He also argued that the letter he left behind at the crime scene, essentially his confession, was a confidential communication to his pastor and therefore inadmissible as evidence. Just as the kids entered from the main door, he shot both of them in the heads as well. He lost the bank job, and a succession of subsequent jobs. 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. 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). Judgment Day: The John List Story (TV Movie 1993) - IMDb 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. "After 18 years, five months and 22 days, it is now time for the voices of Helen, Alma, Patricia, Frederick and John F. List to rise from the grave." List caught the tail end of the show with his wife, who did not know his past. John was convicted of five counts of first degree murder in April 1990 and was imprisoned with five terms of consecutive life imprisonment. 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. "So eventually I got to the point where I felt that I could kill them. The morning of November 7, 1971 began in a usual fashion. We have estimated John A. List's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets. Then Frederick, 13. He is most remembered for Murdered his entire family in 1971. He believed that killing them would assure their souls a place in Heaven, where he hoped to eventually join them. 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. John seemingly grew up without incident, reporting a normal childhood with the exception of his stringently religious upbringing, with which he identified wholeheartedly. They attended church every Sunday as devout Lutherans and List taught Sunday school. John Sr. drove to the field and watched him play, then gave him a ride home. One day in late 1971, John List shot and killed his wife,Helen; his 16-year-old daughter, Patricia; his 15-year-old son, John; his 13-year-old son, Frederick; and his mother, Alma, aged 85. "[38], Over the years, List and his crimes have furnished inspiration for documentaries, television dramas and feature films. The neighbors tipped the police after a month of not seeing anyone entering or leaving the house. Once inside the kitchen, John Sr. shot him in the back of the head. His lawyer, Elijah Miller Jr., argues that knowing his wife suffered from syphilis helped drive the deeply religious man over the edge. 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. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, meticulously murdered his mother, wife and three kids. [12] Alma's body was flown to Frankenmuth, Michigan, and interred at the Saint Lorenz Lutheran Cemetery. "At least I'm certain that all have gone to heaven now. Authorities went to Clarks home and spoke to his wife, whom he met at a church social gathering. "[21][22] List was questioned by FBI investigators after his capture, but he denied any involvement in the Cooper case. "I wish I had never done what I did," he told Connie Chung in 2002. When the children left for school, he shot his wife and his mother to death. 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. He is a quiet yet friendly man who loves his work and the people he works with.. He was the only child born to German-Americans John Frederick List and Alma Maria Barbara Florence List. 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. 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. He says he wanted to spare them the shame of losing their New Jersey mansion and to make sure they got to heaven. He had planned the murders so meticulously that even after many years of the incident, the police and FBI found no trace of John. [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. John died aged 82 in March 2008 of complications from pneumonia while still imprisoned. 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. And it came from a family member of all people. [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 family later moved to Rochester, New York, to work with Xerox. The army discharged him in 1946, after which he joined the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. This is either the most unbelievable mix-up or . "I finally decided the only way to save them from that was to kill them," he said. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Florida woman runs ultra-marathon distances for 23 consecutive days. By 1971, he was still leaving for work every morning, but unknown to his family he was unemployed and unable to pay the bills. When police officers entered the home on Dec. 7, 1971, they heard organ music on an intercom system and found the bodies of Mr. List's wife, Helen, 46; his daughter, Patricia, 16; his sons. Want more true crime? 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'True Romance' actor Tom Sizemore dead at 61, 3 children killed, 2 hospitalized in North Texas domestic incident, Dozens killed, injured as Jakarta fuel depot fire engulfs neighborhood, To cut costs, Amazon delays completion of second headquarters, closes retail stores, Migrant woman dies after U.S. Coast Guard stops vessel carrying 54. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. He was arrested 11 days later, and, after a jury rejected his diminished capacity defense, convicted and sentenced. 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. After driving John Frederick home, List shot him repeatedly because, as misfire evidence showed, his son attempted to defend himself. Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. First Patty, 16. "I remember talking about funerals and cremation and burials. He killed them to save their souls so they would go to heaven. List's death ended a sordid chapter in Westfield's history. John had first moved to Michigan, and then to Colorado, where he took an accounting job in Denver. 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. 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. Several films and documentaries have been made to cover the details of the List murders. 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. Moreover, his wife was a heavy drinker and she had also contracted Syphilis from her first marriage. He couldnt bear to tell his family about the loss of income. 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 was born John Emil List, on September 17, 1925, in Bay City, Michigan, to John Frederick List and Alma Barbara Florence List. Im convinced hes just pulling my chain, Gluck recalled. and more from FamousFix.com. He died in the prison hospital at the age of 82, in 2008. He was caught after the television show "America's Most Wanted" air a segment on the murders. Wanted - The Lives They Lived - Obituaries - The New York Times John List Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements He murdered his mother, wife and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey on November 9, 1971. ", Woman wins $100,000 lottery prize 11 hours after $11,000 casino jackpot. [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. Suspect in Family Slaying 'Not Man I Know,' Wife Says List diverted money from his mother's bank accounts to avoid default on his mortgage. "I've regretted my action and prayed for forgiveness ever since. "I was perspiring like anything," he remembers, but said his wife did not seem to have recognized him. He gave him a ride home, then shot him in the chest. Then, he went to the bank to close his accounts and cash his mother's savings bonds. That left his oldest son. The bust created of John List, right, next to the real John List, left. The Lists might have appeared to be the ideal American family, but everything was not as it seemed. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. A former Denver neighbor alerted the police, who made the arrest later. 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. Over the years, the John List murders have been featured in films such as Judgment Day: The John List Story and The Stepfather. Helen lived with her daughter Brenda near Fort Eustis in Virginia, where John served. "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.". After the June 7, 2021, killings of Maggie . "I was hungry," he told Downtown, adding with a chuckle, "that's just the way it was.". Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Elijah Miller has presented testimony from witnesses, including a Lutheran pastor who knew the Lists in the early 1960s in Rochester, N.Y., to describe the troubled family. ", 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. . 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. 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. John A. List Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family [44], In 2022, NJ Advance Media released "Father Wants Us Dead," a podcast serial on the events.[45]. He imposed a sentence of five terms of life imprisonment, to be served consecutively, the maximum permissible penalty at the time. In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. Fast forward 18 years to 1989. By then, progression of the disease combined with her excessive alcohol consumption had, according to testimony, "transformed her from an attractive young woman to an unkempt and paranoid recluse"[30][32] who frequently and often publicly humiliated List, comparing his sexual prowess unfavorably with that of her first husband. [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. John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) - Dating, Gossip, News, Photos list. lists Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. The mass murderer was an active member of his local Lutheran church and married his second wife Delores in 1985. A seemingly admirable and usual American man, John List and his family lived happily in New Jersey. He. [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. 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. In an interview, he stated that he did not kill himself because suicide prevents one from going to heaven. The Truth About John Wayne's Wives - Grunge The new lovers wed on 1 December 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland. 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. He was portrayed in the 1993 film Judgment Day: The John List Story by actor Robert Blake, who, ironically, was later convicted of killing his own wife. 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. List, Patricia List, place of death: Trenton, New Jersey, United States, education: University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 'To find his wife having a veneral disease was morally, ethically and religiously a very hard thing for him to accept,' the psychiatrist said. 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 note John List wrote excusing his children from school. 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). 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) This article is about the murderer. Delores kept a low profile after Johns arrest, and it is unclear what happened to her. 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 they entered the house, music was still playing on the intercom, but List was long gone. He was arrested in 1989 after a former neighbor recognized him from a profile on the syndicated TV show America's Most Wanted. John List The Boogeyman of Westfield | by A.W. Naves | Medium Bank Vice President and Sunday School Teacher. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. ', Suspected burglar inside New Brunswick home was a panicked deer. He was 82. The couple later moved to Richmond together . This is not the man I know. He left his mother's body in her apartment in the attic. Delores Clark, right, tells reporters at a press conference on June 8, 1989 that she did not believe her husband was John List. But unlike the other members of the List family who dropped instantly, John Jr. struggled. [16], List died of complications from pneumonia aged 82 on March 21, 2008, while imprisoned at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. "List, an unemployed accountant and devout Lutheran who shot his wife, mother and three children and disappeared for 18 years before being captured following a tip, died on Friday from massive blood clots in both lungs, authorities said. List (born 1968), American economist. 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. [13] List also stopped milk, mail, and newspaper deliveries. John Emil List was born in Michigan, in 1925, the only child of John and Alma List. New Jersey prosecutors had come up with a plan. As I was doing it I knew it was wrong," he said. [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. Spouse/Ex-: Delores Miller Clark (m. 19851989), Helen List (m. 19511971), children: Frederick List, John, Jr. 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. 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. National Park Service: 'Never push a slower friend down' in a bear encounter, March 2 (UPI) -- The National Park Service offered some sage advice for park visitors who encounter bears: "Never push a slower friend down. A manhunt for John was declared, but it was not until 18 years that he was arrested. "[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. His father died in 1944. The devout Lutherans attended church every Sunday, and List taught Sunday school. Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders 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. John confessed to committing the murders in February 1990. The Rev. They got married in December 1951. In 1989, America's Most Wanted featured List and a forensic sculptor's impression of how he would look then, 18 years after the murders. Discover The 33 Scariest Animals In The World, From The Deep Sea To The Tropical Skies, The Story Of Caril Ann Fugate And Charles Starkweather's Natural Born Killing Spree, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Firefighters hoist horse stranded in backyard swimming pool. They attended church each week with List's mother, a strict Lutheran who lived with them. British bus driver stops to give loose sheep a lift. John Emil List was born in Bay City, Michigan, on September 17, 1925, to John Frederick and Alma Marie List. John List is a revolutionary experimenter whose unique methods and ideas have changed how the field of economics functions. [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. [11], Breeze Knoll remained empty until it was destroyed by fire in August 1972, nine months after the murders. 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). John List - History, Crime. They were shot methodically one by one. He began living with a new identity in Virginia, where he was spotted by a local and got arrested. Subsequent jobs didnt pan out. 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. If things had gone on who knows if that would be the case," he wrote. List and his family were the embodiment of the American dream in 1965. . BAY CITY, MI Before killing his mother, wife, and three teenage children in his 19-room New Jersey mansion, John E. List began life in Bay City. John List may refer to: John A. However, he was a loner who was not socially active and had very few friends in school and his locality. He then walked up to the third floor and shot his 85-year-old mother, Alma. "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. He believed that it was his failure as a man to be unable to provide for his family. But his defence was rejected and he was imprisoned at the New Jersey State Prison. Alongside his close friend and colleague Steven Levitt, List has committed to studying the way people behave in the real world, instead of understanding economics as a theory-based field. He made himself a sandwich, closed out his bank accounts, and cheered for his only surviving son, John, at his high school soccer game. Liss summarized Helen List's medical reports for the jury. Oct 9, 2018. John List - Biography - IMDb 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 took a new identity and also joined a Lutheran church, where he met his second wife, Delores Miller. All rights reserved (About Us). He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. On November 9, 1971, John List shot his wife, his mother, and his three children. John List with his wife and three children. 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. He says he wanted to spare them the shame of losing their New Jersey mansion and to make sure they got to heaven. He says today he felt he was letting the family down. 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. Body of killer John List remains unclaimed - nj.com It was the biggest story he could remember, and the local fervor for information was immediate. Delores Miller (wife) is an American Homemaker. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The inconspicuous accountant was arrested without incident Thursday at work. Those who knew List, including in his second life: Kathleen "Kay" Ciarfello, Randy Mitchell, Les Wingfield, the Rev. John List met Helen Morris Taylor, a young widow of an American enlisted man who had died in the Korean War. 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.
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