Questions, thoughts, reactions?
Hi all, Rebecca Everett here.
If it's your first time on the forum, please feel free to share any questions, thoughts or reactions you have about the podcast! And thanks for taking the time to check out the site.
If you're a return user, I'm very disappointed to say that we lost all the previous discussions from the forum due to a database error. We've worked with the hosting site to try to retrieve them with no luck. That said, we really appreciated the great conversations we had — from listener theories to neighbors sharing memories — as well as your questions about the podcast - like 'what happened to Brenda?' (check out our bonus episode for the answer).
Thanks as always for listening!
Rebecca
I’m new to this podcast, but so far I’m loving it. I’m a True Crime Garage junkie, and this was mentioned by the guys as a great place to learn more. I’m half way through, and am NOT in anyway dissatisfied. I’m a Jersey girl, Jersey City State Alumni, and currently living in South Jersey. So this is home!:)
This is a well-researched podcast!
Hello, I was excited to find your podcast. This story haunted me ever since I read about it in the early 80’s. My mom had a crime magazine and this was a story that caught my eye. You both really dug into details I never heard of before until I heard this podcast.
I still don’t understand how no one heard the gun shots?
I was wondering about Brenda through the entire podcast. I'm glad that she was mentioned at the end. I was struck by a few things. She got pregnant at 16 and was sent away to a home for unwed mothers and John List was the only person to visit her there. He seemingly forgave her for such a huge sin, which struck me as odd. Has anyone looked into if John List might have been the father of Brenda's baby?
Also, here is a website that has a picture of her. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20288985/brenda-joyce-arnold
Quote from witchhazel on April 1, 2023, 4:45 pmHello, I was excited to find your podcast. This story haunted me ever since I read about it in the early 80’s. My mom had a crime magazine and this was a story that caught my eye. You both really dug into details I never heard of before until I heard this podcast.
I still don’t understand how no one heard the gun shots?
Thanks for the kind words! And that's a great question. I can't say for sure, but the houses weren't very close together in that area — the properties were sprawling. It also was during the day so maybe more people were at work. It's also possible someone heard the gunshots but dismissed them, not realizing they were gunshots. But that's never been publicly reported.
Quote from momommuohfehoehoemm on April 20, 2023, 5:06 pmI was wondering about Brenda through the entire podcast. I'm glad that she was mentioned at the end. I was struck by a few things. She got pregnant at 16 and was sent away to a home for unwed mothers and John List was the only person to visit her there. He seemingly forgave her for such a huge sin, which struck me as odd. Has anyone looked into if John List might have been the father of Brenda's baby?
Also, here is a website that has a picture of her. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20288985/brenda-joyce-arnold
Thanks for the question. I have never heard anyone float that theory before, nor come across anything to support it. What has been reported is that the father was her boyfriend at the time, who she would later marry and have a family with.
It is interesting how John List was so forgiving of Brenda when he treated his biological daughter so differently. I've wondered if he just felt a different level of responsibility (and held different standards) for his biological children, or if the difference in his reactions had to do with his obsession with morality becoming more severe over time. The growing tensions/stresses in his life that he couldn't handle in the late 60s into the 70s could have also amped up his reactions to his childrens' behavior. I don't know if anyone ever asked him about it, so we may never know for sure!