to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Hence, his severe lack of social skills cost him jobs after jobs. John List was born on September 17, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. John and Helen had three daughters when he worked as an audit supervisor at a paper company in Kalamazoo. He is most remembered for Murdered his entire family in 1971. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. He later completed his masters degree in accounting and worked as an accountant in the military. "I remember talking about funerals and cremation and burials. . Born In: Bay City, Michigan, United States. Delores kept a low profile after Johns arrest, and it is unclear what happened to her. Specifically: I am a member of St Lorenz Lutheran Church with access to burial records. List assumed a new identity, remarried, and eluded justice for nearly 18 years. He married Helen and raised three children with her, while working as an accountant in many places, such as New York and New Jersey. Helen lived with her daughter Brenda near Fort Eustis in Virginia, where John served. 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 List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) - Dating, Gossip, News, Photos list. [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. He married his second wife Delores in 1985. The jury finally found John List guilty and a judge sentenced him to five life terms in a New Jersey prison. "[38], Over the years, List and his crimes have furnished inspiration for documentaries, television dramas and feature films. At his trial in 1990, defense lawyers argued that List suffered from PTSD from his military service in World War II and Korea. When they entered the house, music was still playing on the intercom, but List was long gone. He was sentenced to five consecutive life prison terms. YouTubeThe bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. After the June 7, 2021, killings of Maggie . John fled the house after putting all the bodies on sleeping bags, turning the house lights on and putting on some classical music. List (born 1968), American economist. ', Suspected burglar inside New Brunswick home was a panicked deer. [11][12], List placed the bodies of his wife and children on sleeping bags in the mansion's ballroom. 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. Forensic artist Frank Bender uses photographs to sculpt an aged bust of mass murderer John List. John List and his family were the definition of the American Dream in 1965; they seemed to have it all. 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? 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. "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. Aside from a few extra wrinkles, the bust was spot on. Delores and John moved to a house around Brandermill, Midlothian, Virginia, where her husband worked as an accountant at an accounting firm. We have estimated John A. List's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets. [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. The trail went cold. [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. John packed off his children to school and loaded both of his handguns. 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. Though we'd like to say that Wayne and Pilar lived happily ever after, apparently that's not the case. [41] A 2003 episode of the A&E series American Justice also detailed the case and featured an interview with List. An aerial view of the List family home in Westfield, New Jersey. [16] In reporting his death, the New Jersey Star-Ledger referred to him as "The Boogeyman of Westfield. 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.. John List was a devoutly religious man, and provided for his family in the town of Westfield, New Jerseywhere they lived in a 19-room mansion called Breeze Knoll. They were shot methodically one by one. The Rev. The Lists might have appeared to be the ideal American family, but everything was not as it seemed. After making the decision, List says, there was no turning back. Login He did not mention his wife, his mother, or his children. Eventually, he took a decently paying job with a paper company at Kalamazoo, Michigan, and settled there with his family. John Sr. shot him nine more times before dragging him into the ballroom with the rest of his family. John was a strict Lutheran and hence, when he came to know about Helens pregnancy, he right away proposed to her for marriage. List diverted money from his mother's bank accounts to avoid default on his mortgage. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Los Angeles is suddenly awash in waterfalls, Officials admit being unprepared for epic mountain blizzard, leaving many trapped and desperate, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Californias snowpack is approaching an all-time record, with more on the way, This is me, this is my face: Actress Mimi Rogers on aging naturally, without cosmetic surgery, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick. "I wish I had never done what I did," he told Connie Chung in 2002. After seeing all his children off to school, John List set his plan in motion. After driving John Frederick home, List shot him repeatedly because, as misfire evidence showed, his son attempted to defend himself. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. After seeing his daughter and two sons off to school, List walked into the kitchen of his 19-room HIllside Avenue mansion on Nov. 9, 1971, and shot his wife, Helen, as she sipped her morning coffee. 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. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. news, John List, going by the name Robert Clark, rented a room in this house in Richmond, Virginia from S. Wallace Parsons, until he and Delores Clark moved into their new home. The couple had three children together, while Helens daughter Brenda left home in 1960 after her marriage. John enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 and was a laboratory technician during World War II. 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. Also in 2022, Netflix released a seven-part dramatic fictional miniseries called The Watcher. In 1971, John List lost his job at the bank at age 46. He began living with a new identity in Virginia, where he was spotted by a local and got arrested. List methodically murdered his wife Helen, his mother Alma, and their three childrenPatricia, 16; Frederick, 13; and John Jr., 15. He was arrested 11 days later, and, after a jury rejected his diminished capacity defense, convicted and sentenced. [3], In November 1950, as the Korean War escalated, List was recalled to active military service. Then he sat down and ate lunch at the same table where he had shot his wife hours before. The arrest followed Foxs Americas Most Wanted, featuring a sculpted clay bust of Johns age-progressed face. YouTubeThe bust created of John List, right, next to the real John List, left. [16], List eventually expressed a degree of remorse for his crimes. [12], He was also dealing with his wife's alcoholism and her untreated tertiary syphilis, contracted from her first husband and concealed for 18 years. 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. Then, read the chilling story of John Wayne Gacy, the original killer clown. He met his first wife, Helen Morris Taylor, whose husband had been killed in action in Korea. "I was hungry," he told Downtown, adding with a chuckle, "that's just the way it was.". John List (murderer) (1925-2008), American mass murderer. When the children left for school, he shot his wife and his mother to death. According to trial testimony, Helen had pressured List into marriage by falsely claiming that she was pregnant, then insisted that they marry in Maryland, which did not require the premarital syphilis test mandated in most other states at the time. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Authorities walk John List to a plane in Richmond, Virginia in 1989 before transporting him to New Jersey to stand trial.Steve Helber/AP. "There has been no communication from any family member of John List. '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. Florida woman runs ultra-marathon distances for 23 consecutive days. 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. 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. A South Carolina jury has found once-prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh guilty on all counts in the deaths of his wife and son. John List was on the run when they met in 1985 after having murdered his family members about 14 years before. 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. If no one claims List's body, Fedekenheuer said, "we call the local funeral director, and that person will have the body cremated. He was born John Emil List on 15 September 1925 to John Frederick List and Alma Barbara Florence List. [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. $1 Million - $5 Million. Kentucky man stops for breakfast, wins $50,000 lottery prize. 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 a second attempt at love, he was lucky enough to find a business and life partner in Allain, a producer and hairstylist. They married in 1985. John had a very normal childhood and he did not show any signs of psychological troubles. The News Leaders copyright story quoted his pastor, closest friend and neighbors as saying that the arrest was unbelievable and impossible.. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. His middle son, John Jr. who was also his favorite suffered the most brutal death. In 2008, John Walsh, the host of America's Most Wanted, donated the age-progressed bust by Frank Bender that played a pivotal role in List's apprehension to a forensic science exhibit at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment in Washington, D.C., whose collection was later moved to Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. List saw the children off to school and then shot her in the kitchen as she sipped her customary morning coffee. He placed the bodies of his wife and . 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 killed them to save their souls so they would go to heaven. 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. ELIZABETH, N.J. -- Accused family-killer John Emil List, who had always looked to his religious faith for answers, was so overwrought over the discovery that his wife had advanced syphilis that 'like a small rubber band, he snapped,' a psychiatrist said. John was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and five terms of life imprisonment. He joined a local Lutheran church and, in 1985, married a widow named Delores Clark, with whom he moved to Richmond, Va. 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. In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. Moreover, his wife was a heavy drinker and she had also contracted Syphilis from her first marriage. John seemingly grew up without incident, reporting a normal childhood with the exception of his stringently religious upbringing, with which he identified wholeheartedly. 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. [18][19][20], In 1972, List was proposed as a suspect in the D. B. Cooper air piracy case because of the timing of his disappearance (two weeks prior to the airline hijacking), multiple matches to the hijacker's description, and the reasoning that "a fugitive accused of mass murder has nothing to lose.

Scorpio Moon Childhood, Articles J