The rationalization for killing them was his way of eliminating an inconvenience and his own stress. Delores was born in Racine, January 17, 1935, to John and Cecelia (Nee: Kirkegaard) Poulsen. However, the marriage was not very good. Getting his hands on all of his mothers money was part of the escape plan. 'Been Through That Before'. As of 2018, Peggy, Dolores, and Connie are still alive. His wife wasnt a good mother. He then shot both his wife and mother in their heads. Morrison said that by 1977, Clark had begun to find work as an accountant, List's occupation before he disappeared. Work Mr. Clark switched to a restaurant in a Denver department store, and, Mr. Wetmore said, he mentioned taking a course at H & R Block and doing a little tax work to make extra money. Northwestern UniversitysInstitute for Policy Researchfound that during the subprime-mortgage-induced Great Recession,8 million Americans lost their jobs and each year lenders foreclosed on4million homes. In 1974, Mr. Clark's name appears for the first time in a Denver telephone directory. ''I dismissed it because I felt it was not true,'' she said. List was a member of the U.S. Army during the Second World War. About a year ago, he and Mrs. Clark made a $12,000 down payment on a $76,000 slate-blue single-story three-bedroom house in the planned community of Brandermill, in the southwestern suburb of Midlothian. List worked in Detroit and Kalamazoo, Mich., before rejoining the Army during the Korean War. The bodies of Lists 85-year-old mother, Alma, his wife, Helen, 45, and their children, Patricia, 16, John Jr., 15, and Frederick, 13, were not discovered until the evening of Dec. 7, 1971. Mr. Reed put Mr. Clark in touch with Charles S. Joyner, one of the two partners in the accounting firm of Maddrea, Joyner, Kirkham & Woody in Richmond. I rode in that old car lots of times, going to baseball practice with John Jr., Robert Compton, now a Westfield police officer, recalled. Trivia. They had been laid out in a neat row, head to toe, Moran said. When they found him, John Jr. had been shot nine times.. I think you mean religious extremists. Dr. Sheldon Miller, who examined List after his arrest last year, described him Friday as a man who had already been hit by the loss of his job and then learned that his I am devoted to him.''. One Memory of Anger, The Richmond friend dismissed that image of Mr. Clark as exaggerated. List then went upstairs and killed his 84-year-old mother Alma. Delores had mixed emotions about leaving, recalled Flanery, who said they had been neighbors and friends for five years. Mrs. Clark's job at a warehouse at the Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center did not pay enough to support the two of them, and they began to fall behind on their mortgage payments. Bust the case. "At least I'm certain that all have gone to heaven now. I was in despair, List says. By then, he was assigned to the finance corps, from where he was discharged in 1952. At this point, five years after the murders, Mr. Clark took the step of seeking full-time employment in his own field. Instead she showed the newspaper to Mrs. Clark. If List thought he could just hit the delete button on the fam and waltz off *and* find redemption he may be bitterly disappointed when he finds his advocate was busy for his final court appearance and hes going to have to act as his own defense. Its first entry is R. C. Miller, a business he said was in Wheatridge, Colo., a suburb north of Denver. It rippled through the county and state: John List, the man who had meticulously murdered his mother, wife and three kids in their Westfield mansion and disappeared without a trace, was in custody. When they entered the house, music was still playing on the intercom, but List was long gone. Doubts From a Friend. Does Flanery have any regrets about turning in Clark? I once asked Bob how he happened to choose us, and he said it was because we were on the bus line, West recalled. He went on to wed again, join a new family and live in peace and anonymity for nearly two decades. . Yes, and the problem is that some facts are inconvenient to some people, or they infer from the citing of fact that ones making a swipe (and in this case, if the latter, it was a pretty mild one!) See All About BORN October 27, 1930 DIED January 21, 2017 WebFrom 1979 to 1986, he was the comptroller at a paper box manufacturer outside Denver. WebAccording to sources, during the initial days of their relationship, the couple claimed that both of them had very strong feelings for each other which are more than enough for them to keep their bond. But he has to pay for what he did. Moreover, his wife was a heavy drinker and she had also contracted Syphilis from her first marriage. This weeks postwilltake a look athow Lists predicament compares with the kind of woe that affects homeowners in the new millennium and particularly after thesubprime mortgage crisis. Then he drove to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where he left his car as a false lead and took a bus into the city. The balding bookkeeper, arrested by FBI agents on June 1, claims to be Robert P. Clark, a former resident of Denver who moved to the Richmond area 18 months ago. The letter will be used as evidence if he goes to trial. The man who calls himself Robert P. Clark is charged with five counts of first-degree murder. John List (murderer) (19252008), American mass murderer. If you read any of the books and anything on the Internet, it clearly says she neglected the kids. Mrs. Clark also has relatives nearby, in Maryland. But his defence was rejected and he was imprisoned at the New Jersey State Prison. He took out the last $2,000 on the day of the killings, said Moran, who found the withdrawal slip while searching the house. His father-in-law had heard from the county sheriff: After nearly 18 years, List had been caught. Yes, at the age 85 Clark is still performing all her hits, touring the U.S., and releasing a new album. She had married in her 30s, and John was her only child. Thats what Ive often wondered, he says. who writes: In 1895, he bought twenty-two acres of land a few miles northeast, and built a grand Victorian house atop a gentle knoll .. Wittke called his estate Breeze Knoll. Occasionally, Mr. Clark and Mr. Stefano played a board game on a battle theme, and Mr. Clark ''always took the German army,'' Mr. Stefano said. Authorities later revealed that John kept lying to his family about his jobs. On Oct. 4, 1979, Mr. Clark was hired as the comptroller of the All Packaging Company in Aurora, a suburb southeast of Denver, at a starting salary of $300 a week. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. List are unquestionably the same man. If he says, 'God bless you,' he's not just saying it. Hence, his severe lack of social skills cost him jobs after jobs. Too much drama. John List would be 97 years old if he was alive today. John fled the house after putting all the bodies on sleeping bags, turning the house lights on and putting on some classical music. If he did it once, he could have done it again, especially since they were having financial problems.. What an absolute tragedy for a family that died because of a religious zealot. The investigation also revealed that List for years had been siphoning money from his mothers $200,000 savings account. A jury convicted John Liston five counts of first-degree murder in 1990. Attorney David Baugh, who represented List in Virginia, offers support.AP Photo/Steve Helber. He was actually employed at the time of the murders, at State Mutual Life, and could have found other work. He joined the Army in World War II and later attended the University of Michigan. He resembledthe sculpture. God is perfect. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. He died in prison as a result of pneumonia. He was stationed at Ft. Eustace, Va., when he met the woman who would become his wife. John was convicted of five counts of first degree murder in April 1990 and was imprisoned with five terms of consecutive life imprisonment. He then called his childrens school to grant them leave to visit their grandmother in South Carolina. That was the only time I ever saw Bob show any anger.. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Ann: Theres an issue of cause and effect here. In 1989, America's Most Wanted featured List and a forensic sculptor's impression of how he would look then, 18 years after the murders. From New York, he had traveled overland to Denver, where he began a new life under the name Robert P. Clark, working first as a hotel fry cook and later as an accountant for H&R Block. Its people who in every single act of malfeasance, twist religion to some self-serving end. About two years ago, she said, she saw a picture of Mr. He took a new wife, to whom he lied about his age and personal history. Picture in Supermarket Tabloid. The unlikely story of his capture, the tip that led to it and the wild coincidences Gluck encountered as he followed the story are told in the latest episode of Father Wants Us Dead, an investigative true crime podcast about the List killings from NJ Advance Media. Additionally, the financial burden on the family was increasing, causing him severe psychological distress. WebDelores Hazel Miller, age 82, went to heaven, Tuesday, May 9, 2017. List was arrested the next day by the FBI. 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Lists subsequent FBI arrest at his accounting office made for scintillatingnews around the globe and electrifiedAmericas Most Wantedratings. He lined the bodies up on the floor, put music on through the houses intercom system and wrote a confession to his pastor. List, Patricia List, place of death: Trenton, New Jersey, United States, education: University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His salary rose to $490 a week. On the morning of June 1st 1989, housewife Delores Clark (nee Miller) of Midlothian, Virginia received a phone call that would blow her world to pieces. It was my belief that if you kill yourself, you wont go to heaven, List says. I did what I thought was best, she said. List might look now. To make ends meet, Clark had begun moonlighting for H & R Block, and his wife started working one day a week in a hair salon. His wifes salary as a clerk at the Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center was not enough to support them and they began to slip behind in their monthly payments. He took a new identity and also joined a Lutheran church, where he met his second wife, Delores Miller. Then he apparently did some errands while waiting all day long for the children to come home. A deeply tragic case. The greatest psychopathic distortion: that his suicide would be a sin, but murder and of children wasnt, of a degree excluding him from the God he claimed to seek. Few neighbors had been invited to the house. Bob West, said Clark became a pillar of the church during the 11 years he attended, and even served on the board. Her son-in-law Randy Mitchell called the telephone number on the screen on her instructions and gave the operator the phone number and address of the Clarks in Virginia. Lists logic in killing his entire family to ensure they went to heaven is undeniable if youre a psychopathic lunatic. At a church singles party in 1977, Clark met Delores ''The sign says, '35 miles an hour,' his foot comes off the pedal,'' the friend added. List would also be 63 years old now. . P.S. He usually chose large apartment complexes where it was easy to remain anonymous. At a church singles party in 1977, Clark met Delores Miller, a 40-year-old divorcee. He took the name Robert Clark, eventually got an accounting job, and remarried. I dont buy the pious excuses in Lists confession letter at face value. And like Judas I gave her a kiss . He went on to wed again, join a new family and live in peace and anonymity for nearly two decades. Although Helen reportedly suffered from the effects of syphilis contracted from her previoushusband, the family appeared stable and high-functioning to their friends and neighbors. But he fled to Colorado, assumed a new name and remarried, managing to elude a nationwide manhunt for 18 years. And that's the only time. Asked to check Mr. Clark's resume in their files, the executives found that it was gone. RR. By all accounts his wife was a good mother and all the children were doing just fine and on a good trajectory. After her husbands arrest, Delores Clark told the FBI she couldnt believe he was a murderer. What no one knew was that John, an accountant, hadtrouble holding onto a job. She had been previously married and had a daughter. John List was born John Emil List, on September 17, 1925, in Bay City, Michigan, to John Frederick List and Alma Barbara Florence List. She said List, who spoke fluent German, attended a Lutheran elementary school and later went to public high school. The last thing I remember hearing about Delores Clark is that she finally accepted the fact that her husband was John List. ( I think he did remarry while on the run)? He told Steve Reed, a vice president of the agency, Richmond Placements Inc., that he wanted to live and work in a more vibrant economy. "I was hungry," he told Downtown, adding with a chuckle, "that's just the way it was.". The Star-Ledger reporter, who loved to chat about the infamous murderer with the locals on his Union County beat, was grabbing a sandwich for lunch when he got a tip of his own. Mr. Clark moved to Richmond in February 1988. Delores Clark acknowledged at her news conference that she had dismissed the magazine article from her mind and had never shown it to her husband. Quiet and Simple Life, In a telephone conversation with his closest friend in Richmond this week, he said only that he was ''sorry for any embarrassment he put me through or put his friends and relatives through. That was low. In Loving Memory: Obituaries February 20-26, 2023 ROBERTSON COUNTY TENNESSEE: (Smokey Barn News) *Refresh this page for updates and newly listed obituaries for this week. Internet research turned up a number of statistics that surely would have providedList with some consolation if he faced his sameproblems post-2000. After being out there that long, List says, I guess I got to the point where I thought well, maybe I wont be caught., In 1989, one of Lists Virginia neighbors recognized him on Foxs Americas Most Wanted.. Way roomy. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Wetmore said Clark then lived in a ramshackle trailer park on the outskirts of Golden. Now you come in List with your perverted religious interpretations and go hog wild. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. See the events in life of John List in Chronological Order, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_List_(mugshot).jpg, https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/john-list-10634.php. Westfield police did not discover the bodies until nearly a month later. For all I knew, Delores was in danger. Then he sat down and ate lunch at the same table where he had shot his wife hours before. Still, Mr. Roberto said, he ''kind of liked him'' and, for some reason, felt sorry for him. Over the years, the John List murders have been featured in films such as Judgment Day: The John List Story and The Stepfather. 1 spooky darelong after the house mysteriously burned down in 1972. For 18 months, Clark kept house and always had dinner waiting for his wife, Flanery recalled. ''He didn't take them down.'' And when they did, he shot them, one by one. Dolores Sheeran is now Dolores Miller, 55, a former medical secretary and a realtor, according to her Facebook page. ''I was sad and scared for Delores,'' Mrs. Flanery said. I thought I was being real clever," he said. ''I let it go.''. He joined a local Lutheran church and, in 1985, married a widow named Delores Clark, with whom he moved to Richmond, Va. When Fox Broadcasting Co. aired his case last month on its Americas Most Wanted television show, more than 200 tipsters called to say they thought they recognized the former mamas boy from Bay City, Mich. Her illness left astronomical medical bills, he'd tell me. List assumed the name Robert P. Clark, eventually marrying a woman named Delores Miller on Nov. 23, 1985 on the 14-year anniversary of the day he had shot his wife. In interviews in the last week, many new details have emerged about Mr. Clark's life over the last 20 years in Colorado and Virginia. Bob didnt talk much about his past, Wetmore said. I dont think he was a psychopath. Authorities said two of the tips--one from Richmond, Va., another from Denver--led them to a mild-mannered accountant in Midlothian, Va. Delores Clark, right, tells reporters at a press conference on June 8, 1989 that she did not believe her husband was John List. I said, Thats Bob, Flanery recalled. Johnand Helen List, both 46, lived with their three teenage children and Johns mother, Alma, in acavernous home in the affluentUnion County town. Two neighbors, Joseph and Jacqueline Stefano, told reporters that Mr. Clark had a particular interest in World War II and Hitler. After that, she was always cautious around him. He waited until his wife and children arrivedhome one by one,crept up and shot them in the head at close range, and dragged their bodies into the ballroom. John List met Helen Morris Taylor, a young widow of an American enlisted man who had died in the Korean War. . . "So eventually I got to the point where I felt that I could kill them. The pastor, the Rev. But as listeners heard in episode 7, when his second wife, Delores Miller Clark, came to visit him in the Henrico County Jail after his arrest, List admitted who he He was working the night shift and I cleaned the kitchen. 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