Human name disambiguation pages. John A. List Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family 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. Helen lived with her daughter Brenda near Fort Eustis in Virginia, where John served. 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. 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. When authorities entered the Westfield, New Jersey house on December 7, 1971, they heard organ music piped through the intercom system. The couple had three children together, while Helens daughter Brenda left home in 1960 after her marriage. . He also thought his children were steering off the godly course as his son wanted to be an actor. New Jersey prosecutors had come up with a plan. [35] At his sentencing hearing, he denied direct responsibility for his actions: "I feel that because of my mental state at the time, I was unaccountable for what happened. His play times were replaced with gatherings around . The John List project: About the reporting - nj.com [42] In 2015, the story was covered in the season 2, episode 2 of the Investigation Discovery TV series Your Worst Nightmare. 'Father Wants Us Dead' podcast extras: Never before seen List - Nj At one religious gathering, he met an Army PX clerk named Delores Miller and married her in 1985. 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. 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. The new lovers wed on 1 December 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland. John List The Boogeyman of Westfield | by A.W. Naves | Medium Alongside his close friend and colleague Steven Levitt, List has committed to studying the way people behave in the real world, instead of understanding economics as a theory-based field. He settled in New Jersey and took a job at a local bank. Although it is a work of fiction, much of the character John Graff was borrowed from the story of the John List murders. "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. "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. She had a young daughter from her previous marriage. Wanted - The Lives They Lived - Obituaries - The New York Times 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. He had saved the souls of the people he loved. YouTubeAn aerial view of the List family home in Westfield, New Jersey. John List's confession to his 2nd wife revealed in new episode of John seemingly grew up without incident, reporting a normal childhood with the exception of his stringently religious upbringing, with which he identified wholeheartedly. Bank Vice President and Sunday School Teacher. The jury finally found John List guilty and a judge sentenced him to five life terms in a New Jersey prison. 07, 2022, 8:00 a.m. John had first moved to Michigan, and then to Colorado, where he took an accounting job in Denver. John List was born on September 17, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. He killed his immediate family since he could not pay the mansions mortgage after losing his job and did not want them to face ridicule. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. List had a masters degree in accounting, but lacked social skills and had a history of losing jobs. 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. 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. 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. When they met, she led a simple life working as an Army PX clerk. American Criminal John List was born John Emil List on 17th September, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan, USA and passed away on 21st Mar 2008 Trenton, New Jersey, USA aged 82. He also argued that the letter he left behind at the crime scene, essentially his confession, was a confidential communication to his pastor and therefore inadmissible as evidence. Then, he went up to the third floor and murdered his mother in her bed. Suspect in Family Slaying 'Not Man I Know,' Wife Says The devout Lutherans attended church every Sunday, and List taught Sunday school. Following the gruesome death of his family. Delores Miller Clark: Learn More about John List's Ex-Wife National Park Service: 'Never push a slower friend down' in a bear encounter, March 2 (UPI) -- The National Park Service offered some sage advice for park visitors who encounter bears: "Never push a slower friend down. The episode, "Murder House", premiered on November 18, 2015. Judge William L'E. John enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 and was a laboratory technician during World War II. [43], The movie A Killer Next Door, based on the events that led to the capture of John List, was released In July 2020. John was a strict Lutheran and hence, when he came to know about Helens pregnancy, he right away proposed to her for marriage. He died on March 21, 2008 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. He was too shy and seemed disinterested in talking to even his superiors. Alex Murdaugh trial updates: John Marvin faults SLED, doesn't believe lists He joined a Lutheran congregation and ran a car pool for shut-in church members. He placed the bodies of his wife and . John List (murderer) (1925-2008), American mass murderer. '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. Though we'd like to say that Wayne and Pilar lived happily ever after, apparently that's not the case. [13] List also stopped milk, mail, and newspaper deliveries. [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. Extras - Father Wants Us Dead: A True Crime Podcast From NJ.com He also claimed to be suffering from PTSD. [17] From 1979 to 1986, he was the comptroller at a paper box manufacturer outside Denver. Johnny Cash Fathered 5 Children with 2 Wives Meet All His Kids He worked hard as an accountant at a nearby bank to provide for his family. Kentucky man stops for breakfast, wins $50,000 lottery prize. He lost the bank job, and a succession of subsequent jobs. The man I know is kind, loving, a devoted husband and a dear friend. 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. There, he eventually became director of accounting services. Delores Miller (wife) and John List are divorced. He was born as the only child in the highly religious German-American household. 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. List diverted money from his mother's bank accounts to avoid default on his mortgage. A former Denver neighbor alerted the police, who made the arrest later. John Emil List (September 17, 1925 March 21, 2008) was an American mass murderer[1] and long-time fugitive. Their faces were covered. Helen List apparently was infected with the disease by her first husband, a soldier who was killed in Korea. The family were devout Lutherans. Born in an extremely strict Lutheran family, John was raised as a single child. 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. YouTubeThe bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. 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. The News Leaders copyright story quoted his pastor, closest friend and neighbors as saying that the arrest was unbelievable and impossible.. The Star-Ledger reporter, who loved to chat about the infamous murderer with the locals on his Union County beat, was grabbing a sandwich for lunch when he got a tip of his own. After learning about the murders committed by John List, check out the story of Dale Cregan, the one-eyed killer. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). He is from American. 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. They did not have any children together. '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.'. 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. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. YouTubeThe List house burned down several months after the List family bodies were discovered there. [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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In an interview, he stated that he did not kill himself because suicide prevents one from going to heaven. [24][25] On June 1, less than two weeks after the broadcast, List was arrested at a Richmond accounting firm after a Denver neighbor recognized the description and alerted authorities. Interview statement on List's confession to his second wife. March 2 (UPI) -- A Florida woman earned a Guinness World Record when she completed 23 ultra-marathon runs -- 31.1 miles -- in a 23-day period. Associated With. Salary in 2022. "At least I'm certain that all have gone to heaven now. videos, The bust created of John List, right, next to the real John List, left. 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. By then, he was assigned to the finance corps, from where he was discharged in 1952. It turned out that List had changed his identity and moved to Colorado under the assumed name Robert Clark. 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.. 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. It was the biggest story he could remember, and the local fervor for information was immediate. The FBI found his car parked at Kennedy International Airport in New York City, but they never found him. John was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and five terms of life imprisonment. 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). Then, he went to the bank to close his accounts and cash his mother's savings bonds. [31] Though her health progressively deteriorated, she said nothing to List or her physicians until 1969, when a thorough workup revealed the condition. Oct 9, 2018. 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 research in this book is outstanding, and Sharkey clearly put a great deal of time and effort into it. The first seven episodes of Father Wants Us Dead are available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can subscribe on those platforms to be alerted when new episodes drop every Tuesday through June 21. 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. America's Most Wanted: The Disturbing Case of John List The mansion in New Jersey where John List lived with his family burned down several months after the murders. By 1971, he was still leaving for work every morning, but unknown to his family he was unemployed and unable to pay the bills. 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. List assumed a new identity, remarried, and eluded justice for nearly 18 years. Im convinced hes just pulling my chain, Gluck recalled. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Gwyn Conger Steinbeck was the second wife of John Steinbeck, master story-teller and Nobel Prize winner. Discover The 33 Scariest Animals In The World, From The Deep Sea To The Tropical Skies, The Story Of Caril Ann Fugate And Charles Starkweather's Natural Born Killing Spree, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Read on to discover more details. She was born 25th October 1916. Subsequent jobs didnt pan out. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. He joined a local Lutheran church and, in 1985, married a widow named Delores Clark, with whom he moved to Richmond, Va. Gallery - Father Wants Us Dead: A True Crime Podcast From NJ The Army, realizing List's accounting skills, reassigned him to the Finance Corps. Firefighters hoist horse stranded in backyard swimming pool. The two met at a Christian religious gathering. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. "[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. The Rev. He worked as an accountant, bringing a stable income back to his Victorian mansion; home to himself, his wife, three children and his mother. John Emil List, 63, was profiled on the TV program "America's Most Wanted" May 21. After making the decision, List says, there was no turning back. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. "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. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their . When his daughter and youngest son came home, he shot them in the back of the head. Florida woman runs ultra-marathon distances for 23 consecutive days. 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness World Record. Flanery lived next door to John List, who was going by Robert Clark, and his second wife, Delores Clark, in Aurora, Colorado from 1985 to 1988. [14] All reliable photographs of List had been destroyed. On April 12, 1990 he was found guilty on five . "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. [12] Alma's body was flown to Frankenmuth, Michigan, and interred at the Saint Lorenz Lutheran Cemetery. He worked hard as an accountant at a nearby bank to provide for his family. Now, in his first-ever public comments about the 1971 crime, the 76-year-old former Sunday school teacher says he is waiting to be reunited with them in the hereafter. The bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. 'America's Most Wanted' killer John List remains infamous - mlive He says today he felt he was letting the family down. Madeleine Astor - Wikipedia The crime remains one of the most gruesome acts of all time. I ask all affected by this for their forgiveness, understanding and prayer. 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.