WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, USA – NOVEMBER 9, 1971 43-year-old John Emil List made a dark mark in the history of American crime when he murdered his entire family. What makes his story even more shocking is that he carefully planned everything, including his escape. For nearly a month, no one noticed his family was missing, and he managed to hide under a new identity for 18 years.


At first glance, John Emil List appeared to be a normal man and a devoted father. He worked as an accountant and a Sunday school teacher. When he lost his job and faced financial troubles, he believed his family could not survive without him and felt it was his duty to protect them from the evils of the world. This belief became his motivation for their murder.

Armed with Steyr 9mm pistols and a .22 caliber revolver, he first killed his wife and mother, 45-year-old Helen List and 84-year-old Alma List, shooting them in the back of the head while the children were at school. He then waited at home for his 16-year-old daughter Patricia List and 13-year-old son Frederick List to return from school and executed them in the same manner. Later, his eldest son, 15-year-old John List Jr., came home from soccer; List shot him in the back of the head and, seeing him still moving, fired several more times.After the murders, he turned on the radio and all the lights in the house to make it appear as if people were home, avoiding suspicion. He left a note expressing regret for his actions and claiming he had prayed over their bodies. List cleverly canceled all services – newspaper delivery, mail, and milk – claiming the family was moving to North Carolina. As a result, the bodies were not discovered until a month later.

Before leaving, he also withdrew money from his mother’s bank account. His car was found parked at the airport, leaving no trace of him for the next 18 years.

Later, it was revealed that he had assumed a new identity, living as Robert Peter Clark in Denver, Colorado. In 1989, after an episode of America’s Most Wanted aired, his new wife recognized him and reported him to the police.

John Emil List was sentenced in 1990 to five consecutive life terms in prison. He died in 2008 at the age of 82 at St. Francis Medical Center Prison, New Jersey.