- By Shivangi Sharma
- Wed, 19 Feb 2025 07:42 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
John Emil List was an unassuming man—an accountant, a churchgoer, and a husband. But beneath his quiet exterior lurked a darkness that would shock the nation. On November 9, 1971, List meticulously planned and executed the murders of his wife, mother, and three children in their Westfield, New Jersey mansion. What made his crime even more chilling was his ability to disappear without a trace, eluding justice for nearly 18 years.
List, burdened by financial woes and consumed by a rigid religious belief, convinced himself that killing his family was the only way to save their souls from the corruption of the world. Armed with his father's Colt. 22 revolver and a 9mm Steyr handgun, he executed his wife Helen, his elderly mother Alma, and his three children—Patricia, John Jr., and Frederick. After the killings, he arranged their bodies on sleeping bags in the mansion's ballroom, wrote a five-page confession to his pastor, and vanished.
His escape was eerily methodical. He cancelled mail, milk, and newspaper deliveries, sending letters to the children’s schools explaining a family emergency. It wasn't until nearly a month later when neighbours noticed the mansion’s lights burning out one by one, that authorities discovered the gruesome crime scene.
Justification For Murder And Redemption
John List, in a five-page letter to his pastor, justified killing his family as a way to save their souls from the perceived evil in the world. His financial troubles began in 1971 when he lost his job due to a bank closure but kept up the pretence of employment by leaving home daily for job interviews or to read newspapers at a train station. To avoid defaulting on his mortgage, he siphoned money from his mother's bank account and urged his children to work under the guise of teaching them responsibility.
Compounding his struggles, List dealt with his wife's alcoholism and the effects of untreated tertiary syphilis, which she had concealed for 18 years. She had allegedly tricked him into marriage by falsely claiming pregnancy and avoiding a premarital syphilis test.
As her health declined, she became a paranoid recluse who humiliated List, particularly regarding his sexual performance compared to her first husband. A court-appointed psychiatrist diagnosed List with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. He believed he had only two options: accept welfare or kill his family to "send their souls to heaven." Rejecting welfare due to the shame and stigma associated with it, List ultimately chose murder, driven by his rigid belief in family duty and his father's authoritarian teachings.
When asked why he had not taken his own life, he said he believed that suicide would have prevented him from reaching heaven, where he hoped to be reunited with his family.
Hunt for John List
With no recent photos of List available, the investigation stalled. The family car was found abandoned at JFK Airport, but there was no evidence he had boarded a flight. Over the years, the case faded into obscurity—until 1989, when America’s Most Wanted aired a segment on him. Forensic sculptor Frank Bender created an eerily accurate age-progressed bust of List, depicting him with glasses and a receding hairline. Within two weeks, a former neighbour in Denver recognised the image and tipped off authorities.
Living under the alias Robert P. Clark, List had remarried and established himself as a respected accountant in Virginia. On June 1, 1989, he was arrested, ending one of the longest manhunts in US history.
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Justice Catches Up
List initially denied his identity, but fingerprint matches and overwhelming evidence led to his conviction in 1990 on five counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to five consecutive life terms. Throughout his trial, he maintained that he acted out of a twisted sense of duty, insisting he had no other choice. His appeal, citing post-traumatic stress disorder and claiming his confession letter was a privileged communication to his pastor, was rejected.
Despite his cold and calculating nature, List later expressed regret for his crimes, telling journalist Connie Chung in 2002, "I wish I had never done what I did." Yet, he still believed that suicide would have condemned him to hell, reinforcing his belief that his family was waiting for him in heaven.
Dubbed "The Boogeyman of Westfield," List died in prison in 2008 at the age of 82. His story remains one of the most haunting true crime cases in American history—a reminder that sometimes, the most dangerous monsters are the ones who hide in plain sight.
