherans. [17] From 1979 to 1986, he was the comptroller at a paper box manufacturer outside Denver. John List was on the run when they met in 1985 after having murdered his family members about 14 years before. Forensic artist Frank Bender uses photographs to sculpt an aged bust of mass murderer John List. 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). [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. He had drained his and his mothers bank accounts and fled, changing his identity. 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. The News Leaders copyright story quoted his pastor, closest friend and neighbors as saying that the arrest was unbelievable and impossible.. Joe Sharkey's DEATH SENTENCE is an account of the life of John Emil List who, in a case that was well known in the 70s, killed his mother, his wife, and their 3 children. [15] Destroyed along with the home was the ballroom's stained glass skylight, rumored to be a signed Tiffany original, worth at least $100,000 at the time (equivalent to $650,000 in 2021). The couple later moved to Richmond together . and more from FamousFix.com. John List was born on September 17, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. One tip came from a woman in Richmond, Virginia, who thought her next-door neighbor, Robert Clark, bore a striking resemblance to the bust. Bradford Patricia Colosimo (23 years), director of arts programming Jon Draeger (35 years), associate professor of chemistry Andrea Robbins (40+ years), instructor of chemistry and algebra, Division of Physical and Computational Sciences. Unlike the others, John didn't go quietly, his body jerking as List emptied both the 9 millimeter and the .22 into his son. Once inside the kitchen, John Sr. shot him in the back of the head. John was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and five terms of life imprisonment. [5] By 1959, List had risen to general supervisor of the company's accounting department; but Helen, an alcoholic, had become increasingly unstable. One night after dinner, he even asked his family what should be done with their bodies after they died. On Nov. 9, 1971, after sending his children off to school, List took his two handguns out to the car to load them, then walked into the kitchen and shot his wife from behind as she was drinking coffee. "I wish I had never done what I did," he told Connie Chung in 2002. Authorities later revealed that John kept lying to his family about his jobs. "It's just like D-Day, you go in, there's no stopping after you start," he said. And it came from a family member of all people. 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. Additionally, the financial burden on the family was increasing, causing him severe psychological distress. Want more true crime? Login 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 episode aired on May 21, 1989 (Opens in a new tab), catching the eye of a neighbor who called the police and warned Clark's second wife, who seemed "stunned." (Opens in a new tab) List was . 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness World Record. He did not mention his wife, his mother, or his children. March 3 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Britain responded to a home to rescue a horse that had fallen into its owner's swimming pool and was unable to get itself out. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. The inconspicuous accountant was arrested without incident Thursday at work. "I knew it was wrong. Oct 9, 2018. If you take gaming seriously, you shouldn't accept anything less than the greatest. The bust created of John List, right, next to the real John List, left. List's death ended a sordid chapter in Westfield's history. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Los Angeles is suddenly awash in waterfalls, Officials admit being unprepared for epic mountain blizzard, leaving many trapped and desperate, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Californias snowpack is approaching an all-time record, with more on the way, This is me, this is my face: Actress Mimi Rogers on aging naturally, without cosmetic surgery, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick. 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. Delores Clark, right, tells reporters at a press conference on June 8, 1989 that she did not believe her husband was John List. Early life [ edit] Katherine (left) and Madeleine Force. He was previously married to Delores Miller and Helen List. Gwyn Conger Steinbeck - Who was She? List left the bodies of his wife, his mother, Alma, 84, and his children, Patricia, 16, John, 15, and Frederick, 13, and several confessions and apologies in his Westfield home in November 1971 and disappeared for 17 years. He joined a Lutheran congregation and ran a car pool for shut-in church members. The neighbours called the police when Johns daughter Patricias dancing teacher came home to see why Patricia was not coming to the classes. On November 9, 1971, John List put his plan into action. He watched John Jr. play soccer at school, then drove him home and killed him, too. 2023. Born In: Bay City, Michigan, United States. The List house burned down several months after the List family bodies were discovered there. 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. John List was an American mass murderer, who became infamous in the 1970s for killing his mother, wife and three children. [11], Breeze Knoll remained empty until it was destroyed by fire in August 1972, nine months after the murders. [23][16] The segment featured an age-progressed clay bust, sculpted by forensic artist Frank Bender, which turned out to bear a close resemblance to List's actual appearance. HOW HE MET HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE John Schneider and his wife, Alicia Allain, began their journey after his divorce from his first wife of twenty-one years. All five victims had been shot. Helen List lied to her doctors during several hospitalizations, Liss said. They married in 1985. "[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. Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool. Interview statement on List's confession to his second wife. March 2 (UPI) -- A Minnesota police officer came to the rescue of a raccoon he spotted running around with a jar stuck over its head. He says today he felt he was letting the family down. As I was doing it I knew it was wrong," he said. He then drove his son back to the house and emptied both the guns on him, shooting him in his head and chest repeatedly. He couldnt bear to tell his family about the loss of income. That left his oldest son. In 1965, when List and his family moved to affluent Westfield, N.J., he seemed to be a model of suburban success and propriety. I ask all affected by this for their forgiveness, understanding and prayer. They did not have any children together. Then, he went to the bank to close his accounts and cash his mother's savings bonds. But what led Delores husband to commit such a chilling crime? [16] In reporting his death, the New Jersey Star-Ledger referred to him as "The Boogeyman of Westfield. John List was a devout Lutheran who lived with his wife, mother and three children. I was shocked to hear about Bobs arrest and what he is charged with, the statement said. Her story put an end to the 18-year-long mystery. On November 9, 1971, John List shot his wife, his mother, and his three children. [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. To avoid sharing this humiliating development with his family, List engaged in the same routine and dress as when employed, leaving home each morning on schedule and spending the day at job interviews or at the Westfield train station, reading newspapers until it was time to come home. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. [30] As the year progressed, the family's financial problems became more strained; List encouraged his children to seek part-time work, ostensibly to teach them maturity and responsibility, but in actuality to help keep the family financially solvent. They got him down in Virginia.. In the afternoon, he killed his children as they came home first his daughter Patty, a budding actress at 16; then his youngest, 13-year-old Frederic; and finally 15-year-old John, his namesake and his favorite. He began living with a new identity in Virginia, where he was spotted by a local and got arrested. 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. 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. Simring said List showed "no evidence of anything that approached genuine remorse," adding, "He's a cold, cold man.". His father-in-law had heard from the county sheriff: After nearly 18 years, List had been caught. John confessed to committing the murders in February 1990. 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 . He is from American. Wikimedia CommonsJohn List with his wife and three children. The department will use any money remaining in List's account at the prison to pay for all or part of the cremation and burial, according to state regulations. He had planned the murders so meticulously that even after many years of the incident, the police and FBI found no trace of John. 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. He believed that killing them would assure their souls a place in Heaven, where he hoped to eventually join them. 'List believed doing what he did do to his family was allowed because he was sending them to join God and saving them from the embarrassment of having to be on the public dole.'. [43], The movie A Killer Next Door, based on the events that led to the capture of John List, was released In July 2020. It turned out that List had changed his identity and moved to Colorado under the assumed name Robert Clark. The Star-Ledger reporter, who loved to chat about the infamous murderer with the locals on his Union County beat, was grabbing a sandwich for lunch when he got a tip of his own. When they met, she led a simple life working as an Army PX clerk. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He also claimed to be suffering from PTSD. Helen lived with her daughter Brenda near Fort Eustis in Virginia, where John served. John Emil List (September 17, 1925 March 21, 2008) was an American mass murderer[1] and long-time fugitive. Authorities never found the cause of the fire, and a new house was built on the property years later. [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. Its hard to believe the solution he arrived at would have been more acceptable to his father, but John List would later say it seemed to him the only option: the murder of his mother, wife, and children. After finding an old 9 mm pistol he had bought as a souvenir of World War II, and a .22-caliber target pistol, he purchased new ammunition and went to a shooting range for target practice. Then Frederick, 13. New Jersey prosecutors had come up with a plan. He then shot his wife in the back of the head as she enjoyed her final sips, careful to ensure that her last moments were free of suspicion. 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. 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. The arrest followed Foxs Americas Most Wanted, featuring a sculpted clay bust of Johns age-progressed face. '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 defended himself saying that he was not mentally stable. . He married Helen and raised three children with her, while working as an accountant in many places, such as New York and New Jersey. YouTubeThe bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. Helen and her three children were buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. YouTubeForensic artist Frank Bender uses photographs to sculpt an aged bust of mass murderer John List. He lined up the four bodies in the ballroom (he said his mother's body was too heavy to move), put music on the internal intercom, and cleaned up meticulously. [12], The murders were not discovered until December 7, nearly a month later, due in part to the family's reclusive tendencies, and in part to notes sent by List to the children's schools and part-time jobs claiming that the children would be visiting their ailing maternal grandmother in North Carolina for a few weeks. But back in Denver, his former neighbors did recognize him, and called police. 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 was not, however, willing to suffer the earthly consequences of his actions. He was sentenced to five consecutive life prison terms. He says he wanted to spare them the shame of losing their New Jersey mansion and to make sure they got to heaven. His middle son, John Jr. who was also his favorite suffered the most brutal death. "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.". 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. Subsequent jobs didnt pan out. After driving John Frederick home, List shot him repeatedly because, as misfire evidence showed, his son attempted to defend himself. [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. Madeleine Talmage Astor ( ne Force; later Dick and Fiermonte; June 19, 1893 - March 27, 1940) was an American socialite and a survivor of the RMS Titanic. He worked hard as an accountant at a nearby bank to provide for his family. 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. That same year, he enlisted in the United States Army and served as a laboratory technician during World War II. 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. After learning about the murders committed by John List, check out the story of Dale Cregan, the one-eyed killer. 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. His lawyer, Elijah Miller Jr., argues that knowing his wife suffered from syphilis helped drive the deeply religious man over the edge. "At least I'm certain that all have gone to heaven now. The 14th and final defense witness was the defendant's brother John . On November 9, 1971, John Emil List murdered his mother, his wife, and their three children at their Westfield, New Jersey home using his 9mm Steyr 1912 semi-automatic handgun and his. Though we'd like to say that Wayne and Pilar lived happily ever after, apparently that's not the case. [44], In 2022, NJ Advance Media released "Father Wants Us Dead," a podcast serial on the events.[45]. Associated With. When authorities entered the Westfield, New Jersey house on December 7, 1971, they heard organ music piped through the intercom system. John List laid the bodies of his family members on top of sleeping bags in the ballroom, then composed a note to his pastor, who he felt would understand. Salary in 2021. John seemingly grew up without incident, reporting a normal childhood with the exception of his stringently religious upbringing, with which he identified wholeheartedly. He placed the bodies of his wife and . He then walked up to the third floor and shot his 85-year-old mother, Alma. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. "So eventually I got to the point where I felt that I could kill them. In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. But, during a four-hour interview, he sought to explain how worries that financial hardship would split his family and turn them away from their faith forced him to make a tough decision. After the June 7, 2021, killings of Maggie . 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. John fled the house after putting all the bodies on sleeping bags, turning the house lights on and putting on some classical music. 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. . The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their . Helen's mother was in fact ill, and had canceled a visit to Westfield because of it; had she made the trip, List later said, she would have been his sixth victim. List, who says he remains deeply religious today, acknowledges that his crimes violated one of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not kill.". [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. John Sr. drove over to his school and watched him playing in a soccer game. [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 later moved to California, and then Detroit, where he worked as an accountant in a local firm. 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. They were shot methodically one by one. Just as the kids entered from the main door, he shot both of them in the heads as well. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Born in an extremely strict Lutheran family, John was raised as a single child. Delores kept a low profile after Johns arrest, and it is unclear what happened to her. Attorney David Baugh, who represented List in Virginia, offers support.AP Photo/Steve Helber. Police in Virginia arrested mass murderer John List on June 1, 1989, a mere nine days after Americas Most Wanted aired his case. Liss summarized Helen List's medical reports for the jury. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The memory of the murders still haunts Westfield residents. A month passed before neighbors, curious about the constantly burning lights and empty windows, began to suspect something was wrong at the List mansion. He was caught after the television show "America's Most Wanted" air a segment on the murders. List died in prison in 2008 at the age of 82. "The Boogeyman of Westfield", was an American family annihilator and mass murderer who killed five members of his family on November 9, 1971, in Westfield, New Jersey. While his children were at school, he shot his wife Helen, 47, in the back of the head, and then his mother Alma, 84, above the left eye. The alias worked, and he kept it when he moved to Richmond. He grew up as an only child with strict German parents, he had an overly protective and domineering mother (sort of like Norman Bates). This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. Soon after his high school graduation, he joined the United States Army during the Second World War, where he worked as a laboratory technician. He was arrested 11 days later, and, after a jury rejected his diminished capacity defense, convicted and sentenced. His father died in 1944. 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. They attended church each week with List's mother, a strict Lutheran who lived with them. 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. John List and his family were the definition of the American Dream in 1965; they seemed to have it all. John and Helen began dating and a few months later, Helen revealed to John that she had become pregnant. See the events in life of John List in Chronological Order, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_List_(mugshot).jpg, https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/john-list-10634.php. ', Suspected burglar inside New Brunswick home was a panicked deer. The new lovers wed on 1 December 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland. He became increasingly depressed. List, Patricia List, place of death: Trenton, New Jersey, United States, education: University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 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. The list of retirees in the second half of 2022 isn't very long, but the years of service add up into the hundreds. Although the destruction was officially ruled arson, it remains officially unsolved with no suspects. Episodes, photos and other information are also available at fatherwantsusdead.com. John was arrested and extradited to New Jersey. But the jury has also seen evidence that List planned both the killings and his escape so carefully that he had been gone for a month before the crime was discovered. Helen was first. He lost the bank job, and a succession of subsequent jobs. 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. Upstairs, the body of List's 84-year-old mother Alma was found. Eventually, he took a decently paying job with a paper company at Kalamazoo, Michigan, and settled there with his family. Fast forward 18 years to 1989. He slept in the mansion where his family lay dead, then walked out the door the next morning and wasnt seen again for 18 years. Helen had turned into an alcoholic, which caused them to engage in a lot of fights. A new house was built on the site in 1974. John Emil List, 63, was profiled on the TV program Americas Most Wanted May 21. I thought I was being real clever," he said. John List's confession to his 2nd wife revealed in new episode of 'Father Wants Us Dead' podcast Published: Jun. A neurologist, Dr. Henry Liss, testified earlier Friday that Helen List, 45, had tertiary syphilis and had hidden her disease for years from her doctors and her family. When his daughter and youngest son came home, he shot them in the back of the head. 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.