Father wants us dead

John List murdered his family, then vanished. The lasting scars left by 1 of N.J.’s most notorious killers.
John List killed his entire family in Westfield 50 years ago, including his wife, Helen, and their three children, Patty, John and Fred. Their bodies were found in Breeze Knoll, the family's 19-room mansion. List then disappeared. Kylar Ware | For NJ Advance Media
By Rebecca Everett | For NJ.com
Editor's Note
NJ Advance Media's new serial podcast about John List, “Father Wants Us Dead,” drops Tuesday, May 10 at fatherwantsusdead.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Chapter One: Sins of the father

Breakfast was finished, the milk delivery accepted and the three kids sent off to school when John List retrieved two old handguns from the garage. He took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen of his spacious Westfield home sometime after 9 in the morning on Nov. 9, 1971. Then he raised the Steyr pistol and shot his wife of nearly 20 years near her left ear.

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About the Authors
Reporting & writing
Rebecca Everett is the enterprise crime reporter for NJ Advance Media.
Additional reporting
Jessica Remo was a supervising reporter on the features team at NJ Advance Media.
Photography & videography
Andre Malok is a multimedia specialist and commercial drone pilot at NJ Advance Media. Follow him on Twitter @AndreMalok or email him at amalok@njadvancemedia.com.
Editing
Christopher Kelly is senior director of news and innovation. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisKelly74 or email him at ckelly@njadvancemedia.com.
Editing
Jeff Roberts is an editor supervising health and other coverage. Email him at jroberts@njadvancemedia.com or connect on Twitter at @thejrob.
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