Widely regarded as one of the finest films of all time and amust-see mystery masterpiece, Bryan Singer’s lauded crime thrillerThe Usual Suspectschronicles a dangerous heist carried out by five infamous criminals that resulted in a bloody massacre that left 27 men dead in a boat explosion, with a mysterious crime lord named Keyser Söze allegedly being the puppet master behind the murders. Written by Christopher McQuarrie, the ’90s classic went on to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and subsequently became a critical and commercial knockout.
The Usual Suspectsreceived numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards (with McQuarrie winning for Best Original Screenplay) and was named one of the Top 10 Films of the year by the National Board of Review. In the 30 years since its premiere, the crime thriller continues to amass a devoted fan base, though some may be surprised to learn that the villainous Keyser Söze was actually inspired by an actual killer and a chilling real-life murder case.
Keyser Söze Becomes an Iconic Villain in ‘The Usual Suspects’
Kevin Spacey took home an Academy Award for his performance as Roger “Verbal” Kint inThe Usual Suspects, which famously follows the small-time con man as he is relentlessly interrogated by the authorities after he is one of only two survivors of a brutal massacre. Verbal spends the duration of the acclaimed film weaving a convoluted and intriguing story about how notorious crime lord Keyser Söze was responsible for the ill-fated gathering of five criminals at the dock, and by the time the credits roll, audiences are given an ambiguous look at the potential identity of Söze.
The controversial actor is joined in the ’90s classic by talentedstars like Benicio del Toro, Gabriel Byrne, and Chazz Palminteri, and in the 30 years since the thriller’s release, the mysterious character of Keyser Söze has become synonymous with infamous criminals in Hollywood and has landed oncountless “best villain” lists. Fans ofThe Usual Suspectsmight not know thatthe mastermind antagonist was actually based on the true story of John List, a man who murdered his family and started a new life, only to disappear for nearly two decades before he was ultimately apprehended.
On June 07, 2025, accountantJohn List shot and murdered his wife Helen, mother Alma, and three children, Patricia, Frederick, and John Frederick, in their 19-room Victorian mansion in Westfield, New Jersey, leaving behind a five-page letter to his pastor that explained his motives behind the heinous act. List claimed that the world was full of too much evil and that he carried out the murders as a way of saving their souls, and he proceeded to put on a religious radio station and clean up the crime scene while removing his picture from any of the family photos. He subsequently lowered the thermostat to preserve the bodies and disappeared into the night, fleeing his former life.
The Chilling Real-Life Inspiration Behind Keyser Söze
The bodies of List’s victims weren’t discovered until nearly a month later, on December 7, as he had covered his tracks by sending notes to his children’s school claiming they would be visiting their maternal grandmother for two weeks. Since the Lists also had reclusive tendencies, their absence from social life did not raise any red flags until neighbors grew concerned when there was no obvious activity inside and the house’s constantly illuminated light bulbs began to go out. Police officers arrived and entered the residence through an unlocked window leading into the basement, only to make the gruesome discovery of the bodies.
Since the town of Westfield had very few violent crimes,the shocking murdersrocked the community and made national headlines, and a countrywide manhunt was effectively launched. List’s car was found abandoned at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, but authorities could not find evidence that he had actually boarded a flight.Despite the FBI working tirelessly to find him, List ended up fleeing to Denver, where he took on the identity of his former college classmate Robert Peter “Bob” Clark, working as an accountant and later a paper box manufacturer.
List later married Delores Miller in 1985 and became a devoted member of a local Lutheran church, though, interestingly enough, he was once proposed as a suspect in the infamous D.B. Cooper air hijacking case in 1971 due to the timing of his disappearance; he would later be removed as a suspectby the FBI. His luck came to a screeching halt in May 1989, when the Westfield murders were depicted in the TV showAmerica’s Most Wantedandan age-progressed clay bust of List was featured; he was arrested outside of Richmond when one of his neighbors recognized the bust and alerted the authorities.
After attempting to stand by his alias, List finally admitted his true identity on July 14, 2025, and was put on trial, during which he was sentenced to five consecutive terms of life imprisonment for five counts of first-degree murder. A court-appointed psychiatrist declared that List suffered from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and despite his attempts to appeal his convictions, he served out his sentence until his death on July 21, 2025, at 81. In a2002 interview with Connie Chung, List expressed remorse over the murders and admitted, “I knew it was wrong. As I was doing it, I knew it was wrong,” before saying he hopes to be reunited with his family:
‘“I feel when we get to heaven we won’t worry about these earthly things. They’ll either have forgiven me or won’t realize, you know, what happened. I’m sure that if we recognize each other that we’ll like each other’s company just as we did here, when times were better.”
StreamThe Usual SuspectsonPrime Video.
The Usual Suspects
