How was the mass murderer arrested?

Warning: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.

John List killed five members of his family, including his 84-year-old mother Alma, his wife Helen and his three children, Patricia, John and Frederick, on November 9, 1971, in the family’s 19-room mansion. in Westfield, New Jersey. The bodies were not discovered until a month later, and by then List was no longer visible. He left a letter at the crime scene, making it clear that he had committed the murders.

The accountant and Sunday school teacher fled to Colorado and started a new life there. He reportedly remarried and changed his name to avoid suspicion. But in 1988, America’s Most Wanted, a true crime show, displayed John List’s photo and asked for information on anyone who looked like him. A neighbor of List’s in Colorado recognized the photo and reported him to the police. John List was eventually arrested, ABC News reported.

On November 9, 1971, John List sent his children to school as usual and took two handguns out of his garage. According to People magazine, he killed his wife of 20 years in the kitchen and dragged her body into the ballroom. He also shot and killed his mother who resided on the third floor of the mansion. When the children returned, he shot them too. He placed the children’s bodies next to his wife’s in the ballroom.

According to ABC News, John List murdered his family while he was bankrupt and feared his children would be forced to live in poverty. He reportedly believed that poverty would tear his family apart and that they would begin to drift away from the faith. List was a devout believer and his mother, Alma, was a strict Lutheran.

How long was John List on the run?

John List was on the run for 18 long years and managed to escape a nationwide manhunt by starting a completely different life in Colorado. He escaped right after the murders and managed to evade arrest by ensuring the murders were not discovered immediately. Although a note left by the bodies clearly indicated that List had killed his family, no trace of him remained at that time.

The main reason the murders were not initially discovered was that List had written to the children’s school informing them that they would be absent for a period of time because they had to visit a sick relative. He also stopped milk, mail and newspaper deliveries in the days before the murders, according to the History Channel. He then left the murder weapon near the crime scene. Nine months after the murders, the family mansion was reportedly destroyed in a fire. The case remained unsolved for years.

When he was finally arrested and convicted, John List was sentenced to five consecutive prison terms. He expressed that he feared his children would have to deal with the shame of losing their New Jersey. List said he can’t wait to join his family in heaven. He was a famous symbol of wealth and success in his neighborhood of Westfield.

In 2008, The New York Times reported that John List had died of pneumonia. He was serving time at the New Jersey State Prison when he was transferred to St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, where he died.