More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. If things had gone on who knows if that would be the case," he wrote. John was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and five terms of life imprisonment. videos, "I knew it was wrong. The Twisted Mind of Family Annihilator John List - America's Most Haunted He went upstairs and shot his 84-year-old mother. He had saved the souls of the people he loved. Then he sat down and wrote a confession letter to his pastor explaining his financial problems. "I remember talking about funerals and cremation and burials. 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. Pending. John List died in prison in 2008 at age 82. Human name disambiguation pages. In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. "It's just like D-Day, you go in, there's no stopping after you start," he said. After the June 7, 2021, killings of Maggie . He was not, however, willing to suffer the earthly consequences of his actions. John List: The Perfect Family Man Who Killed His Perfect Family The arrest followed Foxs Americas Most Wanted, featuring a sculpted clay bust of Johns age-progressed face. The crime remains one of the most gruesome acts of all time. "At least I'm certain that all have gone to heaven now. March 3 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts library said a book was recently returned with a note apologizing for the tome being 56 years overdue. "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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He then called his childrens school to grant them leave to visit their grandmother in South Carolina. [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. 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. A deputy sheriff at the Henrico County Jail was tasked with watching John List after his arrest in 1989. Authorities walk John List to a plane in Richmond, Virginia in 1989 before transporting him to New Jersey to stand trial.Steve Helber/AP. [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). His lawyer hopes to convince the jury that List should not be held legally responsible for the deaths because he thought he was saving his family's souls by killing them. Liss summarized Helen List's medical reports for the jury. Wanted - The Lives They Lived - Obituaries - The New York Times Assistant Prosecutor Eleanor Clark strongly protested telling the jury of Helen List's syphilis during bitter legal arguments over several days. lists He later moved to California, and then Detroit, where he worked as an accountant in a local firm. He was 82. He was apprehended 18 years later in 1989 and was sentenced to five terms of life sentence. John List, The Mass Murderer Who Killed His Family So Hed See Them In Heaven. 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). [11][12], List placed the bodies of his wife and children on sleeping bags in the mansion's ballroom. 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. Delores Clark said that she was making her statement reluctantly and that she would have no further comment. Then Frederick, 13. 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. The Stepfather is Based on the True Story of John List - Wicked Horror British bus driver stops to give loose sheep a lift. The couple had three children together, while Helens daughter Brenda left home in 1960 after her marriage. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, meticulously murdered his mother, wife and three kids. He became increasingly depressed. Attorney David Baugh, who represented List in Virginia, offers support.AP Photo/Steve Helber. Feb. 20, 2002 -- Thirty years ago, accountant John List methodically murdered his whole family his mother, his wife, and their three children. He took a new identity and also joined a Lutheran church, where he met his second wife, Delores Miller. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. John Sr. shot him nine more times before dragging him into the ballroom with the rest of his family. Reporters Rebecca Everett and Jessica Remo explore the impact of the capture, meeting people in Virginia who saw List unmasked and tracking down Lists second wife one side of the infamous story thats never been told. 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. He lived at 431 Hillside Avenue with his wife, Helen Morris Taylor; mother, Alma Barbara Florence List; and two children: daughter Patricia, and sons Frederick and John. That left his oldest son. Although the destruction was officially ruled arson, it remains officially unsolved with no suspects. Body of killer John List remains unclaimed - nj.com John List - Biography - IMDb March 2 (UPI) -- A Florida woman earned a Guinness World Record when she completed 23 ultra-marathon runs -- 31.1 miles -- in a 23-day period. The jury finally found John List guilty and a judge sentenced him to five life terms in a New Jersey prison. They got married in December 1951. "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. List diverted money from his mother's bank accounts to avoid default on his mortgage. I was shocked to hear about Bobs arrest and what he is charged with, the statement said. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. 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. List methodically murdered his wife Helen, his mother Alma, and their three childrenPatricia, 16; Frederick, 13; and John Jr., 15. . March 3 (UPI) -- A New Brunswick couple who initially thought a burglar had broken into their home discovered the invader was actually a panicked deer. 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 devout Lutherans attended church every Sunday, and List taught Sunday school. He began living with a new identity in Virginia, where he was spotted by a local and got arrested. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He was arrested 11 days later, and, after a jury rejected his diminished capacity defense, convicted and sentenced. List assumed a new identity, remarried, and eluded justice for nearly 18 years. He is most remembered for Murdered his entire family in 1971. Judge William L'E. The family later moved to Rochester, New York, to work with Xerox. Joseph Vought, Ludwig "Lou" Silbermann, Jerome Kendall, George Corbett,. Liss testified after a judgeruled that information on Helen List's medical condition could be given to the jury that must decide whether List is guilty of murder. He also claimed to be suffering from PTSD. They had an expert forensic artist, Frank Bender, create a physical bust of John List as Bender imagined he might have aged. He worked hard as an accountant at a nearby bank to provide for his family. But his defence was rejected and he was imprisoned at the New Jersey State Prison. YouTubeForensic artist Frank Bender uses photographs to sculpt an aged bust of mass murderer John List. 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. John List was born John Emil List, on September 17, 1925, in Bay City, Michigan, to John Frederick List and Alma Barbara Florence List. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. The unlikely story of his capture, the tip that led to it and the wild coincidences Gluck encountered as he followed the story are told in the latest episode of Father Wants Us Dead, an investigative true crime podcast about the List killings from NJ Advance Media. He couldnt bear to tell his family about the loss of income. Aside from a few extra wrinkles, the bust was spot on. He told her she went through a slow, agonizing death, the friend said. [4], After completion of his second tour in 1952, List worked for an accounting firm in Detroit, and then as an audit supervisor at a paper company in Kalamazoo, where his three children were born. 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. Also in 2022, Netflix released a seven-part dramatic fictional miniseries called The Watcher. The John List project: About the reporting - nj.com After making himself lunch, List drove to his bank to close both his and his mother's bank accounts, and then to Westfield High School to watch his elder son John Frederick, 15, play in a soccer game. 'America's Most Wanted' killer John List remains infamous - mlive WhenAmericas Most Wantedaired the story of the John List murders on May 21, 1989, an audience of 22 million saw Frank Benders sculpture. They attended church each week with List's mother, a strict Lutheran who lived with them. He defended himself saying that he was not mentally stable. He watched John Jr. play soccer at school, then drove him home and killed him, too. 'He faced limited options and like a small rubber band, he snapped. [12] Alma's body was flown to Frankenmuth, Michigan, and interred at the Saint Lorenz Lutheran Cemetery. List saw the children off to school and then shot her in the kitchen as she sipped her customary morning coffee. 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). He has also appeared on television shows such as Your Worst Nightmare and American Justice. John List Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements Then he made a sandwich, drove to the bank, and disappeared for 18 years. He was 82 years old at the time of his demise. [5] By 1959, List had risen to general supervisor of the company's accounting department; but Helen, an alcoholic, had become increasingly unstable. [44], In 2022, NJ Advance Media released "Father Wants Us Dead," a podcast serial on the events.[45]. 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. [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. In February 1988, the couple moved to a house in the Brandermill neighborhood of Midlothian, Virginia, where List, still using the name Bob Clark, resumed work as an accountant at a small accounting firm, Maddrea, Joyner, Kirkham & Woody. He is a quiet yet friendly man who loves his work and the people he works with.. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The John List Murders - Historic Newspapers This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. But after doctors at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York concluded that her symptoms might be caused by syphilis, she admitted that she had suffered from the disease since the 1940s and had been treated for it at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington. 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. Interview statement on List's confession to his second wife. 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.. 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. 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. 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. After gruesomely murdering his entire family, John List had begun living a normal life again. "I wish I had never done what I did," he told Connie Chung in 2002. With his first wife, John Frederick had had a son, William George, who happened to be the same . John seemingly grew up without incident, reporting a normal childhood with the exception of his stringently religious upbringing, with which he identified wholeheartedly. 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. John was a strict Lutheran and hence, when he came to know about Helens pregnancy, he right away proposed to her for marriage. Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders 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 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 said that he had been living a quiet life--active in his church, puttering in his yard on weekends--and that he had no problems with the law while a fugitive. He met his first wife, Helen Morris Taylor, whose husband had been killed in action in Korea. [11], Westfield, where few violent crimes had been recorded since 1963, received national attention as the site of one of the most notorious felonies in New Jersey since the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby. In a five-page letter to his pastor, found on the desk in his study, List claimed that he saw too much evil in the world, and he had killed his family to save their souls. America's Most Wanted: The Disturbing Case of John List John enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 and was a laboratory technician during World War II. John List may refer to: John A. See who retired from Pitt in the second half of 2022 Helen lived with her daughter Brenda near Fort Eustis in Virginia, where John served. 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. John was arrested and extradited to New Jersey. [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. [13] List also stopped milk, mail, and newspaper deliveries. ", Woman wins $100,000 lottery prize 11 hours after $11,000 casino jackpot. Westfield police did not discover the bodies until nearly a month later. Everything looked great on the surface. On November 9, 1971, he killed his wife, mother, and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey, and then disappeared; he had planned the murders so meticulously that nearly a month passed before anyone suspected that anything was amiss. He murdered his mother, wife and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey on November 9, 1971. He believed that it was his failure as a man to be unable to provide for his family. It took 18 years for John List to be arrested. List left a confession letter at the scene, so police had little doubt as to who was responsible for the killings. At Fort Eustis in Virginia, he met Helen Morris Taylor, the widow of an infantry officer killed in action in Korea, who lived nearby with her daughter, Brenda. He was born as the only child in the highly religious German-American household. 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. Delores Miller Clark: Learn More about John List's Ex-Wife John List | Criminal Minds Wiki | Fandom "I've regretted my action and prayed for forgiveness ever since. 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? Under Review. YouTubeThe List house burned down several months after the List family bodies were discovered there. All rights reserved (About Us). John confessed to committing the murders in February 1990. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. She is famous for Second wife of murderer John 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. John died aged 82 in March 2008 of complications from pneumonia while still imprisoned. He then cleaned the crime scenes, removed his pictures from all family photographs, turned the lights and the radio on, and departed. He placed the bodies of his wife and . Delores and John divorced in 1989, probably following his arrest on 1 June. The morning of November 7, 1971 began in a usual fashion. Net Worth in 2022. John List's confession to his 2nd wife revealed in new episode of 'Father Wants Us Dead' podcast Published: Jun. After learning about the murders committed by John List, check out the story of Dale Cregan, the one-eyed killer. Once inside the kitchen, John Sr. shot him in the back of the head. March 2 (UPI) -- A Maryland woman scored a $100,000 prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket less than 12 hours after she scored an $11,000 jackpot at a casino. John had a very normal childhood and he did not show any signs of psychological troubles. John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) His father was a devout Lutheran who also taught at a local Sunday School in Bay City. On November 9, 1971, John List put his plan into action. The trail went cold. New Jersey prosecutors had come up with a plan. ", John List, famous murder The Crime Library, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_List_(murderer)&oldid=1139169038, American people who died in prison custody, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, People extradited within the United States, People with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New Jersey, Prisoners who died in New Jersey detention, United States Army personnel of World War II, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 19:09. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The undertaker keeps the remains for a year and if nobody comes to claim them, they are put in a concrete vault and buried in a grave (at the state cemetery) on Cedar Lane in Trenton.". . 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. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. List, Patricia List, place of death: Trenton, New Jersey, United States, education: University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Associated With. 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. [10] 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. Wikimedia CommonsJohn List with his wife and three children. [12] Neighbors noticed that all of the mansion's rooms were illuminated day and night, with no apparent activity within the house. They also found the five-page note from John List explaining that the bloodied bodies on the ballroom floor were his family members, killed out of mercy. 'The Watcher's John Graff is based on grim true story of family 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.

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