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Father Wants Us Dead

NJ.com

In 1971, a mild-mannered accountant and Sunday school teacher from New Jersey named John List murders his wife, mother and three children — only to disappear and begin a new life entirely on the other side of the country. Now, two veteran journalists go inside the mind of the killer, learn about the doomed family, and revisit the 18-year-quest to bring List to justice — a saga even more bizarre and twisted than ever previously reported.

Check out our other podcasts:

Someone's Hunting Us - The story of a serial killer you've never heard of and the women who took him down.

In the Shadow of Princeton - When the grande dame of Princeton is murdered, one investigator sees a conspiracy.

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  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 28 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • January 28 · 2 min

    Coming Soon: Someone's Hunting Us

    Here's the trailer for our new podcast, "Someone's Hunting Us," which drops Feb. 10. In 2016, a serial killer was preying on Black women and girls he thought no one would miss — and getting away with it. Police in New Jersey never suspected that Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, a nerdy-looking, polite young man from a law enforcement family, was the one stalking the streets and dating apps for his next target. The journalists behind “Father Wants Us Dead” — called one of the best true crime podcasts of all time by Entertainment Weekly — bring you a deeply-reported true crime story of a serial killer hiding in plain sight and the women who took him down. Follow "Someone's Hunting Us" at the links below to get notified when the episodes drop Feb. 10. Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jul 30, 2025 · 4 min

    Feed drop: Introducing 'American Shrapnel'

    From our sister news site AL.com comes 'American Shrapnel.' The Olympics explode on a July night in 1996. The largest pipe bomb the country has ever seen. A string of bombings shakes Atlanta for the next year. Thousands of photos and videos produce one blurry image of the attacker, a photo so grainy the FBI called him “Blob Man.” Agents zero in on the wrong man, the media follows suit, and the real bomber slips away. Until Birmingham. In Alabama, the Blob Man finally makes a misstep. He detonates another bomb, but this time someone sees something. A college student asks himself a question: Why, when everyone else is rushing to see what happened, is that man running away? That curious student breaks open what was then the largest manhunt in U.S. history: the search for Eric Robert Rudolph. Years pass. No trace. Does he have help? Is he planning more attacks? In American Shrapnel, the latest podcast from the Murrow-winning Alabama Media Group, join 2x Pulitzer Prize winner John Archibald and award-winning journalist Becca Andrews as they track the path of destruction — from the bombings, through the manhunt, and back to the twisted politics that fueled it. You’ll hear the stories of survivors, radicals and heroes. This isn’t a story of the past. The anger that fueled it has only grown stronger today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Nov 14, 2023 · 7 min

    Feed drop: Introducing Firecracker

    From NJ.com's sister news site in Syracuse, an investigative true crime podcast about the cold case killing of Carol Ryan.

  • S1 · E13
    Nov 2, 2022 · 47 min

    BONUS: The Watcher

    The real story of The Watcher, Westfield’s other boogeyman, whose mysterious letters inspired the hit Netflix series.

  • S1 · E12
    Jul 19, 2022 · 33 min

    BONUS: Pulling back the curtain

    The hosts take you behind the scenes of the creation of the “Father Wants Us Dead” podcast and discuss never-before-heard interviews and outtakes from the show.

  • S1 · E11
    Jul 5, 2022 · 34 min

    BONUS: Postcards from the edge

    Our hosts answer your questions and reveal more surprising details from the cutting room floor.

  • S1 · E10
    Jun 28, 2022 · 3 min

    A word about season one

    Our hosts have some exciting news in store for “Father Wants Us Dead” fans.

  • S1 · E9
    Jun 21, 2022 · 44 min

    Episode 9: Sympathy for the devil

    50 years later, two reporters try to understand what drove John List to commit such atrocities — and the real cost.

  • S1 · E8
    Jun 14, 2022 · 44 min

    Episode 8: Judgment Day

    Back in New Jersey to stand trial, John List makes one last attempt to stay free.

  • S1 · E5
    May 24, 2022 · 45 min

    Episode 5: The Talented Mr. List

    As police frantically search for the mysterious killer, John List slips out of one identity and into another.

  • S1 · E4
    May 17, 2022 · 46 min

    Episode 4: Mopping up the blood

    Step by terrible step, John List systematically kills each member of his family — and then confesses everything.

  • S1 · E3
    May 10, 2022 · 48 min

    Episode 3: The man at the train station

    As family and financial worries mount, John List carries on an elaborate charade — all the while contemplating the unthinkable.

  • S1 · E2
    May 10, 2022 · 41 min

    Episode 2: The boogeyman of Westfield

    John List moved his family to New Jersey seeking a better life, but this seemingly ordinary accountant will turn out to be the scariest neighbor his town has even seen.

  • S1 · E1
    May 10, 2022 · 34 min

    Episode 1: The mansion turned morgue

    In a quiet, well-to-do New Jersey suburb in December 1971, police make a shocking discovery that sends the community reeling — and launches a national manhunt for a fugitive mass murderer.

  • Apr 29, 2022 · 5 min

    Trailer: Father Wants Us Dead

    In 1971, a mild-mannered accountant and Sunday school teacher from New Jersey named John List murders his wife, mother and three children — only to disappear and begin a new life entirely on the other side of the country. Now, two veteran journalists go inside the mind of the killer, learn about the doomed family, and revisit the 18-year-quest to bring List to justice — a saga even more bizarre and twisted than ever previously reported. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes