After extradition to New Jersey, he was convicted on five counts of first degree murder and sentenced to five consecutive terms of life imprisonment, making him ineligible for parole for nearly 75 years.[2]. YouTubeAn aerial view of the List family home in Westfield, New Jersey. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. Feb. 20, 2002 -- Thirty years ago, accountant John List methodically murdered his whole family his mother, his wife, and their three children. If you take gaming seriously, you shouldn't accept anything less than the greatest. [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. 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. His sixteen years old daughter and 13 years old son returned from the school at noon. "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.". [43], The movie A Killer Next Door, based on the events that led to the capture of John List, was released In July 2020. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. After driving John Frederick home, List shot him repeatedly because, as misfire evidence showed, his son attempted to defend himself. The crime remains one of the most gruesome acts of all time. ', 'List was being bombarded by stresses,' the doctor added. "I was hungry," he told Downtown, adding with a chuckle, "that's just the way it was.". The Rev. While there is no set timetable on when that might happen, Daly said the remains of other prison inmates have been stored for up to roughly three months by the medical examiner's office. John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) - Dating, Gossip, News, Photos list. Contents 1 Background 2 Familicide, Capture, and Incarceration 3 Modus Operandi 4 Known Victims 5 Notes 6 On Criminal Minds 7 On Suspect Behavior 8 Sources John Sr. drove over to his school and watched him playing in a soccer game. 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. news, The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Though we'd like to say that Wayne and Pilar lived happily ever after, apparently that's not the case. . 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? John Emil List, 63, was profiled on the TV program "America's Most Wanted" May 21. . '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. The mansion in New Jersey where John List lived with his family burned down several months after the murders. On April 12, 1990 he was found guilty on five . The FBI found his car parked at Kennedy International Airport in New York City, but they never found him. 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. Dr. Steven Simring, a psychiatrist who examined List after his arrest years later, told Downtown his "sense of neatness" was the result of a compulsive personality. Fast forward 18 years to 1989. "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. But he fled to Colorado, assumed a new name and remarried, managing to elude a nationwide manhunt for 18 years. He placed the bodies of his wife and . 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. It turned out that List had changed his identity and moved to Colorado under the assumed name Robert Clark. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. John List is a revolutionary experimenter whose unique methods and ideas have changed how the field of economics functions. [17] From 1979 to 1986, he was the comptroller at a paper box manufacturer outside Denver. 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. At one religious gathering, he met an Army PX clerk named Delores Miller and married her in 1985. The episode aired on May 21, 1989 (Opens in a new tab), catching the eye of a neighbor who called the police and warned Clark's second wife, who seemed "stunned." (Opens in a new tab) List was . He defended himself saying that he was not mentally stable. If no one claims List's body, Fedekenheuer said, "we call the local funeral director, and that person will have the body cremated. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. John List was born on September 17, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. 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. Delores kept a low profile after Johns arrest, and it is unclear what happened to her. Joseph Vought, Ludwig "Lou" Silbermann, Jerome Kendall, George Corbett,. If things had gone on who knows if that would be the case," he wrote. The 14th and final defense witness was the defendant's brother John . In a three-sentence statement to the court, he said he was sorry for "the tragedy that happened in 1971." 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 laid the bodies of his wife and three children on sleeping bags according to size in the home's ballroom, went to sleep after dinner, and fled the next day. Officers entered through an unlocked window leading to the basement and discovered the family's bodies. List died in prison in 2008 at the age of 82. Then John, 15, after the boy put his bookbag down on a kitchen countertop. [35], List filed an appeal of his convictions on grounds that his judgment had been impaired by post-traumatic stress disorder due to his military service. I was shocked to hear about Bobs arrest and what he is charged with, the statement said. A seemingly admirable and usual American man, John List and his family lived happily in New Jersey. YouTubeForensic artist Frank Bender uses photographs to sculpt an aged bust of mass murderer John List. [46] Played by Joe Mantello, much of John Graff's story was identical such as his being an accountant, attending a Lutheran church, and murdering his family members and live-in mother, along with leaving music playing in the house and planning an alibi that would cause the bodies to remain undiscovered for several weeks. Everything looked great on the surface. John List (murderer) (1925-2008), American mass murderer. [42] In 2015, the story was covered in the season 2, episode 2 of the Investigation Discovery TV series Your Worst Nightmare. Helen List apparently was infected with the disease by her first husband, a soldier who was killed in Korea. Then Frederick, 13. Later, John took a lucrative job at Xerox and moved to New York and lived there with his family for a few years. He was arrested in 1989 after a former neighbor recognized him from a profile on the syndicated TV show America's Most Wanted. He. [15][16], In 1971, as the FBI later discovered, List had traveled by train from New Jersey to Michigan and then to Colorado. Authorities walk John List to a plane in Richmond, Virginia in 1989 before transporting him to New Jersey to stand trial.Steve Helber/AP. He is from American. At his trial in 1990, defense lawyers argued that List suffered from PTSD from his military service in World War II and Korea. [16], List died of complications from pneumonia aged 82 on March 21, 2008, while imprisoned at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Jurors deliberated for about . John List was a devout Lutheran who lived with his wife, mother and three children. 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. In addition, it will contact the Social Security Administration, Veteran's Administration and Public Welfare for any possible death benefits. 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. Born in Bay City, Michigan, List was the only child of German-American parents John Frederick List (18591944) and Alma Barbara Florence List (18871971). When they entered the house, music was still playing on the intercom, but List was long gone. 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. Delores Clark said that she was making her statement reluctantly and that she would have no further comment. "[36] The judge was unpersuaded: "John Emil List is without remorse and without honor," he said. '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. All five victims had been shot. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. 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. Afterwards, he dragged his wifes body to the ballroom and made himself lunch and ate it. The jury finally found John List guilty and a judge sentenced him to five life terms in a New Jersey prison. However, he was a loner who was not socially active and had very few friends in school and his locality. It took 18 years for John List to be arrested. John List laid the bodies of his family members on top of sleeping bags in the ballroom, then composed a note to his pastor, who he felt would understand. Helen List lied to her doctors during several hospitalizations, Liss said. Delores and John moved to a house around Brandermill, Midlothian, Virginia, where her husband worked as an accountant at an accounting firm. Help keep John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) profile up to date. The couple later moved to Richmond together . Then List waited downstairs to kill his children, one by one, as they came home. 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.". [1] She was the second wife and widow of businessman John Jacob Astor IV . 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. Spouse/Ex-: Delores Miller Clark (m. 19851989), Helen List (m. 19511971), children: Frederick List, John, Jr. [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. In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. 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. He was arrested 11 days later, and, after a jury rejected his diminished capacity defense, convicted and sentenced. "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." [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. They attended church every Sunday as devout Lutherans and List taught Sunday school. She was born 25th October 1916. It took Johns fingerprints to match with the military records to convince the authorities that he was John List. He couldnt bear to tell his family about the loss of income. [13] List also stopped milk, mail, and newspaper deliveries. Under Review. 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. From New York, he had traveled overland to Denver, where he began a new life under the name Robert P. Clark, working first as a hotel fry cook and later as an accountant for H&R Block. Born In: Bay City, Michigan, United States. 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. John had a very normal childhood and he did not show any signs of psychological troubles. They did not have any children together. "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. Wertheimer allowed the jury to hear testimony about Helen List's syphilis after Miller told him, in a brief hearing, that List knew what his wife suffered from before he killed her. After light bulbs began burning out one by one, they called the police. His lawyer hopes to convince the jury that List should not be held legally responsible for the deaths because he thought he was saving his family's souls by killing them. "I was perspiring like anything," he remembers, but said his wife did not seem to have recognized him. He then called his childrens school to grant them leave to visit their grandmother in South Carolina. Robbins is one of Pitt-Bradford's . John List was on the run when they met in 1985 after having murdered his family members about 14 years before. The new lovers wed on 1 December 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland. 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. 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. The trail went cold. John List died in prison in 2008 at age 82. Her story put an end to the 18-year-long mystery. The Army, realizing List's accounting skills, reassigned him to the Finance Corps. On Nov. 9, 1971, after sending his children off to school, List took his two handguns out to the car to load them, then walked into the kitchen and shot his wife from behind as she was drinking coffee. [12] Neighbors noticed that all of the mansion's rooms were illuminated day and night, with no apparent activity within the house. He murdered his mother, wife and three children in November 1971, due to financial distress and other issues within the family, and fled. 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. Associated With. . [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. 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. Subsequent jobs didnt pan out. He turned on the lights and the radio, leaving religious hymns playing in the houses empty rooms. But then his life began to crumble. Interview statement on List's confession to his second wife. He told her she went through a slow, agonizing death, the friend said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He was born John Emil List on 15 September 1925 to John Frederick List and Alma Barbara Florence List. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. He believed that it was his failure as a man to be unable to provide for his family. John List was an American mass murderer, who became infamous in the 1970s for killing his mother, wife and three children. He married Helen and raised three children with her, while working as an accountant in many places, such as New York and New Jersey. He met his first wife, Helen Morris Taylor, whose husband had been killed in action in Korea. At a border crossing to Mexico in March 1944, she said she. John Emil List (September 17, 1925 March 21, 2008) was an American mass murderer[1] and long-time fugitive. 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. It was a masterful depiction of John List. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. 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. The mass murderer was an active member of his local Lutheran church and married his second wife Delores in 1985. 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. Overdue book returned to Massachusetts library after 56 years. The video above will play a live video stream of the Monday, Feb. 27 proceedings in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial or a replay upon completion. Episodes, photos and other information are also available at fatherwantsusdead.com. Authorities later revealed that John kept lying to his family about his jobs. [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. 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. [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.