You get two true crimes for the price of one in Netflix‘s latest binge-worthy drama The Watcher.
Its central premise, of course, was inspired by a New York magazine article about a couple harassed by a stalker after moving into their dream home. But for reasons unknown, creator Ryan Murphy also interweaves another entirely unrelated real-life mystery into the series’s already dark narrative.
Yes, unlike many of the show’s possible suspects, the man believed to be on-the-run serial killer John Graff (Joe Mantello) isn’t just a figment of the imagination. Here’s a look at the man who inspired his disturbing story.
Who was John Graff?
Well, John Graff is actually based on John List.
After serving as a lab technician during the Second World War, List attained an accounting master’s degree and married widower Helen Morris Taylor. The couple had three children – Patricia, John and Frederick – and in 1965, the family, alongside List’s mother, moved from New York to Jersey City.
They moved into a 19-room Victorian mansion named Breeze Knoll in Westfield, where List worked as the vice president of a bank. By this point, Helen was in the full throes of alcoholism and by the start of the 1970s, the Lists had also run into major financial difficulties.
What did John List do?
The Watcher took many liberties with its threatening letters mystery, though it did stick largely to the facts when it came to John Graff’s horrific crimes.
On November 9th 1971, List shot dead both his mother Alma and his wife at their Breeze Knoll home. On their return from school, 13-year-old Frederick and 16-year-old Patricia tragically suffered the same fate.
As shown in the dramatisation, List then made himself some lunch before heading to 15-year-old Frederick’s high school football game. After driving his son back home, he concluded his massacre by shooting him several times; there was evidence John had tried to defend himself.
The accountant placed his mother’s body in her attic apartment and his wife’s and children’s bodies in the ballroom before writing a five-page letter to his pastor revealing he’d killed his loved ones to save their souls from the evils of the world.
Just like Graff did in The Watcher, List then cut himself out of every single family photo – making it much harder to identify him – and cleaned the house before leaving. Having previously told his children’s schools and various workplaces that the family would be out of state visiting his sick mother-in-law for several weeks, the bodies weren’t found for another month.
Helen’s mother would have been the sixth victim had she not postponed her trip due to illness.
Indeed, it was only when neighbours became concerned about the house’s constant illumination that the police were called and the gruesome discovery was made.
What happened next?
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Cops launched a national manhunt without much luck. Although the Lists’ car was discovered parked at New York’s JFK Airport, there was no evidence the suspect had flown anywhere. Bizarrely, just nine months after the homicides, Breeze Knoll burned down in a suspected arson that still remains unsolved.
That same year, List also became a suspect in the enigmatic case of DB Cooper, the airplane hijacker who secured a $200,000 ransom before parachuting over the Washington night sky, never to be found. This puzzling incident took place just two weeks after List’s murders. He is no longer considered a suspect.
List managed to evade capture for nearly 18 years until America’s Most Wanted brought his case back into the limelight in 1989. One particular Denver viewer spotted the similarities between the TV show’s age-progressed clay model and his old neighbour and informed officials.
List was subsequently arrested at his accounting firm workplace, but continued to insist he was a man named Bob Clark for several months before finally coming clean.
Where had John List been hiding?
The FBI later found out that following the murders, List moved around New Jersey, Michigan and Colorado before making a new life for himself in Denver. After changing his name, he landed an accountancy job, became a member of a local Lutheran church and even married for a second time, walking down the aisle with Delores Miller in 1985.
What were John List’s motives?
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During his trial, List revealed he’d run into money problems after being made redundant from his bank job in 1971. Instead of telling his family, the accountant pretended to go to work each day for months, filling his time by reading newspapers at the local train station.
List also stole from his mother’s bank account to help pay the mortgage and persuaded his kids to get part-time jobs to bring more money in – but these were only ever temporary solutions.
According to a psychiatrist appointed by the court, List believed the only way to stop the financial rot was to either seek assistance from the government or murder his entire family. Tragically, he dismissed the former option over fears he’d be ridiculed.
What happened to John List?
In April 1990, List was sentenced to five consecutive terms of life imprisonment, one for each first-degree murder conviction. The accountant initially refused to take responsibility for his crimes, arguing he wasn’t in a fit mental state at the time due to the PTSD brought on by his military experiences.
He later launched an unsuccessful appeal on these grounds, also claiming the note he’d written to his pastor was “confidential” and shouldn’t have been used as evidence.
In 2002, List accepted culpability, telling Connie Chung in a TV interview, “I knew it was wrong. As I was doing it, I knew it was wrong.” Six years later, he died from pneumonia complications at the age of 82.
The Watcher is available to stream on Netflix. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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