John had first moved to Michigan, and then to Colorado, where he took an accounting job in Denver. Jurors deliberated for about . Then, he went up to the third floor and murdered his mother in her bed. Based on information gleaned from dozens of interviews and hundreds of pages of police and FBI documents, Father Wants Us Dead is an in-depth and chilling narrative from two reporters with more than 25 years of combined experience. It turned out that List had changed his identity and moved to Colorado under the assumed name Robert Clark. He settled in New Jersey and took a job at a local bank. Help us build our profile of John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife)! 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 crime remains one of the most gruesome acts of all time. 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. He later completed his masters degree in accounting and worked as an accountant in the military. [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 A. List Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family ', 'List was being bombarded by stresses,' the doctor added. They got married in December 1951. He was born John Emil List on 15 September 1925 to John Frederick List and Alma Barbara Florence List. The alias worked, and he kept it when he moved to Richmond. John List Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements 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. 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 remember talking about funerals and cremation and burials. Delores Miller (wife) is an American Homemaker. He then shot his wife in the back of the head as she enjoyed her final sips, careful to ensure that her last moments were free of suspicion. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. [31] Though her health progressively deteriorated, she said nothing to List or her physicians until 1969, when a thorough workup revealed the condition. Wanted - The Lives They Lived - Obituaries - The New York Times Early life [ edit] Katherine (left) and Madeleine Force. Details of Delores life before she married John List are unavailable. 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. Next he went upstairs, to where his 84-year-old mother was having breakfast, kissed her ("like Judas," he told Downtown), and shot her in the head. He died on March 21, 2008 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. Madeleine Astor - Wikipedia It was the biggest story he could remember, and the local fervor for information was immediate. He has also appeared on television shows such as Your Worst Nightmare and American Justice. Bradford Patricia Colosimo (23 years), director of arts programming Jon Draeger (35 years), associate professor of chemistry Andrea Robbins (40+ years), instructor of chemistry and algebra, Division of Physical and Computational Sciences. [42] In 2015, the story was covered in the season 2, episode 2 of the Investigation Discovery TV series Your Worst Nightmare. Kentucky man stops for breakfast, wins $50,000 lottery prize. The bodies of John Lists wife and three teenage children were found laid out on sleeping bags in the ballroom. [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 had been fired from all his jobs due to his cold demeanor and his inability to be social with his co-workers. Afterwards, he dragged his wifes body to the ballroom and made himself lunch and ate it. Spouse/Ex-: Delores Miller Clark (m. 19851989), Helen List (m. 19511971), children: Frederick List, John, Jr. March 3 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Britain responded to a home to rescue a horse that had fallen into its owner's swimming pool and was unable to get itself out. He went upstairs and shot his 84-year-old mother. John List (murderer) and Delores Miller (wife) - Dating, Gossip, News, Photos list. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 'Father Wants Us Dead' podcast extras: Never before seen List - Nj Delores Clark said that she was making her statement reluctantly and that she would have no further comment. 'He faced limited options and like a small rubber band, he snapped. The Rev. He turned on the lights and the radio, leaving religious hymns playing in the houses empty rooms. 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. Austin Goodrich, an ABCNEWS consultant who is writing a book with John List, contributed material for this report. Then, he went to the bank to close his accounts and cash his mother's savings bonds. "I was perspiring like anything," he remembers, but said his wife did not seem to have recognized him. 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 List appeared to be the perfect son, husband, and father. He is most remembered for Murdered his entire family in 1971. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. "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. See the events in life of John List in Chronological Order, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_List_(mugshot).jpg, https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/john-list-10634.php. He is from American. He later took a job as the vice president at a bank in New Jersey, where the family finally got settled. 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. YouTubeThe note John List wrote excusing his children from school. He believed that killing them would assure their souls a place in Heaven, where he hoped to eventually join them. He began living with a new identity in Virginia, where he was spotted by a local and got arrested. Oct 9, 2018. A former neighbor in Denver saw the episode and recognized List, who was then tracked to his new home in Virginia. 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 A Killer's Secret Life Exposed by Art - George Pallas 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. John List with his wife and three children. 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. Delores and John moved to a house around Brandermill, Midlothian, Virginia, where her husband worked as an accountant at an accounting firm. 07, 2022, 8:00 a.m. [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. 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. March 3 (UPI) -- A New Brunswick couple who initially thought a burglar had broken into their home discovered the invader was actually a panicked deer. In 1971, John List lost his job at the bank at age 46. 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). Where Is John List Now? 'The Watcher' John Graff True Story, Real She is famous for Second wife of murderer John list. [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. [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. A nationwide manhunt was launched. 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. [17] From 1979 to 1986, he was the comptroller at a paper box manufacturer outside Denver. Psychologists theorized that List would wear the same spectacles he wore as a younger man to remind him of more successful days. After gruesomely murdering his entire family, John List had begun living a normal life again. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. List left a confession letter at the scene, so police had little doubt as to who was responsible for the killings. John List - The Decision Lab [43], The movie A Killer Next Door, based on the events that led to the capture of John List, was released In July 2020. Then he sat down and ate lunch at the same table where he had shot his wife hours before. 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 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. Alex Murdaugh trial updates: John Marvin faults SLED, doesn't believe 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. When the children left for school, he shot his wife and his mother to death. John had a very normal childhood and he did not show any signs of psychological troubles. List methodically murdered his wife Helen, his mother Alma, and their three childrenPatricia, 16; Frederick, 13; and John Jr., 15. "The body is still at the Mercer County Medical Examiner's Office," said county spokesman Pete Daly. 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. John confessed to committing the murders in February 1990. 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. He canceled all deliveries and contacted his childrens schools to let their teachers know the family would be on vacation for a few weeks. John List's confession to his 2nd wife revealed in new episode of 'Father Wants Us Dead' podcast Published: Jun. The inconspicuous accountant was arrested without incident Thursday at work. His lawyer, Elijah Miller Jr., argues that knowing his wife suffered from syphilis helped drive the deeply religious man over the edge. 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. On November 9, 1971, John List put his plan into action. They attended church every Sunday as devout Lutherans and List taught Sunday school. John and Helen had three daughters when he worked as an audit supervisor at a paper company in Kalamazoo. Tips came pouring in. He was 82. John and Helen began dating and a few months later, Helen revealed to John that she had become pregnant. Examples include "Savior," the season 6, episode 16 of the television series Law & Order; the 1987 film The Stepfather and its 2009 remake; the 1993 film Judgment Day: The John List Story, in which List was portrayed by Robert Blake;[39] and the character Keyser Sze in the 1995 film The Usual Suspects.[40]. 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. 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. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Once inside the kitchen, John Sr. shot him in the back of the head. Moreover, his wife was a heavy drinker and she had also contracted Syphilis from her first marriage. John Emil List, 63, was profiled on the TV program "America's Most Wanted" May 21. This article is about the murderer. John List: The Father Who Killed His Entire Family and - The Lineup Feb. 20, 2002 -- Thirty years ago, accountant John List methodically murdered his whole family his mother, his wife, and their three children. List diverted money from his mother's bank accounts to avoid default on his mortgage. Wikimedia CommonsJohn List with his wife and three children. 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. 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. [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. [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. The day after the killings, List scoured the house for family photographs, tearing his image out of them so police would have nothing to use in Wanted posters. 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. List's home, a. Read on to discover more details. John List The Boogeyman of Westfield | by A.W. Naves | Medium By then, he was assigned to the finance corps, from where he was discharged in 1952. After the June 7, 2021, killings of Maggie . A federal appeals court rejected both arguments. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. List, who says he remains deeply religious today, acknowledges that his crimes violated one of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not kill.". List caught the tail end of the show with his wife, who did not know his past. Although the destruction was officially ruled arson, it remains officially unsolved with no suspects. John enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 and was a laboratory technician during World War II. All rights reserved (About Us). Additionally, the financial burden on the family was increasing, causing him severe psychological distress.