{"id":24087,"date":"2022-10-19T11:49:38","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T09:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1724476"},"modified":"2022-10-19T12:17:34","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T10:17:34","slug":"the-watcher-who-was-the-real-john-graff","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/the-watcher-who-was-the-real-john-graff\/","title":{"rendered":"The Watcher \u2013 who was the real John Graff?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jon O’Brien\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 19 October 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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You get two true crimes for the price of one in Netflix<\/a>\u2018s latest binge-worthy drama The Watcher<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Its central premise, of course, was inspired by a New York magazine article<\/a> 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\u2019s already dark narrative.<\/p>\n

Yes, unlike many of the show\u2019s possible suspects, the man believed to be on-the-run serial killer John Graff (Joe Mantello) isn\u2019t just a figment of the imagination. Here\u2019s a look at the man who inspired his disturbing story.<\/p>\n

Who was John Graff?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Well, John Graff is actually based on John List.<\/p>\n
After serving as a lab technician during the Second World War, List attained an accounting master\u2019s degree and married widower Helen Morris Taylor. The couple had three children \u2013 Patricia, John and Frederick \u2013 and in 1965, the family, alongside List\u2019s mother, moved from New York to Jersey City.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
What did John List do?<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Watcher<\/a> took many liberties with its threatening letters mystery, \u00a0though it did stick largely to the facts when it came to John Graff\u2019s horrific crimes.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
As shown in the dramatisation, List then made himself some lunch before heading to 15-year-old Frederick\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The accountant placed his mother\u2019s body in her attic apartment and his wife\u2019s and children\u2019s bodies in the ballroom before writing a five-page letter to his pastor revealing he\u2019d killed his loved ones to save their souls from the evils of the world.<\/p>
Just like Graff did in The Watcher, List then cut himself out of every single family photo \u2013 making it much harder to identify him \u2013 and cleaned the house before leaving. Having previously told his children\u2019s schools and various workplaces that the family would be out of state visiting his sick mother-in-law for several weeks, the bodies weren\u2019t found for another month.<\/p>\n
Helen\u2019s mother would have been the sixth victim had she not postponed her trip due to illness.<\/p>\n
Indeed, it was only when neighbours became concerned about the house\u2019s constant illumination that the police were called and the gruesome discovery was made.<\/p>\n
What happened next?<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>