A Man On The Run: The List Family Murders
Devoted husband, loving father, and successful businessman… or so his neighbors thought. Delve into the shocking story and find out what drove John List to murder his family and evade the police for nearly two decades.
On November 9th, 1971, in Westfield, New Jersey, John List, a man who appeared to have it all, performed one of the most vicious familial homicides of the 20th Century and remained on the run for nearly two decades. As a New Jersey native, I have been enthralled with this case since I was first introduced to it by the podcast, My Favorite Murder. Now, as the 50th anniversary of this heinous crime approaches, I will reanalyze the murders, as well as List’s life on the run, his capture and prison confessions, and his unusual relationship with God. It is important that the victims of the List Family Murders are never forgotten.
The Murders
The morning of the murders was like any other in the List home. They ate breakfast together and sent the kids to school, but as List left for work later that morning, he shot his wife Helen in the back of the head with a nine-millimeter semiautomatic handgun. After, he went upstairs and shot his mother, Alma, in the face just above her left eye. When his daughter, Patricia, and youngest son, Fredrick, returned home from school, he shot both in the back of the head.
Following the murders, List made himself a peanut butter sandwich and closed his bank account, as well as draining and closing his mother’s account. He then went to the school to pick up his eldest son, John Jr., from his soccer game later that afternoon. After a seemingly normal car ride, List entered the home behind his son and attempted to shoot him in the back of the head. The gun jammed, allowing John Jr. to turn around and defend himself, but List shot at him repeatedly, ultimately killing him. He then moved his wife and children’s bodies into the mansions grand ballroom and placed them in sleeping bags on the floor while his mother’s body remained in the upstairs attic apartment.
Life in The List Home
Before this tragic event, life in the List home appeared normal, or so everyone thought. Shortly after their first meeting, List and Helen married on December 1st, 1951, due to an accidental pregnancy. After the couple was married, Helen shared that she was not pregnant, and even though List was left with bitter feelings, he did not divorce her due to his strict Lutheran upbringing. As their family grew with the addition of three children, financial pressures began to mount.
Early in his career, List struggled to hold down a job, not because of a lack of talent, but he had trouble working with others. List had a reputation of being odd or rubbing people the wrong way, forcing him to bounce around from job to job. Unhappy with their financial situation, Helen put constant pressure on her husband so she could afford the life she wanted. Many jobs later, List was finally offered a Vice President position at a New Jersey bank which allowed Helen to afford the home of her dreams. This dream would quickly become a nightmare as the family’s tragic fate would soon follow.
What seemed to be a break in their financial struggles was actually the beginning of the family’s downfall. Unbeknownst to Helen, List could not afford the nineteen-room mansion she desired, but the immense pressure he felt to provide forced him to ask his mother for a sizable loan. Alma lent him the money with the condition that she could live in the upstairs apartment. Growing up, List had a close relationship with his mother, but it is suspected that this changed in the months leading up to the murders. Alma was the only family member to be intentionally shot in the front. He spared his wife and children from knowing their attacker, but for some reason, List wanted his mother to see it was him.
A Family Secret
The List’s seemed to be the perfect family, but their lives were falling apart within those walls. Due to his continued behavioral problems, List was fired from the bank nearly a year after hiring. However, he kept this secret from his family. List would leave for work every day, spend the day at the park or riding the train, and return home for dinner as if nothing had changed. Due to the mansion’s financial burden, List began stealing money from his mother’s bank account to pay his hefty bills.
However, List was not the only family member with secrets. Shortly after moving into the Westfield mansion, Helen had fallen ill. It was later discovered that she had contracted syphilis from her first husband that went undiagnosed for years. To cope, Helen started drinking and taking tranquilizers which eventually developed into a serious drug and alcohol problem. Also, Patricia was suspected of practicing witchcraft and smoking marijuana. As a proclaimed man of God, these were seen as sinful embarrassments in List’s eyes.
Seeing the destruction that plagued his family, List contemplated suicide, but his Lutheran faith ultimately deterred him from that. According to his religious beliefs, if he were to commit suicide, he would not go to Heaven to reunite with his family in the afterlife. Instead, List began to plan his family’s murder to save them from the destruction and the embarrassment they would face. One cannot overlook the irony of “saving” his family by murdering them. As a devout Lutheran List should know, not only does the Ten Commandments state “thou shall not kill,” but murder is a mortal sin that is punishable by eternal damnation.
The Cover-Up
List meticulously planned his family’s murder as he tied up every loose end. After moving his wife and children’s bodies, he called the children’s school and explained that they would be leaving town to tend to an ailing family member. He then closed their bank accounts, stopped milk and mail deliveries, and wrote a lengthy confession letter to his Lutheran pastor. After, he went to sleep.
The following morning List gathered his things and prepared the home for his escape. First, he turned down the air conditioning in an effort to preserve the bodies. He then continued through the home, turning on every light and played music over the intercom. Lastly, he cut his face out of every family photo and left the mansion, never seen by his neighbors again. List then headed for John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he would drop his car and take a bus back to New York City. After he arrived in the City, he took a train to Denver, Colorado, to assume his new identity, Robert Peter Clark.
List lived a life similar to the one he had always known. He got another job as an accountant and joined a Lutheran church where he met his new wife, Delores. The couple relocated to Virginia and lived a quiet life until List was eventually captured.
A Disturbing Discovery
After several weeks, the neighbors began to ask questions regarding the List family’s whereabouts; the constant music and the burnt-out lightbulbs were cause for concern among the community. Additionally, Patricia’s drama teacher, Edwin Illiano, worried something terrible had happened due to something she had mentioned to him prior. Patricia confided in Illiano that if she were ever murdered, her father did it. Illiano contacted the police several times, but they did not take his concerns seriously.
Several weeks after the family’s disappearance, Illiano’s concern worsened. He felt compelled to visit the list home, accompanied by another teacher, to make sure the family was okay. Upon their arrival, they noticed the house was completely dark with loud classical music playing throughout it. The two looked around the property, and shortly after that, the police arrived. The neighbors had called the police due to the strangers trespassing on the List property. The teachers expressed their concerns for the family’s wellbeing, and the police entered the scene.
On December 7th, 1971, police discovered Helen, Alma, Patricia, John Jr., and Frederick, but List remained untraceable. The police were able to track his car to JFK airport, but the trail remained cold for eighteen years after that.
America’s Most Wanted
On May 21st, 1989, America’s Most Wanted aired an episode covering the List Family Murders during its first season. New Jersey prosecutors had an FBI forensic artist create an age progression clay bust of List to show what he might look like today during the episode. Interestingly, List and his wife watched the episode live, but Delores failed to recognize him despite the uncanny resemblance. After it aired, tips flooded the America’s Most Wanted hotline, but one stood out among the rest.
Wanda Flannery, List and Delores’s neighbor in Denver, called in details about his new identity and current whereabouts. Flannery had also noted that she suspected Robert Peter Clark of being John List long before his move to Virginia. Years before his arrest, Flannery had picked up a newspaper article that contained details of the murders and a photo of List. Convinced it was him, Flannery brought the newspaper to Delores, where she is described as “turning pale” upon seeing the image but adamantly denies it is him. Eleven days after the America’s Most Wanted episode aired, List was arrested by Richmond police.
List denied his identity, insisting he was Robert Peter Clark until fingerprinting proved otherwise. List was extradited and taken into custody by New Jersey law enforcement. On May 12th, 1990, List was sentenced to five life sentences without the possibility of parole. List filed several appeals claimed he had had PTSD due to his time serving in Korea, but they were all denied.
Breaking His Silence in Prison
In February of 2002, 13 years after his arrest, List finally breaks his silence. In the chilling interview with Connie Chung, List reveals his eerie thought process while planning and carrying out the murders in a very matter-of-fact manner. List began by stating that he knew what he did was wrong but believed it was the only way to save his family. When he decided he would murder his family, he exclaimed, “there was no turning back.”
He explained that he did not want his family to know what was happening to them, so he chose to shoot them from behind. Regarding his mother, he claims, “I felt like Judas” as he kissed her on the forehead before shooting her in the face. When asked about why he ate lunch between the killings, he noted that he was just hungry.
According to the interview, List explains that he wanted to save his family from the financial embarrassment; however, there was another way the family could’ve dug themselves out of their debt. Sitting atop the sprawling mansion was an original Tiffany skylight. If List were to remove and sell the skylight, the family’s financial shortcomings would have been resolved.
He closed the interview by declaring he is certain that his family went to Heaven, and if it weren’t for him, who knows what would have happened to them.
John Emil List died in prison in March of 2008 at the age of 82. Was he reunited with his family? Heaven or Hell… you decide.
