Forensic artist Frank Bender uses photographs to sculpt an aged bust of mass murderer John List. Once inside the kitchen, John Sr. shot him in the back of the head. John List passed away on March 21, 2008, after suffering from pneumonia. He couldnt bear to tell his family about the loss of income. The John List project: About the reporting - nj.com Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Firefighters hoist horse stranded in backyard swimming pool. "It's just like D-Day, you go in, there's no stopping after you start," he said. A former Denver neighbor alerted the police, who made the arrest later. Then Frederick, 13. If you take gaming seriously, you shouldn't accept anything less than the greatest. "I was hungry," he told Downtown, adding with a chuckle, "that's just the way it was.". He was born John Emil List on 15 September 1925 to John Frederick List and Alma Barbara Florence List. Delores kept a low profile after Johns arrest, and it is unclear what happened to her. "I finally decided the only way to save them from that was to kill them," he said. List and his family were the embodiment of the American dream in 1965. The army discharged him in 1946, after which he joined the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. When they entered the house, music was still playing on the intercom, but List was long gone. 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. Psychologists theorized that List would wear the same spectacles he wore as a younger man to remind him of more successful days. 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. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Spouse/Ex-: Delores Miller Clark (m. 19851989), Helen List (m. 19511971), children: Frederick List, John, Jr. 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). "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. "I remember talking about funerals and cremation and burials. A former neighbor in Denver saw the episode and recognized List, who was then tracked to his new home in Virginia. ", 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. He was not, however, willing to suffer the earthly consequences of his actions. List diverted money from his mother's bank accounts to avoid default on his mortgage. John List and his family were the definition of the American Dream in 1965; they seemed to have it all. He settled in New Jersey and took a job at a local bank. The 14th and final defense witness was the defendant's brother John . After light bulbs began burning out one by one, they called the police. He joined a Lutheran congregation and ran a car pool for shut-in church members. [16], List eventually expressed a degree of remorse for his crimes. He simply exploded.'. 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. "I feel when we get to heaven we won't worry about these earthly things. I thought I was being real clever," he said. All rights reserved (About Us). He died on March 21, 2008 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. Born in an extremely strict Lutheran family, John was raised as a single child. March 3 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts library said a book was recently returned with a note apologizing for the tome being 56 years overdue. Then he sat down and ate lunch at the same table where he had shot his wife hours before. Helen had turned into an alcoholic, which caused them to engage in a lot of fights. [28][29], At trial, List testified that his financial difficulties reached crisis level in 1971 when he was laid off with the closure of the Jersey City bank. A new house was built on the site in 1974. The memory of the murders still haunts Westfield residents. He was too shy and seemed disinterested in talking to even his superiors. List assumed a new identity, remarried, and eluded justice for nearly 18 years. Later, John took a lucrative job at Xerox and moved to New York and lived there with his family for a few years. 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John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) - Dating, Gossip, News, Photos list. During that time, he was associated romantically with a number of celebrities, including a nine-year affair with actress Merle Oberon. He murdered his mother, wife and three children in November 1971, due to financial distress and other issues within the family, and fled. Their faces were covered. At his trial in 1990, defense lawyers argued that List suffered from PTSD from his military service in World War II and Korea. He met his first wife, Helen Morris Taylor, whose husband had been killed in action in Korea. He took a new identity and also joined a Lutheran church, where he met his second wife, Delores Miller. 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. The crime remains one of the most gruesome acts of all time. 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. A federal appeals court rejected both arguments. John A. List Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family "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." 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. Just as the kids entered from the main door, he shot both of them in the heads as well. He joined a local Lutheran church and, in 1985, married a widow named Delores Clark, with whom he moved to Richmond, Va. He settled in New Jersey and took a job at a local bank. [16], List died of complications from pneumonia aged 82 on March 21, 2008, while imprisoned at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Feb. 20, 2002 -- Thirty years ago, accountant John List methodically murdered his whole family his mother, his wife, and their three children. The mansion in New Jersey where John List lived with his family burned down several months after the murders. His picture was also shown on television, which led one of his neighbours to notify the authorities. 'The Watcher's John Graff is based on grim true story of family List died in prison in 2008 at the age of 82. Under Review. news, Then he made a sandwich, drove to the bank, and disappeared for 18 years. "I knew it was wrong. [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. He killed Patricia when she returned home from school, then the youngest son, Frederick. In 1965, when List and his family moved to affluent Westfield, N.J., he seemed to be a model of suburban success and propriety. Login By then, he was assigned to the finance corps, from where he was discharged in 1952. Want more true crime? "There has been no communication from any family member of John List. List's home, a. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. [41] A 2003 episode of the A&E series American Justice also detailed the case and featured an interview with List. His play times were replaced with gatherings around . Gwyn Conger Steinbeck was the second wife of John Steinbeck, master story-teller and Nobel Prize winner. 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. He began living with a new identity in Virginia, where he was spotted by a local and got arrested. Fast forward 18 years to 1989. 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. He had saved the souls of the people he loved. 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. He took a break and made himself lunch. 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. [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. Afterwards, he dragged his wifes body to the ballroom and made himself lunch and ate it. Cindy wrote a book about her family, "The Cash Family Scrapbook." Cindy married three times, and shares a daughter, Jessica, with her first husband, Cris Brock. [32], On April 12, 1990, List was convicted of five counts of first degree murder. He says he wanted to spare them the shame of losing their New Jersey mansion and to make sure they got to heaven. 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. List caught the tail end of the show with his wife, who did not know his past. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their . 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. In November 1971, the mass murderer and long-time fugitive killed his wife, mother, and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey. Where Is John List Now? 'The Watcher' John Graff True Story, Real If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. He then cleaned the crime scenes, removed his pictures from all family photographs, turned the lights and the radio on, and departed. [42] In 2015, the story was covered in the season 2, episode 2 of the Investigation Discovery TV series Your Worst Nightmare. Westfield police did not discover the bodies until nearly a month later. He was 82 years old at the time of his demise. 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. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Delores Miller (wife) is an American Homemaker. He married his second wife Delores in 1985. Extras - Father Wants Us Dead: A True Crime Podcast From NJ.com 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. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. John List | Criminal Minds Wiki | Fandom John List (murderer) - Wikipedia He is from American. A deputy sheriff at the Henrico County Jail was tasked with watching John List after his arrest in 1989. John was arrested and extradited to New Jersey. Soon after his high school graduation, he joined the United States Army during the Second World War, where he worked as a laboratory technician. Delores and John divorced in 1989, probably following his arrest on 1 June. John List met Helen Morris Taylor, a young widow of an American enlisted man who had died in the Korean War. Jurors deliberated for about . Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Jury in List family-killing trial told of wife's syphilis - UPI 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. 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. Then, read the chilling story of John Wayne Gacy, the original killer clown. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. YouTubeThe bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. John List - The Decision Lab [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). He was caught after the television show "America's Most Wanted" air a segment on the murders. While his name is still occasionally mentioned in Cooper articles and documentaries, no direct evidence implicates him, and the FBI no longer considers him a suspect. He worked hard as an accountant at a nearby bank to provide for his family. 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. The List house burned down several months after the List family bodies were discovered there. He turned on the lights and the radio, leaving religious hymns playing in the houses empty rooms. "[36] The judge was unpersuaded: "John Emil List is without remorse and without honor," he said. He went to the post office to stop the family's mail, then to the bank, where he cashed his mother's savings bonds, checking that he got the correct interest to the penny. Their faces were covered. It was the biggest story he could remember, and the local fervor for information was immediate. First Patty, 16. he is the biggest con man who ever walked the Earth, another unidentified friend told the paper. 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. List had a masters degree in accounting, but lacked social skills and had a history of losing jobs. After making the decision, List says, there was no turning back. . Finally, with the prospect of foreclosure threatening to expose his financial failure, List made his terrible decision to kill his family but not himself. After the June 7, 2021, killings of Maggie . New Jersey prosecutors had come up with a plan. 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. My Life With John Steinbeck - Gwen Gonger - The Forgotten Wife Episodes, photos and other information are also available at fatherwantsusdead.com. John was convicted of five counts of first degree murder in April 1990 and was imprisoned with five terms of consecutive life imprisonment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU_2xrMKO8g. Alex Murdaugh's defense rests after 14 witnesses over two weeks in If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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.". 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The list of retirees in the second half of 2022 isn't very long, but the years of service add up into the hundreds. He watched John Jr. play soccer at school, then drove him home and killed him, too. 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 later revealed that John kept lying to his family about his jobs. 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). She was born 25th October 1916. Authorities never found the cause of the fire, and a new house was built on the property years later. Hopefully they would go to heaven, and then maybe I would have a chance to later confess my sins to God and get forgiveness.". In 1971, John List lost his job at the bank at age 46. This is not the man I know. He is a quiet yet friendly man who loves his work and the people he works with.. 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. Serial killer who murdered entire family hid in plain sight for years Also in 2022, Netflix released a seven-part dramatic fictional miniseries called The Watcher. John List may refer to: John A. The Twisted Mind of Family Annihilator John List - America's Most Haunted The bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. "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. 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. If things had gone on who knows if that would be the case," he wrote. Helen and her three children were buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. A South Carolina jury has found once-prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh guilty on all counts in the deaths of his wife and son. They did not have any children together. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. Following his high school graduation, he enlisted into the American military and worked as a lab technician. Alex Murdaugh trial updates: John Marvin faults SLED, doesn't believe He worked as an accountant, bringing a stable income back to his Victorian mansion; home to himself, his wife, three children and his mother. 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. List left a confession letter at the scene, so police had little doubt as to who was responsible for the killings. Alex Murdaugh trial updates: John Marvin faults SLED, doesn't believe 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. [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. He was arrested in 1989 after a former neighbor recognized him from a profile on the syndicated TV show America's Most Wanted. 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. He is most remembered for Murdered his entire family in 1971. 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. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? 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. Born In: Bay City, Michigan, United States. He described a woman whose brain was deteriorating and who was going blind, who was addicted to tranquilizers and drank four or five glasses of Scotch a day, who remained in bed because she was afraid of falls but who retained enough social skill to act normally in casual relationships. Austin Goodrich, an ABCNEWS consultant who is writing a book with John List, contributed material for this report. He made himself a sandwich, closed out his bank accounts, and cheered for his only surviving son, John, at his high school soccer game. John List Killed His Family In Cold Blood, Then Disappeared For 18 Years She had a young daughter from her previous marriage. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. [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. 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. List, 64, faces multiple life sentences if he is convicted. The tipster said her neighbor was also an accountant and attended church. John had first moved to Michigan, and then to Colorado, where he took an accounting job in Denver. 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.
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