15 Terrifying Details About The Real Case Behind ‘The Watcher’

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In June 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased 657 Boulevard, a home in Westfield, New Jersey. The couple, who had three children, planned some renovations before moving in. Maria grew up in Westfield, and her new home was just a few blocks from her childhood home.

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Derek told the Cut that one night while checking the mail he found an envelope addressed to “The New Owner”. The note welcomed the family inside before taking an eerie turn. “My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father in the 1960s. It’s my time now,” the letter said. “Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what’s behind the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I am going to find that out.”

The author also mentioned that they observed the family’s three children. “Must you fill the house with the young blood I requested? Better for me. Was your old house too small for the growing family? Or was it greed to bring your children to me? Once I know their names I will they call and draw them too [sic] me.” The letter was signed by The Watcher. Upon receiving the letter, Derek told the Cut that he had alerted the police and contacted the Woods family, from whom the Broaddus had bought the home. According to the article, Andrea Woods told Derek that they received a similar letter a few days before they moved out.

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Two weeks after receiving the first letter, Maria found another letter in the mail. The second letter referred to the family by name, although it was misspelled, leading them to question whether “The Watcher [had] was close enough to hear one of the Broaddus contractors addressing them.” The author also knew the names and ages of the family’s three children, and even mentioned that they had noticed that one of the children was sitting at an easel within a enclosed porch painted what the family later told authorities was in an area that was difficult to see unless the person was directly next to the home.

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Derek told the Cut that he found out about the Langford family from one of his neighbors. The neighbor told Derek that Michael Langford, who lived next door with his elderly mother, was “kind of a Boo Radley character.” According to the cut, Derek believed Michael had to be the culprit because the Langfords’ house was near the porch where the easel was kept. When he contacted the police about this theory, they told him that they had already investigated Michael but there wasn’t much they could do without more hard evidence. “This is someone who threatened my kids and the police are like, ‘It’s probably not going to happen,'” Derek told The Cut. “Probably is not good enough for me.”

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According to the cut, Derek was frustrated that the police weren’t moving forward with the case and decided to start his own investigation. In addition to setting up cameras, he hired several investigators to examine the home and analyze the letters for clues. Robert Lenehan, a former FBI agent, “detected several old-fashioned quirks in the letters that suggested an older writer,” including double spaces between sentences and the fact that the letter was written to “M/M Braddus,” an old, was addressed – modern way of writing an address. Lenehan also concluded that a “lack of profanity” meant the writer was likely “less macho”.

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Although Derek claimed he believed the Langfords were to blame, private investigators found several other leads. According to the cut, two child molesters lived near the house. Bill Woodward, a painter who worked at the house, said he noticed that the people who lived in the house behind the Broadduses had placed two chairs suspiciously close to their home. “One day I was looking out the window and I saw this older guy sitting in one of the chairs,” Woodward told The Cut. “He did not look at his house – he looked at that of the Broaddus.”

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Some people in Westfield began to put forward theories that the Broaddus themselves were behind the letters. One theory held that the family “suffered from buyer remorse, or realized they could not afford the house, and hatched an elaborate plan to get out of the sale.” Others thought the pair were attempting insurance fraud, while another theory claimed the pair were looking for a possible movie deal. Derek said he believes the theories spread because it would ruin Westfield’s reputation for being a safe place to live. “People don’t want to think that could happen in Westfield,” he told the cut.

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Years before the Broaddus moved to Westfield, John List murdered his mother, wife, and young children at his home, also in Westfield. The show, which List is credited with as John Graff, claims he received similar letters that were the catalyst for him to brutally murder his family. In reality, John List lost his job and began spending his mother’s $200,000 in life savings before shooting and killing her, his wife, and their three teenage children on November 9, 1971.

It took authorities over a month to find the bodies. They searched the Lists’ home only after neighbors reported their concerns to police. In the house, they also found a note from List stating that he killed his family to protect them from evil in the world. By this time, List had fled Westfield and authorities had no leads. An episode of America’s Most Wanted about the case, which aired in 1989. A woman watching the episode in Richmond, Virginia, thought List looked like her neighbor Robert Clark and alerted police, who arrested him. List had lived in Richmond for 18 years, worked as an accountant and had married a woman he met at a church function. He was found guilty and sentenced to five life terms. List died in prison in 2008.

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The Broaddus eventually decided it would be unsafe to move their family into the home and they moved in with Maria’s parents. Six months after the letters began, the couple decided to sell the house. According to the cut, they couldn’t find a buyer because so much gossip swirled about the letters even after they lowered the price. “One realtor emailed that her client ‘loved’ it but that ‘there are so many baseless rumors floating around’ ranging ‘from sexual predators to stalkers’ that they need to know more,” reports the Cut. While revealing the story to The Watcher, the couple said they were reluctant to show the letters to others unless they knew they were serious about buying the house.

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In June 2015, the Broadduses filed a lawsuit against the Woodses, the couple they bought the home from, for failing to disclose that they received a letter from The Watcher shortly before they moved out. The media soon began picking up the story. While the Broaddus claim they received over 300 media inquiries, the edit reported that they ultimately “decided not to speak publicly to spare their children even more exposure” and left town.

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The Broadduses eventually found a family willing to rent the house from them on the condition that the Broadduses included a clause allowing them to cancel the lease if another letter was sent to the house. Two weeks after they moved in, a letter arrived that read, “Strong winds and bitter cold / To the vile and spiteful Derek and his wench by a woman Maria.” This letter allegedly contained specific details about the media coverage and Derek’s investigations. According to the cut, the tenant briefly mentioned in the letter decided to stay in the house after Derek told him he was installing security cameras.

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On Christmas Eve 2017, several families who had been vocal against the Broaddus received anonymous letters in their mailboxes. These letters were not signed by The Watcher but by Friends of the Broaddus Family. Derek later admitted to The Cut that he wrote the letters, but that they were the only letters he sent. “He felt pushed to the edge of his wisdom and tired of watching in silence as people made allegations against his family based on next to nothing,” the Cut reported.

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In 2022, The Cut published a follow-up article detailing new findings that have surfaced since their original article was published. A new theory also appearing on the show is that Robert Kaplow, a recently retired English teacher and author of Me and Orson WellesShe was behind the letters. His former students told The Cut that he often spoke about writing letters to a house in his hometown. Kaplow denied any involvement and told the Cut he wrote “admiring, non-threatening” letters to another home in Westfield.

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While “The Watcher” has still not been identified, authorities believe the perpetrator is an elderly woman who lives near 657 Boulevard. After the original article was published, the Union County Attorney’s Office reached out to those who lived near the home for saliva samples for a DNA test against the envelopes. Two neighbors refused. The Cut reported that “at least one of [those who refused] was a ‘close neighbor’ at 657 Blvd and someone whom police had considered a suspect.”

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The Cut reported that the Broadduses sold their home in 2019. As of 2022, the new owners have not reported receiving letters from The Watcher.