', Suspected burglar inside New Brunswick home was a panicked deer. WhenAmericas Most Wantedaired the story of the John List murders on May 21, 1989, an audience of 22 million saw Frank Benders sculpture. The new lovers wed on 1 December 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland. On November 9, 1971, after the children left for school, List shot his wife Helen in the back of the head as she was drinking her coffee. 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. After gruesomely murdering his entire family, John List had begun living a normal life again. John Sr. drove to the field and watched him play, then gave him a ride home. Like his father, List was a devout Lutheran and a Sunday school teacher. John was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and five terms of life imprisonment. A month passed before neighbors, curious about the constantly burning lights and empty windows, began to suspect something was wrong at the List mansion. "It's just like D-Day, you go in, there's no stopping after you start," he said. Those who knew List, including in his second life: Kathleen "Kay" Ciarfello, Randy Mitchell, Les Wingfield, the Rev. 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. 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. Aside from a few extra wrinkles, the bust was spot on. "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 took a break and made himself lunch. John List and his family were the definition of the American Dream in 1965; they seemed to have it all. His father died in 1944. YouTubeThe List house burned down several months after the List family bodies were discovered there. He later moved to California, and then Detroit, where he worked as an accountant in a local firm. [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 addition to the financial distress, his eldest daughter wanted to become an actress, which was not acceptable by John owing to his Conservative upbringing. After learning about the murders committed by John List, check out the story of Dale Cregan, the one-eyed killer. His play times were replaced with gatherings around . If things had gone on who knows if that would be the case," he wrote. The morning of November 7, 1971 began in a usual fashion. 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. 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. "I wish I had never done what I did," he told Connie Chung in 2002. When authorities entered the Westfield, New Jersey house on December 7, 1971, they heard organ music piped through the intercom system. Examples include "Savior," the season 6, episode 16 of the television series Law & Order; the 1987 film The Stepfather and its 2009 remake; the 1993 film Judgment Day: The John List Story, in which List was portrayed by Robert Blake;[39] and the character Keyser Sze in the 1995 film The Usual Suspects.[40]. In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. 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. John and Helen married on December 1, 1951, in Baltimore, Maryland, the family moving to northern California. [17] From 1979 to 1986, he was the comptroller at a paper box manufacturer outside Denver. Following the gruesome death of his family. The FBI found his car parked at Kennedy International Airport in New York City, but they never found him. He worked hard as an accountant at a nearby bank to provide for his family. 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. "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. After making the decision, List says, there was no turning back. She met Steinbeck in late 1938 or early 1939, when she was just 22. Subsequent jobs didnt pan out. John List was an American mass murderer, who became infamous in the 1970s for killing his mother, wife and three children. YouTubeThe note John List wrote excusing his children from school. He murdered his mother, wife and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey on November 9, 1971. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. [31] Though her health progressively deteriorated, she said nothing to List or her physicians until 1969, when a thorough workup revealed the condition. . But what led Delores husband to commit such a chilling crime? He went upstairs and shot his 84-year-old mother. Then he drove to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where he left his car as a false lead and took a bus into the city. The research in this book is outstanding, and Sharkey clearly put a great deal of time and effort into it. Currently, the morgue is storing the body of "Thrill Killer" Richard Biegenwald, who died March 10 while serving a murder conviction for killing five victims - two teenage girls, two young women and one man - in Monmouth County from Oct. 31, 1981, to Nov. 20, 1982. Corrections spokeswoman Deirdre Fedkenheuer said the social services unit at New Jersey State Prison, where List was an inmate, will attempt to find the nearest relative to see if that person would claim the body. List, who says he remains deeply religious today, acknowledges that his crimes violated one of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not kill.". If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Episodes, photos and other information are also available at fatherwantsusdead.com. He died in the prison hospital at the age of 82, in 2008. 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. He also thought his children were steering off the godly course as his son wanted to be an actor. 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. Gwyn Conger Steinbeck - Who was She? They married in 1985. 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. He placed the bodies of his wife and . He is most remembered for Murdered his entire family in 1971. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. However, he was not ready to disclose his incompetency to his family yet and hence, he left the house every morning, sat on the railway station and read books and newspapers all day. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. 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. news, He spent his days at the train station reading, napping, and wondering how to get his family out of their financial mess. He left his mother's body in her apartment in the attic. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. "I was hungry," he told Downtown, adding with a chuckle, "that's just the way it was.". John Emil List, a.k.a. 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. Spouse/Ex-: Delores Miller Clark (m. 19851989), Helen List (m. 19511971), children: Frederick List, John, Jr. Bank Vice President and Sunday School Teacher. [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. He defended himself saying that he was not mentally stable. John died aged 82 in March 2008 of complications from pneumonia while still imprisoned. 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. John List is a revolutionary experimenter whose unique methods and ideas have changed how the field of economics functions. '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.'. Florida woman runs ultra-marathon distances for 23 consecutive days. 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. I was shocked to hear about Bobs arrest and what he is charged with, the statement said. '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. Also in 2022, Netflix released a seven-part dramatic fictional miniseries called The Watcher. The note John List wrote excusing his children from school. She was born 25th October 1916. Helen lived with her daughter Brenda near Fort Eustis in Virginia, where John served. 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. photos, 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. His sixteen years old daughter and 13 years old son returned from the school at noon. He was arrested 11 days later, and, after a jury rejected his diminished capacity defense, convicted and sentenced. The army discharged him in 1946, after which he joined the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. lists John fled the house after putting all the bodies on sleeping bags, turning the house lights on and putting on some classical music. 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. Upstairs, the body of List's 84-year-old mother Alma was found. 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. He died on March 21, 2008 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. When they entered the house, music was still playing on the intercom, but List was long gone. He first shot his wife, then his mother, waited for his children to get home, and murdered them. The mass murderer was an active member of his local Lutheran church and married his second wife Delores in 1985. When the police entered the house, on December 7th, the bodies had begun to decompose. Help keep John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) profile up to date. [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. 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. Then he sat down and wrote a confession letter to his pastor explaining his financial problems. Because this is one of the most. 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. [1] She was the second wife and widow of businessman John Jacob Astor IV . He was not, however, willing to suffer the earthly consequences of his actions. "[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. He became increasingly depressed. Helen had turned into an alcoholic, which caused them to engage in a lot of fights. Want more true crime? John seemingly grew up without incident, reporting a normal childhood with the exception of his stringently religious upbringing, with which he identified wholeheartedly. The 14th and final defense witness was the defendant's brother John . But he fled to Colorado, assumed a new name and remarried, managing to elude a nationwide manhunt for 18 years. In 1971, John List lost his job at the bank at age 46. Authorities walk John List to a plane in Richmond,. Jurors deliberated for about . Gwyn Conger Steinbeck was the second wife of John Steinbeck, master story-teller and Nobel Prize winner. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. [11][12], List placed the bodies of his wife and children on sleeping bags in the mansion's ballroom. 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. A nationwide manhunt was launched. Delores Miller (wife) is an American Homemaker. He is most remembered for Murdered his entire family in 1971. But back in Denver, his former neighbors did recognize him, and called police. It was a masterful depiction of John List. 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. 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. 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness World Record. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. Help us build our profile of John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife)! A seemingly admirable and usual American man, John List and his family lived happily in New Jersey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU_2xrMKO8g. Then Frederick, 13. He later completed his masters degree in accounting and worked as an accountant in the military. "I don't know whether it was only because he was still jerking that I wanted to make sure that he didn't suffer, or that it was sort of a way of relieving tension, after having completed what I felt was my assignment for the day," List said. However, he was a loner who was not socially active and had very few friends in school and his locality. 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. [12] Neighbors noticed that all of the mansion's rooms were illuminated day and night, with no apparent activity within the house. "It was my belief that if you kill yourself, you won't go to heaven," he said. His picture was also shown on television, which led one of his neighbours to notify the authorities. Judge William L'E. 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. List and his family were the embodiment of the American dream in 1965. All rights reserved (About Us). He did not mention his wife, his mother, or his children. 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. 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. Details of Delores life before she married John List are unavailable. "So eventually I got to the point where I felt that I could kill them. He has also appeared on television shows such as Your Worst Nightmare and American Justice. His zodiac sign is Virgo. He believed that killing them would assure their souls a place in Heaven, where he hoped to eventually join them. Delores kept a low profile after Johns arrest, and it is unclear what happened to her. Read on to discover more details. After seeing all his children off to school, John List set his plan in motion. [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. [24][25] On June 1, less than two weeks after the broadcast, List was arrested at a Richmond accounting firm after a Denver neighbor recognized the description and alerted authorities. Then List waited downstairs to kill his children, one by one, as they came home. The devout Lutherans attended church every Sunday, and List taught Sunday school. It was the biggest story he could remember, and the local fervor for information was immediate. List methodically murdered his wife Helen, his mother Alma, and their three childrenPatricia, 16; Frederick, 13; and John Jr., 15. Afterwards, he dragged his wifes body to the ballroom and made himself lunch and ate it. The family were devout Lutherans. 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. 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. List left a confession letter at the scene, so police had little doubt as to who was responsible for the killings. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. All five victims had been shot. He murdered his mother, wife and three children in November 1971, due to financial distress and other issues within the family, and fled. Forensic artist Frank Bender uses photographs to sculpt an aged bust of mass murderer John List. [26][27] List continued to stand by his alias for several months, even after his 1989 extradition to Union County, New Jersey; finally, faced with irrefutable evidence including a fingerprint match with List's military records, as well as evidence found at the crime scene he confessed his true identity on February 16, 1990. 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. He joined a local Lutheran church and, in 1985, married a widow named Delores Clark, with whom he moved to Richmond, Va. 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. Under Review. He refused to go on welfare, as it would entail excruciating embarrassment in the community and violate the principles of self-sufficiency that he learned at his fathers knee. The neighbours called the police when Johns daughter Patricias dancing teacher came home to see why Patricia was not coming to the classes. Just as the kids entered from the main door, he shot both of them in the heads as well. The bust created of John List, right, next to the real John List, left. List caught the tail end of the show with his wife, who did not know his past. Unlike the others, John didn't go quietly, his body jerking as List emptied both the 9 millimeter and the .22 into his son. 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. John and Helen had three daughters when he worked as an audit supervisor at a paper company in Kalamazoo. Following his high school graduation, he enlisted into the American military and worked as a lab technician. 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. New Jersey prosecutors had come up with a plan. [16] In reporting his death, the New Jersey Star-Ledger referred to him as "The Boogeyman of Westfield. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. 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 enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 and was a laboratory technician during World War II. British bus driver stops to give loose sheep a lift. He then shot both his wife and mother in their heads. "I grew up with the idea that you should provide for your family and to do that you had to be a success in the job that you had or you're a failure, and that was not a good thing to be," he said. He says he wanted to spare them the shame of losing their New Jersey mansion and to make sure they got to heaven. The couple had three children together, while Helens daughter Brenda left home in 1960 after her marriage. . Dr. Miller said List had learned before the killings that syphilis was the cause of his wife's worsening medical and psychological problems and that knowing she had a sexually transmitted disease would have a 'tremendous impact' on someone of his background.

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