In November 1971, a mild-mannered accountant, John List, shot his wife, mother, and three teenaged children to death, then disappeared for the next 18 years. Finally, in 1989, he was apprehended after his case was featured on a then-new Fox show "America's Most Wanted."
I'd vaguely heard about this case before, then just a couple of weeks ago, saw a "Forensic Files" re-run. For some reason, at my own later stage in life, I was now more interested in what would make a middle-aged, formerly mild-mannered, man suddenly go off like this.
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) _ John E. List killed five members of his
family 18 years ago because he could no longer support them and feared
they would forsake their religion, according to a confession letter
released Wednesday.
″After it was all over I said some prayers for them all - from the
hymn book. That was the least that I could do,″ the devout Lutheran and
former Sunday school teacher wrote in the 1971 letter to his pastor.
The letter was released after Superior Court Judge William L’E. Wertheimer allowed it as evidence in List’s murder trial.
List began the five-page letter by telling the Rev. Eugene A.
Rehwinkel, ″I am very sorry to add this additional burden to your work.
...
″I leave my-self in the hands of Gods Justice & Mercy,″ List
wrote. He wrote that God could have helped him in his time of distress,
″but apparently he saw fit not to answer my prayers.″
″This makes me think that perhaps it was for the best as far as the
childrens souls are concerned,″ wrote List. In the letter’s final
paragraph, List said he is assured of making peace with God ″because of
Christ dying even for me.″
The judge released the letter after denying a defense motion that
the document was protected by the priest-penitent privilege. Opening
statements are set for Monday.
List argues that he is innocent because of his mental state at the time the slayings occurred.
Handwritten in script on yellow-lined paper, the letter was dated
Nov. 9, 1971. It had been the subject of intense interest since police
found it Dec. 7, 1971, in a filing cabinet in List’s Westfield mansion.
Police read the letter and called Rehwinkel to the house, where they let
him read it.
Also in the 18-room mansion were the bullet-ridden bodies of List’s
wife, Helen, 45; children Patricia, 16; John Jr., 15; and Frederick, 13;
and List’s 84-year-old mother, Alma.
The bodies of Helen List and the children were lined up on sleeping
bags on the floor of the sparsely furnished ballroom, and Alma List was
found on the third floor.
″I know that many will only look at the additional years that they
could have lived but if finally they were no longer Christians what
would be gained,″ List wrote.
″Also, I’m sure many will say, ‘How could anyone do such a horrible
thing.’ - My only answer is it isn’t easy and was only done after much
thought.″
List wrote that he shot his family members from behind because he
″didn’t want any of them to know even at the last second that I had to
do this to them.″ He said he had to kill his mother because the other
deaths ″would have been a tremendous shock to her.″
None suffered, but John Jr. ″got hurt more because he seemed to
struggle longer,″ List said. Police said John Jr. was shot 10 times.
List said he had planned to kill them on All Saints’ Day, Nov. 1, ″an
appropriate day for them to get to heaven.″ But the day passed, he said,
because his travel plans were delayed.
List opened the letter by saying his actions went against all he had
been taught and that his account ″will not make it right.″
He then enumerated his reasons.
List, then a 46-year-old accountant who was selling insurance, said
he wasn’t earning enough to support the family and was near bankruptcy.
″True we could have gone bankrupt and maybe gone on welfare,″ he
said. But he feared the effects of poverty on the children.
He also worried about what Patricia’s aspirations as an actress ″might do to her continuing to be a Christian.″
And he was upset that his wife stopped going to church and said she wanted to leave the church.
″If any one of these had been the condition we might have pulled
through but this was just too much. At least I’m certain that all have
gone to heaven now.″
List then discussed ″final arrangements,″ asking for cremations and for Rehwinkel to keep funeral costs low.
List asked Rehwinkel to distribute books and other personal things
from the house, and suggested the school or church library.
He signed it ″John,″ then added:
″P.S. Mother is in the hallway in the attic-3rd floor. She was too heavy to move.″
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One thing I noticed in the above, and after reading the bios: List claims that God did not answer his heart-felt prayers for a new steady job, which partially led to the slaughter because he felt he could no longer support his family and didn't want them to go on welfare. But what the Righteous Carnage book pointed out: For a bargain price, List had moved into a large New Jersey mansion built at the turn of the century, though he couldn't afford its upkeep after he lost multiple jobs. But the stained-glass roof of the "ballroom" (where he ultimately dragged his dead family members) was original Tiffany glass. Prior to his writing to his pastor bemoaning God's failure to answer his prayers, List could have only looked up to possibly realize that the Tiffany glass itself could have been sold at that time (1971) for over $100,000---which would have solved every financial problem he had.
I'm only partially religious myself (am becoming more so with age and contemplation), but given John List's utter religiosity, I found the above fact about the Tiffany glass quite meaningful. In List's case, God did, indeed, have an answer to his prayers right above his head---which he failed to see.
