John Emil List American criminal, murderer Date of Birth: 17.09.1925 Country: USA

Biography of John Emil List

John Emil List was an American criminal and murderer. He was born in Bay City, Michigan, into a German-American family. List was a devout Lutheran and attended Sunday school.

During World War II, List served in the US Army and was eventually commissioned. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Master's degree in Accounting from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

In 1951, List met his future wife, Helen, and they soon got married. On November 9, 1971, List killed his entire family. He used his father's 9mm pistol and his own .22 caliber revolver during the murders. He first shot his wife in the back of the head and then in the left eye. When their sixteen-year-old daughter, Patricia, and thirteen-year-old son, Frederick, returned from school, List also killed them by shooting them in the back of the head. Afterward, List went to pick up his youngest son, John Jr., from football practice. He shot his son in the back of the head, thinking he was still alive, and then shot him again. It was later revealed that List had shot his eldest son at least ten times.

After each murder, List hid the bodies in sleeping bags in the ballroom of their nineteen-room house. Once finished, he cleaned the crime scene, turned on the lights and radio in all the rooms, and left. He left his mother's body in her apartment attic, claiming in a letter to the pastor that she was too heavy to move. In the same letter, List stated that he had prayed for the deceased before leaving.

Due to the reclusive nature of List and his family, their disappearance was not noticed for a month. List had informed the children's schools and his wife's workplace that the family was going on vacation to North Carolina for a while. He then stopped milk and mail delivery, emptied his bank account, and took his mother's savings. The case quickly became one of the most horrifying crimes in the history of New Jersey, second only to the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and murder.

List continued to elude law enforcement for nearly eighteen years. In 1989, representatives of the New Jersey law enforcement contacted producers of the television show "America's Most Wanted." The program showcased various crimes and descriptions of the perpetrators in the hope that viewers might have information on their whereabouts. List's case became the oldest unsolved case to be televised, and an approximation of his appearance was created using age-progression techniques. Later, it was discovered that the approximation was fairly accurate, and John List indeed resembled the projected image.

List was arrested on June 1, 1989, while working in Richmond, Virginia, at an accounting firm under the alias "Robert Peter Clark," which he borrowed from a former classmate (who later denied knowing List). Prior to his arrest, List had lived in Denver, Colorado, and Virginia. He remarried and resumed his career as an accountant. He was recognized by a family acquaintance after watching the broadcast. List refused to surrender voluntarily, and authorities of the state of New Jersey took custody of him.

During the trial, he used his assumed name and ignored compelling evidence, including fingerprints found at the crime scene. It was only in prison, during a conversation with a fellow inmate, that List revealed his true identity. From that moment on, he corrected anyone, including fellow inmates and officials, who referred to him by his alias.

On April 12, 1990, List was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to five consecutive life terms. Throughout the entire process, List never showed any remorse for his actions. In an interview, he was asked if he had ever considered suicide, to which he replied that it would close the gates of heaven, where he believed his family awaited him.

List lost his job and struggled financially before the murders. He accumulated debts of eleven thousand dollars and even started stealing money from his mother's account. Additionally, his wife's mental illness, a result of syphilis contracted during their first marriage (which List was unaware of for eighteen years), worsened. List saw killing his family as one of two possible solutions, the other being to seek assistance from social services, which he did not trust. Ultimately, he chose to send his loved ones to heaven himself.

On March 21, 2008, List died from complications of pneumonia. He was buried next to his mother in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

During his lifetime, List was considered a potential suspect for the role of the legendary D.B. Cooper, who hijacked a plane and received two hundred thousand dollars in ransom. List vehemently denied any involvement, causing the FBI to eventually dismiss him as a suspect.