The Case | In Brief
On December 9, 1971, the Westfield Police Department discovered five bodies within Breeze Knoll Mansion, located at 431 Hillside Avenue in Westfield, NJ. The List family home was occupied by John List, his wife, Helen, their three children, Patty, Frederick, and John, Jr., as well as his elderly mother, Alma. The family man turned family annihilator was responsible for all five murders; he shot them in the head, neck, and chest area(s). Following the murders, List fled to Denver, Colorado, until he was identified by Wanda Flannery, who saw an aging bust of John List, on an episode of America's Most Wanted. The FBI apprehended Lisit in Virginia in June 1989.
Digital Resources
- Case Overview via CrimeLibrary.org: John List by Katherine Ramsland
- “Money and the People of God” by Joe Willmann (The Lutheran Witness Magazine)
- Article: “I Spent More Than A Year Investigating 50-Year-Old Murders That Rocked N.J. Here’s Why.” by Rebecca Everett
- Article: “Father Wants Us Dead: John List Murdered His Family, Then Vanished. The Lasting Scars Left By 1 of N.J.’s Most Notorious Killers” by Rebecca Everett
- Gallery: Father Wants Us Dead
- Podcast: Father Wants Us Dead
Severing The Case | John List Episode
Drew Hudson pens the 7-minute story that provides an overview of the infamous family annihilation case that shocked the Westfield community in 1971.
In this episode, Harry Chambers and Drew Hudson analyze John List’s five-page letter to Pastor Eugene A. Rehwinkel. This evolves into a discussion of List’s narcissism and sociopathic behavior, and whether there was a potential link to the Westfield Watcher case; a mere 6-minute drive between the notorious houses.
The episode concludes with a humorous take on the film, A Killer Next Door (2020), based on the John List murders.
What Inspired Severed to Cover This Case?
Drew: All episodes are thematically linked by location and/or subject matter. It made sense to remain within Westfield, New Jersey, following our inaugural episode, on the Westfield Watcher case. The John List house--or former site of Breeze Knoll Mansion that burned down in August 1972--is a 6-minute drive from The Watcher House at 657 Boulevard.
Show Notes
Case Overview via CrimeLibrary.org: John List by Katherine Ramsland
Article: “Money and the People of God” by Joe Willmann (The Lutheran Witness Magazine)
Article: “I Spent More Than A Year Investigating 50-Year-Old Murders That Rocked N.J. Here’s Why.” by Rebecca Everett
Article: “Father Wants Us Dead: John List Murdered His Family, Then Vanished. The Lasting Scars Left By 1 of N.J.’s Most Notorious Killers” by Rebecca Everett
Gallery: Father Wants Us Dead
Podcast: Father Wants Us Dead
Article: “Nov. 9: The List Family Murders, Westfield” by Mark Sceurman and Mark Moran (WeirdNJ.com)
Article: “John E. List, 82, Killer of 5 Family Members, Dies” by David Stout
Article: “‘I Know What Has Been Done Is Wrong’” in NYT Digital Archive (March 29, 1990)
Article: “When People Kill Close Relatives: Explaining ‘Family Annihilators’” by Emily Shapiro
Article: “Antisocial Personality Disorder” National Library of Medicine (NIH)
YouTube Channel: What The French Toast | Toast | The Cold Files | Episode One: The John List Case.
YouTube Channel: FilmRise True Crime | Forensic Files - Season 1, Episode 12 - The List Murders
YouTube Channel: Investigation Discovery | Husband Is Pushed To The Brink and Murders His Wife
Film | PeacockTV: A Killer Next Door (2020)
