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EspañolJOHN LIST
:''This page is about the mass murderer John List, not the economist John A. List of the University of Chicago.''
'John Emil List' (born September 17, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan) is a convicted mass murderer who, on November 9, 1971, murdered his mother, his wife and three children in Westfield, New Jersey, and then disappeared. He had planned everything so meticulously that nearly a month passed before anyone noticed that anything was amiss. A fugitive from justice for nearly 18 years, he was finally apprehended on June 1, 1989 while living under the pseudonym Robert Peter "Bob" Clark, after the story of his murders was broadcast on ''America's Most Wanted''.
List was the only child of German parents, John Frederick List (1859-1944) and his wife Alma (1886-1971). He was a devout Lutheran, and taught Sunday school. List served in the Army during World War II and later was given an ROTC commission as a lieutenant. He attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in accounting. List had a history of losing jobs and had accumulated debts which he found to be increasingly difficult to pay.
List killed his family - his wife, Helen, 45; his children, Patricia, 16, John Jr., 15, and Frederick, 13; and his 85-year-old mother, Alma. He first shot his wife in the back of the head and his mother once in the left eye that morning while the children were at school. When Patricia and Frederick came back home, they were each murdered in the same way. John Jr., the only remaining son, was at his soccer game that afternoon. He casually made himself lunch and then drove to watch John Jr. at his soccer game. He brought his son home and shot him 10 times. List dragged the bodies of his wife and children on sleeping bags into the ballroom of the house. He left his mother's body in her apartment in the attic and stated in a postscript in the letter to his pastor that "Mother is in the attic. She was too heavy to move." In the letter, List claimed he prayed over them before going on the lam. The bodies were not discovered for a month.
The case quickly became the second most infamous crime in New Jersey history, surpassed only by the legendary kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh Baby. A nationwide manhunt was launched. The police checked out hundreds of leads without results.
Law enforcement approached the producers of the television show ''America's Most Wanted'' because of that show's track record of fugitive captures. It was the oldest unsolved case they had ever featured. The television program included an age-rendered clay bust which looked very similar to List, even though he had been missing for 18 years.
Ironically, List himself was a fan of the show and often urged friends and acquaintances to watch it. In an interview, List said he often wondered if he would be featured on the show. When he saw the bust of himself he was surprised by how accurate it was.[1]
The man who created the bust of the aging fugitive was forensic artist Frank Bender, who had successfully captured many aging fugitives and identified decomposed bodies by creating such sculptures. To imagine what an aging List would look like, he consulted forensic psychologist Richard Walter, who created a psychological profile. He looked at photographs of List's parents and predicted what he would look like as he aged. He gave List a receding hairline and sagging jaws. Bender and Richard Walter were particularly lauded for one final touch they added to the completed artwork — a pair of glasses. They theorized that List would want to appear more important than he really was by evoking the stereotypes associated with wearing glasses. When List was arrested, he was wearing the exact type of glasses Bender and Walter predicted. John Walsh, the host of ''America's Most Wanted'', called Bender's work the most brilliant example of detective work that he had ever seen. To this day, Walsh keeps Bender's bust in a place of honor in his office.
On June 1, 1989, 11 days after his case was broadcast on ''America's Most Wanted'', List was arrested while living under the pseudonym Robert "Bob" Peter Clark. List based the name on one of his college classmates, who later stated that he never knew of John List. List was identified by a friend who had seen the show. List had been living in Denver, Colorado and Midlothian, Virginia, where he had remarried and began a career as an accountant. On April 12, 1990, he was convicted in a New Jersey court of five counts of first-degree murder, and on May 1 was sentenced to five life terms in prison. List has never expressed any remorse for his crimes; during a 2002 interview with Connie Chung, List said he believes he will go to Heaven.
Investigations revealed that prior to the murders, List had been suffering from financial problems after losing his job as an accountant. He had also incurred heavy debt from to his expensive house, and had dealt with family problems caused by his wife's mental illness, brought on by advanced syphilis contracted from her first husband.[2] The List home burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances on August 30, 1972, almost a year after the murders. The fire took with it the glass ceiling in the empty ballroom, which was a signed Tiffany & Co. original worth over $100,000.
After killing his family, List wrote a letter to his pastor, Eugene Rehwinkel of Redeemer Lutheran Church, explaining his motives. In the latter, List wrote that he felt that the 1970s were a sinful time, and that his family was beginning to succumb to temptation. He wrote that he especially feared for his daughter, who expressed interest in an acting career, an occupation that List viewed as being corrupt and linked to Satan. He told his pastor that he was sending his family directly to heaven by killing them before they had the opportunity to renounce their religion.
List was one of the people suspected of being "DB Cooper". List's age, facial features, and build were similar to the mysterious skyjacker's. "Cooper" parachuted from a hijacked airliner with $200,000. From prison, List has strenuously denied being "DB Cooper," and the FBI no longer considers him a suspect.
★ Jerry Blake, the title character in ''The Stepfather'', is also based on List.[3]
★ Robert Blake played List in the 1993 film ''Judgment Day: The John List Story''.
★ ''The Usual Suspects'' screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie based the film's villain, Keyser Söze, upon List.
1.
2. The List Murders Stun Westfield In 1971 By Kathy Halverson, February 17, 2001 For The Westfield Leader and The Times. Accessed June 28 2007
3. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094035/board/nest/18561946?p=1
★ ''Righteous Carnage: The List Murders'' Timothy B. Benford and James P. Johnson, iUniverse, 332 pp., ISBN 0-595-00720-1
★ ''Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders'' Joe Sharkey, Signet, 305 pp., ISBN 0-451-16947-6
★ ''Thou Shalt Not Kill: The True Story of John List'' Mary S. Ryzuk, Popular Library, 502pp., ISBN 0-445-21043-5
★ Newspaper articles on John List
★ John List, famous murder - The Crime Library
'John Emil List' (born September 17, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan) is a convicted mass murderer who, on November 9, 1971, murdered his mother, his wife and three children in Westfield, New Jersey, and then disappeared. He had planned everything so meticulously that nearly a month passed before anyone noticed that anything was amiss. A fugitive from justice for nearly 18 years, he was finally apprehended on June 1, 1989 while living under the pseudonym Robert Peter "Bob" Clark, after the story of his murders was broadcast on ''America's Most Wanted''.
| Contents |
| Family history |
| Crime |
| ''America's Most Wanted'' |
| Arrest |
| Motive |
| References to John List Case In popular culture |
| References |
| Books |
| External links |
Family history
List was the only child of German parents, John Frederick List (1859-1944) and his wife Alma (1886-1971). He was a devout Lutheran, and taught Sunday school. List served in the Army during World War II and later was given an ROTC commission as a lieutenant. He attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in accounting. List had a history of losing jobs and had accumulated debts which he found to be increasingly difficult to pay.
Crime
List killed his family - his wife, Helen, 45; his children, Patricia, 16, John Jr., 15, and Frederick, 13; and his 85-year-old mother, Alma. He first shot his wife in the back of the head and his mother once in the left eye that morning while the children were at school. When Patricia and Frederick came back home, they were each murdered in the same way. John Jr., the only remaining son, was at his soccer game that afternoon. He casually made himself lunch and then drove to watch John Jr. at his soccer game. He brought his son home and shot him 10 times. List dragged the bodies of his wife and children on sleeping bags into the ballroom of the house. He left his mother's body in her apartment in the attic and stated in a postscript in the letter to his pastor that "Mother is in the attic. She was too heavy to move." In the letter, List claimed he prayed over them before going on the lam. The bodies were not discovered for a month.
The case quickly became the second most infamous crime in New Jersey history, surpassed only by the legendary kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh Baby. A nationwide manhunt was launched. The police checked out hundreds of leads without results.
''America's Most Wanted''
Law enforcement approached the producers of the television show ''America's Most Wanted'' because of that show's track record of fugitive captures. It was the oldest unsolved case they had ever featured. The television program included an age-rendered clay bust which looked very similar to List, even though he had been missing for 18 years.
Ironically, List himself was a fan of the show and often urged friends and acquaintances to watch it. In an interview, List said he often wondered if he would be featured on the show. When he saw the bust of himself he was surprised by how accurate it was.[1]
The man who created the bust of the aging fugitive was forensic artist Frank Bender, who had successfully captured many aging fugitives and identified decomposed bodies by creating such sculptures. To imagine what an aging List would look like, he consulted forensic psychologist Richard Walter, who created a psychological profile. He looked at photographs of List's parents and predicted what he would look like as he aged. He gave List a receding hairline and sagging jaws. Bender and Richard Walter were particularly lauded for one final touch they added to the completed artwork — a pair of glasses. They theorized that List would want to appear more important than he really was by evoking the stereotypes associated with wearing glasses. When List was arrested, he was wearing the exact type of glasses Bender and Walter predicted. John Walsh, the host of ''America's Most Wanted'', called Bender's work the most brilliant example of detective work that he had ever seen. To this day, Walsh keeps Bender's bust in a place of honor in his office.
Arrest
On June 1, 1989, 11 days after his case was broadcast on ''America's Most Wanted'', List was arrested while living under the pseudonym Robert "Bob" Peter Clark. List based the name on one of his college classmates, who later stated that he never knew of John List. List was identified by a friend who had seen the show. List had been living in Denver, Colorado and Midlothian, Virginia, where he had remarried and began a career as an accountant. On April 12, 1990, he was convicted in a New Jersey court of five counts of first-degree murder, and on May 1 was sentenced to five life terms in prison. List has never expressed any remorse for his crimes; during a 2002 interview with Connie Chung, List said he believes he will go to Heaven.
Motive
Investigations revealed that prior to the murders, List had been suffering from financial problems after losing his job as an accountant. He had also incurred heavy debt from to his expensive house, and had dealt with family problems caused by his wife's mental illness, brought on by advanced syphilis contracted from her first husband.[2] The List home burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances on August 30, 1972, almost a year after the murders. The fire took with it the glass ceiling in the empty ballroom, which was a signed Tiffany & Co. original worth over $100,000.
After killing his family, List wrote a letter to his pastor, Eugene Rehwinkel of Redeemer Lutheran Church, explaining his motives. In the latter, List wrote that he felt that the 1970s were a sinful time, and that his family was beginning to succumb to temptation. He wrote that he especially feared for his daughter, who expressed interest in an acting career, an occupation that List viewed as being corrupt and linked to Satan. He told his pastor that he was sending his family directly to heaven by killing them before they had the opportunity to renounce their religion.
List was one of the people suspected of being "DB Cooper". List's age, facial features, and build were similar to the mysterious skyjacker's. "Cooper" parachuted from a hijacked airliner with $200,000. From prison, List has strenuously denied being "DB Cooper," and the FBI no longer considers him a suspect.
References to John List Case In popular culture
★ Jerry Blake, the title character in ''The Stepfather'', is also based on List.[3]
★ Robert Blake played List in the 1993 film ''Judgment Day: The John List Story''.
★ ''The Usual Suspects'' screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie based the film's villain, Keyser Söze, upon List.
References
1.
2. The List Murders Stun Westfield In 1971 By Kathy Halverson, February 17, 2001 For The Westfield Leader and The Times. Accessed June 28 2007
3. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094035/board/nest/18561946?p=1
Books
★ ''Righteous Carnage: The List Murders'' Timothy B. Benford and James P. Johnson, iUniverse, 332 pp., ISBN 0-595-00720-1
★ ''Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders'' Joe Sharkey, Signet, 305 pp., ISBN 0-451-16947-6
★ ''Thou Shalt Not Kill: The True Story of John List'' Mary S. Ryzuk, Popular Library, 502pp., ISBN 0-445-21043-5
External links
★ Newspaper articles on John List
★ John List, famous murder - The Crime Library
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