america's most wanted debuted on fox back in 1987. since its inception it
has proven to be incredibly popular even surviving a cancellation and a network move
before being ultimately cancelled again in 2011. that was until 2021 when it was revived
yet again over the years the show has been directly responsible for tips that led to
the arrest of hundreds of fugitives some of them extremely high profile
number 10. the first crime david james roberts was the man who proved just how important a show
america's most wanted could be he was the first criminal that was pulled in after being featured
on the show and also the first criminal to be featured on the show it was 1988 when roberts
was on the show for a crime he had committed back in 1974. roberts committed rape murder and arson
it had a house ablaze with the couple and their three-year-old child inside it took only four
days after his profile on the show for roberts to be captured over a thousand tips were called
in 9. kevin fuller in what had to be one of the most unusual tips called in after an episode of
america's most wanted prison escapee kevin fuller actually called law enforcement himself to try to
explain that things weren't as bad as the show made it seem fuller had been arrested for bank
robbery and ended up breaking out of a medium security facility according to him he had to
leave to have a medical condition treated that the prison just wasn't addressing in contrast
to his claim that he was just having a medical condition treated police said that during his
free time he also strangled a bus driver robbed a bank and also a convenience store all of that
in the week it took police to catch up with him again he ended up being sentenced to 16 years in
prison number 8. mark clifton bryant life without parole was the sentence for mark clifton bryant
after an appearance on america's most wanted led to his capture at a golden corral restaurant
bryant was convicted for the brutal torture of a teenage girl and trying to brand her with the
word lyre on her forehead with a screwdriver and a blowtorch then he tried to choke her
and january bathtub he committed his crime in 2004 but wasn't convicted until 2009. initially he had
been friends with the girl's mom and developed an obsession with the 16 year old he came to believe
that she had a boyfriend and then branded her as a part of the torture at his trial the judge called
out his brutality and sentenced him to consecutive terms for each count that he was charged with
7. margaret de francisco in one of the most brutal and baffling cases that america's most
wanted ever helped close margaret francisco and her sister were arrested for the murder
of trucker oscar velazquez pelicans had dated to francisco's sister but the pair chose to rob him
sometime later and then shot him they lured him to their house got him in the basement and put a
bullet in the back of his head to francisco was only 16 at the time the sisters robbed
him took the man's body from the house dumped it in an empty lot and then doused it in nail
polish remover before lighting him on fire in an effort to skirt the law she went on the run with
her sister leaving their native chicago after america's most wanted aired an episode about
them defrancisco cutted two off her own body in an effort to make herself less recognizable
an anonymous tip after the episode had led to francisco's capture lawyers tried to argue
the killing was in self-defense but it didn't work she was sentenced to 46 years in prison
6. stephen raced out back in 1988 stephen ray stout murdered his own mother-in-law and one of
her daughters he'd gotten into a fight with his mother-in-law and recalled that she had slapped
him in the face later after he was caught he said he couldn't remember committing the crimes
according to the forensic evidence he beat and then stabbed his mother-in-law to death before
turning on her 18 year old daughter the sister of his ex-wife she was also beaten stabbed and
then strangled after the murders he stole his mother-in-law's car and fled leaving the state and
taking up a new identity later that same year his case had on america's most wanted he was living
with a woman at the time who actually watched the episode and confronted him asking if he was the
man featured he says he was and she turned him in 5. lee nell carter leonel carter had one of
the fastest turnarounds of any criminal added to the fbi's most wanted list and then broadcast on
america's most wanted carter had killed a woman in 1986 and wounded two others after going on
what was described as a shooting spree the death was the result of a romantic feud that got out of
control police actually arrested carter shortly after the crimes but inexplicably let him go by
mistake eight days later he was on the run for nearly three years before he was found again
america's most wanted aired an episode about him at 8pm the fbi put him on the most wanted list at
9pm and he was in police custody by 11 pm number four wardle david ford some criminals try to think
big and waldle david ford was one of them his crime was meant to be an action movie style heist
involving an armored car robbery things didn't go as planned however ford and his best friend david
temple rolled up an armored car in detroit back in 1983. they pulled guns on the guard and ford
proceeded to lift 45 000 from the car temple and the guards got into a scuffle as the guard pulled
his own gun the two men wrestled over the weapons and ford just started firing killing both of them
in 1990 america's most wanted add an episode about the case and law enforcement received
tips that ford was working on the docks he was arrested and given a life sentence for his crimes
3. tony rayamati back in 1996 a matty and two accomplices robbed a gun store in las vegas
the three of them made off with 75 firearms and chose to celebrate their hall by going on
a vicious shooting spree through town three total strangers were killed by a mati their
bodies shot over 20 times a piece with a variety of weapons for all intents and purposes it just
seems like ahmadi was trying out the guns that had stolen to see how well they worked and
he chose human targets to do it ahmadi had posted bail after his initial arrest and then vanished
it was about a year and a half later when he was finally found again thanks to his story being
featured on america's most wanted despite the fact that it changed his hair color and was working in
georgia an anonymous tip after the show led police to him 2. eric rosser it's terrifying to think of
the lengths that former john cougar mellencamp piano player eric rosser went to in order to
escape justice the first pedophile to be placed on the fbi's most wanted list rossa had committed
a slew of sex crimes involving children he fled the united states and was on the run for over a
year while authorities tried to track him down during his time abroad he used three different
passports to travel through europe and asia he got liposuction and other cosmetic procedures to
try and alter his appearance and hide from law enforcement after appearing on america's most
wanted law enforcement was flooded with tips from all over the world 53 countries in fact but it was
in thailand where he was found his apartment full of more evidence of his crimes including photos
and videos while there he had been working as a soloist with the bangkok symphony and
providing piano lessons for thai children he was extradited to the u.s where he served 16
years in prison he was released in 2017. 1. john list in 1971 john list killed his entire family
the accountant who looked like the stereotypical accountant and seemed mild-mannered to everyone
who knew him had been faking going to work for months beforehand every day he packed a lunch
and headed out to catch the trade to the office in reality he'd spend all day in the parking lot he'd
been fired from his job and chose to hide that fact from his wife helen and their children as
well as his mother who had invited to live with them in the 18-room mansion that he'd purchased
thinking his high-profile job would last this was apparently a religious man his kids were teens now
and they were being corrupted by the world of the late 60s and early 70s his wife had admitted to
him that she had contracted an std from her first husband and had not been treated she stopped going
to church and started drinking so list killed them all his reason to ensure they'd go to heaven he
killed his wife over breakfast after the kids went to school then killed his mother then he
waited the entire day for the kids to come home first killing his 16 year old daughter and then
one of his sons then he drove to his third son's soccer game watched him play and then drove home
and murdered him too this went about staging a meticulous and exhaustive cover-up he told the
school his kids were leaving the state to be with their sick grandmother he cashed in saving bonds
closed all bank accounts ended mail and newspaper delivery and literally cut his face out of every
photo in the house so no one could put him on a wanted poster and then he vanished it was over
a month before anyone even began to wonder where the family went since they had been so
thorough in explaining their absence to anyone the teacher went to investigate and they was called
the police because they saw someone creeping about the property when they entered the house
they found all five bodies it would be 18 years before anyone would see list again or at least
know that they'd seen him the man had started a new life and even remarried in 1989 america's most
wanted aired an episode about list and included an image of what they thought he might look like
after 18 years the image was enough to make one of list neighbors call the police he was arrested
and convicted and he died in prison in 2008. so i really hope you found this video interesting if
you want to hear even more crimes that have popped up in america's most wanted or really anywhere in
the media then you might want to consider checking out my true crime podcast the casual criminalist
for convenience it's both a podcast and a youtube channel you can get it either way or both ways
whatever you like there are all kinds of links in the description below thank you for watching