Death Sentence

The Inside Story of the John List Murders

By: Joe Sharkey

Narrated by: Shawn Compton

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Until 1971, life was good for mild-mannered accountant John List. He was vice president of a Jersey City bank and had moved his mother, wife, and three teenage children into a 19-room home in Westfield, New Jersey. But all that changed when he lost his job. Raised by his Lutheran father to believe success meant being a good provider, List saw himself as an utter failure. Straining under financial burdens, the stress of hiding his unemployment, as well as the fear that the free-spirited 1970s would corrupt the souls of his children, List came to a shattering conclusion.

"It was my belief that if you kill yourself, you won't go to heaven," List told Connie Chung in a television interview. "So eventually I got to the point where I felt that I could kill them. Hopefully they would go to heaven, and then maybe I would have a chance to later confess my sins to God and get forgiveness."

List methodically shot his entire family in their home, managing to conceal the deaths for weeks with a carefully orchestrated plan of deception. Then he vanished and started over as Robert P. Clark. Chronicling List's life before and after the grisly crime, Death Sentence exposes the truth about the accountant-turned-killer, including the details of his high-profile trial.

©1990 Joe Sharkey (P)2019 Tantor

Arrogant Evil

Much better than a lot of true crime.Written in the 90s but still very good. Shawn Compton does a good job narrating. If you're into this genre, I highly recommend.

sick man

great book! heard information that I hadn't gotten from documentaries. Would recommend it to family and friends.

Well done

This book gives the chronology of a disturbed father with peculiar quirks who murdered his family in 1971 in NJ. The book is well written and gives the reader the insight into John List and how he perceives life that is falling down on him. I particularly liked that the author was able to get accounts of the people that John met in his life. A must read.

Well Done

These books are usually a hit or a major miss. This was a sound true-crime story: interesting case, enigmatic killer, methodical telling of background, precipitating factors, execution, and aftermath. True Crime aficionados will be satisfies with this telling

Decent Summation

A decent summation and different perspective of the story told by several sources. Drama-teacher aspect felt incomplete.

Religious Nut

This was honestly one of the best Audible books I have listened to. I knew the name but not the story. Many times I was just shaking my head! What a shame!! Scary to think this guy fooled so many people for so long.

Love the details

I’d heard this case on several
Podcasts, but the dive into List’s life before and after the crime was fascinating and bewildering. Great book!

Incredible storytelling

This audiobook is narrated perfectly and the writing by Sharkey is thoughtful storytelling. It’s perfection. To me the best part is where Sharkey doesn’t hide his disdain for John List’s book Collateral Damage, which is an attempt of self loathing and victimizing himself. Thank you Joe!

Now this is a true crime masterpiece

Everything was clear, well researched, well narrated and engaging. Up there with the very best of the genre.

True Crime Writing at its Best

I remember when they caught him, John List. The story was crazy for me as I was in my early twenties. I later watched the movie. But this is the first book I’ve read on the subject. It is odd how religion comes up in so many of these domestic crimes. Is it just a convenient excuse? Is it a flaw in the thinking process of the killing? What is crazy is how methodical John was in his crime. He had a definite plan and although a few things went astray he continued on with it. It took eighteen years to catch up with him but they did catch up to him. Which in the end, is all that matters. He eventually had to pay for his atrocious crime.