noticed lights on inside the house. now, they were flickering on and off and some were burning out completely. we went up to the house, went around the house, the doors were locked. we go up on the front steps and go to the right of the front door. it was a pretty good-sized window. i looked in and you could see a fish tank and the fish were still swimming in the tank. so we tried the window and the window was open. the 19-room, three-story victorian mansion is known as breeze noel, one of the most expensive and elaborate homes in the affluent neighborhood. so we go in, go through the front entranceway and there is a ballroom. six people live at breeze noel, john list, a mild-mannered church-going accountant and his wife, helen, and their three children, 16-year-old patty, 15-year-old john jr. and 13-year-old frederick. also living with the family was list s 85-year-old mother, alma.
the town is relieved at list s capture. but many wonder what he s been doing all these years and how he managed to evade authorities for so long. when we come back usually most murderers are so terrified of being caught or trying to escape that they don t have the time to sit down and reason and be rational and do this. john list did. we think and we re pretty sure he had a lot of this all worked out. this was his master plan before he pulled the trigger.
john list, expressed his concern about the government doing its duty as it sees it. well, today, 18 years, 4 months and 23 days after a day of horror in westfield, new jersey, on november 9th, 1971, the state is bringing this matter, this indictment to trial. during the trial, the transcript of a taped interview with list and a psychiatrist hired by the prosecution is admitted into evidence. it was such a horrible thing list says. but once i started, it was like i was on automatic pilot. i killed them all so no one would survive, so no one would have to know what happened. it was almost a sigh of relief that i killed them all. looking back, it was such a horrible thing, if i had to do it over again, i would find some way of getting help. and why did he murder his family?
success, how about doing something different? we weren t doing old cold cases in those days when we first started, we were doing breaking stories. they had concerns that the case was too old, that mr. list might be dead and so on. i said, you know what, america s most wanted is the court of last resort. they do things that law enforcement can t do, they ll put 15 or 16 million eyes to a case. i ve always had great faith in the american public. it can show people what someone really did and give them clues. it brings the world into a smaller sphere, it makes the world a smaller place for these guys to hide. but some still had their doubts. a lot of people said, you ll never catch him, but, you know, i said don t underestimate our viewers. but convincing america s most wanted proves to be only half the battle. we had done some computer enhancements of john list s
in virginia, the fbi decided that they would check out that one particular tip. the tips that were in the metropolitan area, i personally was going to check out. but the flannery tip is right on target. fbi agents move in on robert clark on june 1st, 1989. after 18 years, fbi agents arrest robert clark. his fingerprints matched not only those of john list, taken during his army service, but also match prints taken just one month before the crime when list applied for a handgun permit. not only that, but robert clark s face looks exactly like the bust. he wore the same glasses that he put on this bust. so it was pretty amazing. it is pretty cool. when i got the phone call that john list was identified, through the help of my bust, it made my day. and it just it just really made me feel good.