On a quiet evening in May 1989, a television broadcast featuring a bust of an aged John List reached an audience of millions, unknowingly setting the stage for the capture of one of America’s most elusive fugitives. For nearly two decades, John E. List had vanished after the horrific murders of his wife, mother, and three children in Westfield, New Jersey, in 1971. The segment, aired on Fox, was a desperate attempt to reignite public interest in the cold case and generate new leads. What unfolded was beyond anyone’s expectations.
The bust, a creation of forensic artists, depicted how John E. List might look almost twenty years after he disappeared. It was this image that caught the attention of a woman in Richmond, Virginia. She noticed a striking resemblance between the bust and her neighbor, Robert Clark, a seemingly ordinary accountant known for his church attendance and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses. This observation, sparked by the televised segment, was the crucial break investigators desperately needed.
Acting on this tip, authorities discreetly investigated “Robert Clark.” They soon uncovered inconsistencies and suspicious details that hinted at a hidden past. The confrontation with Clark’s wife, a woman he had met at church, proved pivotal. Her cooperation allowed investigators to piece together the fragmented history Robert Clark had carefully constructed. The truth unraveled when fingerprints taken from “Robert Clark” confirmed the undeniable: he was indeed John E. List. After years of living under an assumed identity, quietly residing in Virginia and previously in the Denver area, John E. List’s life as Robert Clark came to an abrupt end with his arrest on June 1st.
Alt text: Forensic bust of John E. List displayed on television, crucial in leading to his capture after years as a fugitive.
The subsequent trial of John E. List in 1990 brought forth chilling details of the murders and List’s calculated escape. A prosecution psychiatrist controversially suggested that List’s actions were the result of a “midlife crisis,” a stark contrast to the enormity of his crimes. Despite his defense team’s attempts to argue diminished capacity due to post-traumatic stress from his military service in World War II and Korea, and claims of pastoral confidentiality regarding a letter he had written, List was convicted on multiple counts of murder. He received five life sentences, effectively ensuring he would spend the remainder of his days in prison.
In a 2002 interview with Connie Chung on ABC, John E. List offered a disturbing insight into his motivations. When questioned about why he didn’t commit suicide given his overwhelming feelings, List stated his belief that suicide would prevent him from entering heaven, where he hoped to reunite with the very family he had murdered. This chilling statement underscored the deeply disturbed mindset of John E. List, a man whose capture, decades after his heinous crimes, was ultimately triggered by a televised bust and the observant eye of a neighbor.
Alt text: Mugshot of John E. List after his arrest as Robert Clark, highlighting the horn-rimmed glasses he used to cultivate a successful image.
