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Upstairs, the body of List's 84-year-old mother Alma was found. [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. The mass murderer was an active member of his local Lutheran church and married his second wife Delores in 1985. he is the biggest con man who ever walked the Earth, another unidentified friend told the paper. Delores Miller (wife) and John List are divorced. Realizing he was overhearing an important conversation between List and his second wife, the young officer took notes and later related what he heard to investigators from New . If no one claims List's body, Fedekenheuer said, "we call the local funeral director, and that person will have the body cremated. Also in 2022, Netflix released a seven-part dramatic fictional miniseries called The Watcher. 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. John was arrested and extradited to New Jersey. He turned on the lights and the radio, leaving religious hymns playing in the houses empty rooms. He says today he felt he was letting the family down. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. When they entered the house, music was still playing on the intercom, but List was long gone. His lawyer, Elijah Miller Jr., argues that knowing his wife suffered from syphilis helped drive the deeply religious man over the edge. He murdered his mother, wife and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey on November 9, 1971. His sixteen years old daughter and 13 years old son returned from the school at noon. He worked as an accountant, bringing a stable income back to his Victorian mansion; home to himself, his wife, three children and his mother. 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. They married in 1985. The alias worked, and he kept it when he moved to Richmond. 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. When his daughter and youngest son came home, he shot them in the back of the head. At his trial in 1990, defense lawyers argued that List suffered from PTSD from his military service in World War II and Korea. The army discharged him in 1946, after which he joined the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He worked hard as an accountant at a nearby bank to provide for his family. 07, 2022, 8:00 a.m. The research in this book is outstanding, and Sharkey clearly put a great deal of time and effort into it. He was too shy and seemed disinterested in talking to even his superiors. He married Helen and raised three children with her, while working as an accountant in many places, such as New York and New Jersey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU_2xrMKO8g. 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. First Patty, 16. 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). [13] List also stopped milk, mail, and newspaper deliveries. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. He grew up as an only child with strict German parents, he had an overly protective and domineering mother (sort of like Norman Bates). It took Johns fingerprints to match with the military records to convince the authorities that he was John List. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. Westfield police did not discover the bodies until nearly a month later. He was caught after the television show "America's Most Wanted" air a segment on the murders. The episode, "Murder House", premiered on November 18, 2015. Interview statement on List's confession to his second wife. He settled in New Jersey and took a job at a local bank. He feared his family, confronted with a world full of evil and poverty, would turn from God; this was the only way to ensure their safe arrival in heaven. Austin Goodrich, an ABCNEWS consultant who is writing a book with John List, contributed material for this report. "At least I'm certain that all have gone to heaven now. Like his father, List was a devout Lutheran and a Sunday school teacher. photos, Pending. John was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and five terms of life imprisonment. As I was doing it I knew it was wrong," he said. Though we'd like to say that Wayne and Pilar lived happily ever after, apparently that's not the case. Under Review. 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. He began living with a new identity in Virginia, where he was spotted by a local and got arrested. Salary in 2022. The arrest followed Foxs Americas Most Wanted, featuring a sculpted clay bust of Johns age-progressed face. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. List, who grew up in a strict Lutheran community in Bay City, Mich., was 'immersed in his religion,' he said. He later took a job as the vice president at a bank in New Jersey, where the family finally got settled. He imposed a sentence of five terms of life imprisonment, to be served consecutively, the maximum permissible penalty at the time. March 2 (UPI) -- A Minnesota police officer came to the rescue of a raccoon he spotted running around with a jar stuck over its head. "[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. A seemingly admirable and usual American man, John List and his family lived happily in New Jersey. He says he wanted to spare them the shame of losing their New Jersey mansion and to make sure they got to heaven. This article is about the murderer. It rippled through the county and state: John List, the man who had meticulously murdered his mother, wife and three kids in their Westfield mansion and disappeared without a trace, was in custody. His middle son, John Jr. who was also his favorite suffered the most brutal death. John List was an American mass murderer, who became infamous in the 1970s for killing his mother, wife and three children. John List and his family were the definition of the American Dream in 1965; they seemed to have it all. "There has been no communication from any family member of John List. He then walked up to the third floor and shot his 85-year-old mother, Alma. 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. Soon after his high school graduation, he joined the United States Army during the Second World War, where he worked as a laboratory technician. 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. Delores kept a low profile after Johns arrest, and it is unclear what happened to her. [16] In reporting his death, the New Jersey Star-Ledger referred to him as "The Boogeyman of Westfield. [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. Born in an extremely strict Lutheran family, John was raised as a single child. The bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. He became increasingly depressed. I ask all affected by this for their forgiveness, understanding and prayer. A federal appeals court rejected both arguments. YouTubeThe List house burned down several months after the List family bodies were discovered there. The trail went cold. He was born as the only child in the highly religious German-American household. After seeing all his children off to school, John List set his plan in motion. 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. ', 'List was being bombarded by stresses,' the doctor added. The 14th and final defense witness was the defendant's brother John . In 1950, John List was recalled to active military service. With his first wife, John Frederick had had a son, William George, who happened to be the same . I thought I was being real clever," he said. This is not the man I know. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. List is accused of killing his wife, his three children and his mother in 1971. Bank Vice President and Sunday School Teacher. 'To find his wife having a veneral disease was morally, ethically and religiously a very hard thing for him to accept,' the psychiatrist said. He is from American. During his years on the run, List went by the name Robert Clark. The family car was found parked at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, but police found no evidence that List had boarded a flight. and more from FamousFix.com. He murdered his mother, wife and three children in November 1971, due to financial distress and other issues within the family, and fled. In an interview with Connie Chung in 2002, List said he didnt kill himself after killing his own family because he felt that would prevent him from getting to heaven. 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). The jury finally found John List guilty and a judge sentenced him to five life terms in a New Jersey prison. Help us build our profile of John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife)! 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 spent his days at the train station reading, napping, and wondering how to get his family out of their financial mess. In a second attempt at love, he was lucky enough to find a business and life partner in Allain, a producer and hairstylist. Dr. Sheldon Miller, who examined List after his arrest last year, described him Friday as a man who had already been hit by the loss of his job and then learned that his wife had deceived him for years about her medical condition. He then called his childrens school to grant them leave to visit their grandmother in South Carolina. He. He met his first wife, Helen Morris Taylor, whose husband had been killed in action in Korea. "The body is still at the Mercer County Medical Examiner's Office," said county spokesman Pete Daly. List diverted money from his mother's bank accounts to avoid default on his mortgage. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. A manhunt for John was declared, but it was not until 18 years that he was arrested. 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. 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. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Helen was first. [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. Their faces were covered. [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. "I knew it was wrong. 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. Liss summarized Helen List's medical reports for the jury. He worked hard as an accountant at a nearby bank to provide for his family. In an interview, he stated that he did not kill himself because suicide prevents one from going to heaven. New revelations in the episode include what List said through tears to his shocked and heartsick second wife, who hoped it was all some mistake and her husband was really the man she thought she had married Robert Clark when she visited him in jail. A 1996 episode of the series Forensic Files discussed the List murders. 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. [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. 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.". [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. Those who knew List, including in his second life: Kathleen "Kay" Ciarfello, Randy Mitchell, Les Wingfield, the Rev. The couple had three children together, while Helens daughter Brenda left home in 1960 after her marriage. In addition, it will contact the Social Security Administration, Veteran's Administration and Public Welfare for any possible death benefits. It turned out that List had changed his identity and moved to Colorado under the assumed name Robert Clark. 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. John and Helen married on December 1, 1951, in Baltimore, Maryland, the family moving to northern California. A deputy sheriff at the Henrico County Jail was tasked with watching John List after his arrest in 1989. [16], List died of complications from pneumonia aged 82 on March 21, 2008, while imprisoned at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. This is either the most unbelievable mix-up or . If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Authorities went to Clarks home and spoke to his wife, whom he met at a church social gathering. There, he eventually became director of accounting services. 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. He then drove his son back to the house and emptied both the guns on him, shooting him in his head and chest repeatedly. 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. 2023. He said they were going to North Carolina to visit an ailing relative. He was 82 years old at the time of his demise. YouTubeAn aerial view of the List family home in Westfield, New Jersey. The tipster said her neighbor was also an accountant and attended church. 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. He is a quiet yet friendly man who loves his work and the people he works with.. Helen List apparently was infected with the disease by her first husband, a soldier who was killed in Korea. "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. By 1971, he was still leaving for work every morning, but unknown to his family he was unemployed and unable to pay the bills. That same year, he enlisted in the United States Army and served as a laboratory technician during World War II. Salary in 2021. Then Frederick, 13. However, he was a loner who was not socially active and had very few friends in school and his locality. 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. He waited for Helen to come down for her morning coffee. On 9 November 1971, John murdered his wife, mother, and three children by shooting them. 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. Eventually, he took a decently paying job with a paper company at Kalamazoo, Michigan, and settled there with his family. He was the only child born to German-Americans John Frederick List and Alma Maria Barbara Florence List. A South Carolina jury has found once-prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh guilty on all counts in the deaths of his wife and son.