WhenAmericas Most Wantedaired the story of the John List murders on May 21, 1989, an audience of 22 million saw Frank Benders sculpture. March 3 (UPI) -- A Kentucky man who stopped to buy some breakfast said he lost his appetite when he won $50,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket. "I wish I had never done what I did," he told Connie Chung in 2002. [15][16], In 1971, as the FBI later discovered, List had traveled by train from New Jersey to Michigan and then to Colorado. The Army, realizing List's accounting skills, reassigned him to the Finance Corps. He grew up as an only child with strict German parents, he had an overly protective and domineering mother (sort of like Norman Bates). He had saved the souls of the people he loved. Upstairs, the body of List's 84-year-old mother Alma was found. Several films and documentaries have been made to cover the details of the List murders. HOW HE MET HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE John Schneider and his wife, Alicia Allain, began their journey after his divorce from his first wife of twenty-one years. But back in Denver, his former neighbors did recognize him, and called police. 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. "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.". 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. But what led Delores husband to commit such a chilling crime? The episode, "Murder House", premiered on November 18, 2015. This article is about the murderer. 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. I was shocked to hear about Bobs arrest and what he is charged with, the statement said. If things had gone on who knows if that would be the case," he wrote. John seemingly grew up without incident, reporting a normal childhood with the exception of his stringently religious upbringing, with which he identified wholeheartedly. 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. Authorities never found the cause of the fire, and a new house was built on the property years later. 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 Emil List Birth 17 Sep 1925 Bay City, Bay County, Michigan, USA Death 21 Mar 2008 (aged 82) Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA Burial Burial Details Unknown. He was finally apprehended in Virginia on June 1, 1989, after the story of his murders was broadcast on the television program America's Most Wanted. Forensic artist Frank Bender uses photographs to sculpt an aged bust of mass murderer John List. John List was born John Emil List, on September 17, 1925, in Bay City, Michigan, to John Frederick List and Alma Barbara Florence List. 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. In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. [41] A 2003 episode of the A&E series American Justice also detailed the case and featured an interview with List. A month passed before neighbors, curious about the constantly burning lights and empty windows, began to suspect something was wrong at the List mansion. John List is a revolutionary experimenter whose unique methods and ideas have changed how the field of economics functions. Daly said that if no one comes forward, the remains would eventually be returned to the state Department of Corrections, which has had custody of List since his conviction in 1990. Hopefully they would go to heaven, and then maybe I would have a chance to later confess my sins to God and get forgiveness.". He met his first wife, Helen Morris Taylor, whose husband had been killed in action in Korea. When authorities entered the Westfield, New Jersey house on December 7, 1971, they heard organ music piped through the intercom system. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. John List (murderer) (1925-2008), American mass murderer. 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. A former neighbor in Denver saw the episode and recognized List, who was then tracked to his new home in Virginia. [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 born as the only child in the highly religious German-American household. Delores and John moved to a house around Brandermill, Midlothian, Virginia, where her husband worked as an accountant at an accounting firm. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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.. "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." [14] All reliable photographs of List had been destroyed. In an interview in 2008, parents told a reporter in New Jersey that children will not walk past that property, nor do they even want to live on the same street. In an effort to baffle the police, he cleaned the crime scenes and used scissors to remove his image from every photo in the mansion. Kentucky man stops for breakfast, wins $50,000 lottery prize. "I was hungry," he told Downtown, adding with a chuckle, "that's just the way it was.". The couple later moved to Richmond together . [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. '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.'. "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. Authorities went to Clarks home and spoke to his wife, whom he met at a church social gathering. YouTubeThe bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. At a border crossing to Mexico in March 1944, she said she. He also claimed to be suffering from PTSD. YouTubeAn aerial view of the List family home in Westfield, New Jersey. John enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 and was a laboratory technician during World War II. I ask all affected by this for their forgiveness, understanding and prayer. But then his life began to crumble. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. 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. She met Steinbeck in late 1938 or early 1939, when she was just 22. The bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. 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. Then he went downstairs, dragged his wife's body into the ballroom and began scrubbing up the blood so the children would not realize what was going on when they got back from school. In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. "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. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. Although the destruction was officially ruled arson, it remains officially unsolved with no suspects. 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. During that time, he was associated romantically with a number of celebrities, including a nine-year affair with actress Merle Oberon. YouTubeThe List house burned down several months after the List family bodies were discovered there. He was born John Emil List on 15 September 1925 to John Frederick List and Alma Barbara Florence List. 'His wife's behavior, coupled with the loss of his job -- he was threatened with the inability to support his family as he had been trained to do from childhood. Details of Delores life before she married John List are unavailable. 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. After seeing all his children off to school, John List set his plan in motion. John Emil List was born in Michigan, in 1925, the only child of John and Alma 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. John Sr. drove to the field and watched him play, then gave him a ride home. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. In 1971, John List lost his job at the bank at age 46. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their . [32], On April 12, 1990, List was convicted of five counts of first degree murder. All rights reserved (About Us). List, who grew up in a strict Lutheran community in Bay City, Mich., was 'immersed in his religion,' he said. lists [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. Then Frederick, 13. The research in this book is outstanding, and Sharkey clearly put a great deal of time and effort into it. . If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. [16], List died of complications from pneumonia aged 82 on March 21, 2008, while imprisoned at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. 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. 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. They attended church every Sunday as devout Lutherans and List taught Sunday school. As I was doing it I knew it was wrong," he said. But unlike the other members of the List family who dropped instantly, John Jr. struggled. He says he wanted to spare them the shame of losing their New Jersey mansion and to make sure they got to heaven. 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. 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. 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). Salary in 2021. He met his first wife, Helen Morris Taylor, whose husband had been killed in action in Korea. One friend, unidentified by the newspaper, said that List had told Delores Clark he had been married before to an alcoholic who died of cancer. On November 9, 1971, John List put his plan into action. John List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. He married Helen and raised three children with her, while working as an accountant in many places, such as New York and New Jersey. The couple had three children together, while Helens daughter Brenda left home in 1960 after her marriage. In a three-sentence statement to the court, he said he was sorry for "the tragedy that happened in 1971." Joseph Vought, Ludwig "Lou" Silbermann, Jerome Kendall, George Corbett,. 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. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. ", Woman wins $100,000 lottery prize 11 hours after $11,000 casino jackpot. ', 'List was being bombarded by stresses,' the doctor added. John List's confession to his 2nd wife revealed in new episode of 'Father Wants Us Dead' podcast Published: Jun. 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. [6] In 1960, his stepdaughter Brenda married and left the household, and List moved with the remainder of his family to Rochester, New York, to take a job with Xerox. He worked hard as an accountant at a nearby bank to provide for his family. Then, read the chilling story of John Wayne Gacy, the original killer clown. He took a break and made himself lunch. He placed the bodies of his wife and . Expert psychologists believed rather that List was going through a mid-life crisis and as the prosecution pointed out, that was no excuse for killing five innocent people. "I was perspiring like anything," he remembers, but said his wife did not seem to have recognized him. Just as the kids entered from the main door, he shot both of them in the heads as well. In November 1971, the mass murderer and long-time fugitive killed his wife, mother, and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey. [5] By 1959, List had risen to general supervisor of the company's accounting department; but Helen, an alcoholic, had become increasingly unstable. One night after dinner, he even asked his family what should be done with their bodies after they died. There, he eventually became director of accounting services. He died in the prison hospital at the age of 82, in 2008. List diverted money from his mother's bank accounts to avoid default on his mortgage. 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. He was vice president and comptroller of a nearby bank, and his family lived in an 18-room mansion with marble fireplaces and an elegant ballroom. [43], The movie A Killer Next Door, based on the events that led to the capture of John List, was released In July 2020. 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. He turned on the lights and the radio, leaving religious hymns playing in the houses empty rooms. Aside from a few extra wrinkles, the bust was spot on. "I knew it was wrong. He imposed a sentence of five terms of life imprisonment, to be served consecutively, the maximum permissible penalty at the time. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. He murdered his mother, wife and three children in November 1971, due to financial distress and other issues within the family, and fled. Born in Bay City, Michigan, List was the only child of German-American parents John Frederick List (18591944) and Alma Barbara Florence List (18871971). 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 was sentenced to five consecutive life prison terms. The family did not have a lot of visitors and it took the neighbours 29 days to notice that something was off in the house. 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. [42] In 2015, the story was covered in the season 2, episode 2 of the Investigation Discovery TV series Your Worst Nightmare. 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. John was arrested and extradited to New Jersey. He married his second wife Delores in 1985. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He was 82 years old at the time of his demise. In a second attempt at love, he was lucky enough to find a business and life partner in Allain, a producer and hairstylist. 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. ", 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. 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. Episodes, photos and other information are also available at fatherwantsusdead.com. 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. John was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and five terms of life imprisonment. As his daughter Patricia, 16, and younger son Frederick, 13, arrived home from school, List shot each of them in the back of the head. After making the decision, List says, there was no turning back.

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