The daughter of a man dubbed the "Happy Face Killer" has revealed the suffering she went through after discovering her father, Keith Jesperson, was a serial rapist and murderer who preyed on what he once claimed was as many as 185 people over a five-year span. On 30 August 1992, the currently unidentified body of a woman Jesperson had raped and strangled was found near Blythe, California, United States. She had changed her story so many times that investigators said they wondered if she was telling the truth. Because Jesperson allowed her to use his credit card to make a phone call, he devised a depraved way to conceal her identity. In 1990, Taunja Bennett was found dead near a scenic overlook at the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. In 1975, when Jesperson was aged 20, he married Rose Hucke, and the couple had three children: two daughters and one son. "John That's the worst thing you've ever gotten yourself into," she told him. Jespersons second victim, known only as Claudia, was found murdered on August 30, 1992 in Blythe, California. T he Smiley Face death toll continues to climb, this time in Germany. She told investigators she drove them to a scenic overlook at the Columbia Gorge, where Sosnovske told her to pull over. The police gave him the nickname "The Happy Face Killer" as he would leave a happy face on his confession letters to the media. Melissa Moore's father, known as the Happy Face Killer, murdered eight or more women. In the summer of 1992, Jesperson met "Claudia" at a truck checkpoint in California. [6] He graduated from high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it. [29][30] In September 2018, podcast network HowStuffWorks began releasing a show called Happy Face[31] featuring interviews with Melissa about her childhood and her father. After a series of letters are sent to the press, the killer earned the moniker, the Happy Face Killer. Keith Hunter Jesperson (born 6 April 1955) is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the early 1990s. 18, 2022, 3:19 p.m. Patricia Skiple, who lived in Colton, Oregon, has been identified as a victim of Keith Jesperson, the "Happy Face Killer," almost 30 years after Skiple's body . [6] Although Jesperson was not successful with girls in high school, having never even attended a school dance or his prom, he did enter into a relationship after high school. Pavlinac and Sosnovske were released from prison in November 1995. Before he was identified as a serial killer, he anonymously confessed to his crimes in messages that contained smiley faces, leading to his being nicknamed the "Happy Face Killer." [7] She was a correspondent for Crime Watch Daily. Geib's body was found three weeks later in a lake that had previously been searched. Sosnovske pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. His blood-alcohol concentrationwas only 0.08 percent. He left her remains in Nebraska, though Subrize was likely killed in Wyoming. Possible Smiley Face killers victim Mason Cox. April 19, 2022 / 7:43 AM / CBS San Francisco. He was found guilty of killing Bennett, Pentland, and Winningham and was sentenced to six consecutive and concurrent sentences. Investigators had been trying to nail down a suspect for weeks when Pavlinac brought Sosnovske to their attention. "Madonna, that's what she listened to all day," White said. Jesperson got away easily so long as he was killing women he did not know, but his impulsivity got the best of him, and eventually, he murdered someone he did knowhis own girlfriend. He then sought work again as an interstate truck driver after relocating to Cheney, Washington. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. Jespersons heinous crimes as well as shocking twists in the case including a couple who took the blame for one of his homicides are covered in bracing detail in the Oxygen special Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, now streaming. Dr. Laura Pettler, along with her partner in crime-fighting, Melissa Moore, are taking a deep dive into murder cases in the upcoming podcast, "Life After Happy Face." "Life After Happy Face" is a follow-up to Moore's "The Happy Face Killer" podcast, which followed the case of Keith Jesperson, a serial killer who wreaked havoc in the Pacific Northwest during the 1990s. The two would often get into trouble together, and Jesperson claimed he was often punished many times for things Martin had done and shifted the blame. [8], In November 2008, Jesperson's daughter, Melissa G. Moore, appeared on Dr. Phil to talk about her father. "I consider this the most dangerous domestic terrorist group in the United States today," said Gannon. In these supposed "Smiley Face" serial killings, popular, high-achieving, athletic young men (i.e. James' body, however, had almost no visible damage, which was highly suspicious because it had traveled through heavily trafficked river. "He went off into the woods with her," Pavlinac told investigators. He never made it home. In one six-page letter to The Oregonian newspaper, the serial killer revealed . "I [had] seen all these tracks and all this and that. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. Keith Hunter Jesperson committed his first murder in 1990. Officials did not implicate the band member in Homan's death. In March 2018, she was featured in an episode, titled "Put on a Happy Face", of the Investigation Discovery true crime series Evil Lives Here. Detective Rick Buckner has to prove Keith Jesperson is the serial killer known as Happy Face Killer, guilty of murdering a woman in 1995, and has to make sure he is apprehended before he kills again. He is serving three consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. In June 2021, a trailer appeared on iTunes for a new true crime podcast called Life After Happy Face, to be hosted by Melissa Moore and forensic criminologist Laura Pettler. I wanted to get those two people out of prison," he said in 1995, referring to Pavlinac and Sosnovske. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! On January 21, 1990, after taking her to his rental place, plans to have sex went awry and he "beat her senseless," he told Phelps. Pieces of his artwork have been seen on "murderabilia" sites. Her sister Michelle White said Bennett was a compassionate person who loved everyone.. "[He said] I better not open my mouth. "I'm told to place her into a holding cell I say, 'OK, Laverne, now you need to go into that room right there,' She turned around and she looked at me and she gave me a hug. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. Brown also believes that the smiley face images found in some of the cases are likely nothing more than coincidences based upon making a guess at where the body entered the water and searching a wide . When Mahoney called Hurley to find out where he was waiting, Mahoney said he answered the phone, and she heard him ask someone where he was located. M. William Phelps penned a memoir about his interactions with Jesperson: Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer (2017). And just like his British counterpart, the police denied . He received multiple life sentences for several of these crimes but was spared the death penalty. Police have not saidif a smiley face was present near the death site. In the days following, Jesperson decided that he was certainly going to be arrested, and after two suicide attempts turned himself in hoping it would result in leniency during his sentencing. According to Gannon and Gilbertson, Homan had various injuries on his head, hands and arms, and they theorized that a mark on his forehead may have been a footprint that was the result of Homan being held down. After a night of barhopping, Homan headed home at around 10 p.m. with a friend. One New York serial killer has been plying his grisly trade for over twenty years now, killing at least ten victims between 1996 and 2010, and possibly more we haven't yet discovered. Meanwhile, the real killer carried out a series of murders over five years. I thought, 'Oh my God, it felt like I put my mother in jail.'". Keith grew to be a large, imposing man. Taunja Bennett was the first to die. Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson. [10] Jesperson soon realized that this job afforded him the opportunity to kill without being suspected. [00:02:14] While he has claimed to have killed many more people, officials can only confirm that Jesperson killed eight women between 1990 and 1995 in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska and Wyoming. Jesperson was dubbed the "Happy Face Killer" for the smiley face drawings he included on a letter he sent to a Portland, Oregon newspaper, in which he bragged about killing women in a spree that began in 1990. Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson? When an Oregon newspaper ran a five-part series called The Happy Face Serial Killer in 1994, an anonymous author took credit for the five murders. His brother gave this letter to law enforcement. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? That's whyall ofthis doesn'tmake sense. A stealth serial killer who wants to trick everyone against him will change-up his playbook with small tweaks to put a wrench in the profiler's and forensic scientist's game. Jesperson's last victim was the crime that ultimately led to his capture. Her body disintegrated against the hot asphalt as he drove. Her body was found after his arrest. His death was ruled an accidental drowning, andthe autopsy report noted"acute alcohol intoxication was a major contributing factor.". In the years following, Jesperson said he often thought about what it would be like to do the same to a human. [13] Police originally considered her death a drug overdose. 'Happy Face Killer' case tapes reveal the lengths woman went to frame boyfriend Meanwhile, the real killer carried out a series of murders over five years. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. In the majority of the cases, the victims were successful students and athletes who disappeared after a night out drinking with friends, and they were ultimately found dead in a body of water. For the 2014 film about Jesperson, see, List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)", "Serial killer receives fourth life sentence", "Dr. Phil Returns to The Oprah Show: My Father Is a Serial Killer", "ABC '20/20': Melissa Moore, Daughter Of Serial Killer, Opens Up Tonight About Life With 'Happy Face Killer' Keith Jesperson", "Meet Crime Watch Daily Correspondent Melissa Moore | Truecrimedaily.com", "My evil dad: Life as a serial killer's daughter", "Happy Face Presents: Two Face on Apple Podcasts", "Life After Happy Face on Apple Podcasts", Daughter of the 'Happy Face Killer' Talks About Growing Up With a Serial Killer Dad, Keith Hunter Jesperson: Happy Face Killer, Daughter of serial killer confronts her past, Radio Interview with Melissa Moore (daughter), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keith_Hunter_Jesperson&oldid=1142498372, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Canadian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Crimes against sex workers in the United States, People extradited within the United States, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Oregon, Violence against women in the United States, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from November 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 8 confirmed (confessed to as many as 185). She was a mother and approximately 45 years old at the time she was killed. Gannon, Duarte, Donovan and Gilbertson claim an organized group of serial killers would drug unsuspecting victims at a bar or party then abduct, hold and torture the victims before finally killing and dumping the bodies in water. , 32, was found dead in September 1992. Happy Face Presents: Two Face iHeart True Crime True Crime 4.3 8.5K Ratings; What would you do if you learned you were adopted, your biological . The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department. Hurley walked outside while Mahoney drove to the stadium to pick him up. When investigators asked him why he decided to come forward, Jesperson listed two reasons. Pavlinac set up a meeting with investigators and gave a false confession, using the details she had read in the newspaper to give a detailed story of how Sosnovske forced her to help him rape, murder, and dispose of Bennett's body. [7] He had watched and laughed as the kittens clawed each other to escape, then he killed them. of Victims 8-185 killed 5 attempted Span of crimes 1995/1966-March 10, 1995 (confirmed) Criminal Charges Daughter of the infamous 'Happy Face' serial killer, Melissa Moore, and leading female Forensic Criminologist, Dr. Laura Pettler, unearth chilling details from homicide case files in this weekly true-crime series which tells the actual stories of people who shared their lives with a killer or their victims. The purse had not been found at the crime scene, and its location was considered information only the killer would know. One of the things about my dad - which made me very uncomfortable as a young woman - was that he was very explicit about his sexual relationships. This led police agencies in several states to reopen old cases, many of which were found to be possible victims of Jesperson. [20], On 7 January 1996, more than five years after their conviction, Pavlinac and Sosnovske were released from prison after Jesperson and his attorney offered his confession with convincing evidence of his guilt. . A journalist noticed the symbol and came up with the Happy Face Killer nickname. Geib's remains also had very little signs of decomposition, which would have been present if he had died the day he went missing 22 days before the recovery of his body. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. He told investigatorshe could not remember anythingthat happened that night. Welzien's friends said he had only three or four drinks, but by the end of the night he seemed very intoxicated. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The Pittsburgh police theorized James fell into the river while crossing a bridge near the city center and drowned. [27] In November 2014, she wrote an article about her father for the BBC.[28]. B. Daun Slagle is the sole survivor of the "Happy Face Killer." She is the only person to survive an attack by the infamous serial killer. Her real name remains a mystery. Pavlinac made this false statement because she wanted to escape her abusive relationship with Sosnovske. They'd mostly all been college-aged, popular, and athletic. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. A smiley face was found spray painted on an underpass near where James body was discovered. A "witchy" smiley face left at a murder site of the supposed "Smiley Face Serial Killer" seems to represent Charlie Manson. When she arrived, however, he was nowhere in sight. Based on Pavlinac's statements, and that Sosnovke failed a polygraph test, authorities arrested Sosnovke on murder charges. Victim 8: Julia Ann Winningham, 41. Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. The area had been searched repeatedly in the weeks before his body was discovered, but no one had seen Booth. She's told her own daughter the same story, very convincingly.' In September 1994, the body of a woman was found in Florida. On September 29, 2006, 21-year-old Lucas Homan vanished from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Jesperson's first victim, 23-year-old Taunja Bennett, was killed on January 21, 1990. Victim 2: California Jane Doe. I had been worried about this for a long time. Jesperson grew up in Chilliwack, Canada before moving to Selah, Washington with his family when he was 12. Jesperson sent the photo to the Duquesne University students. Oddly,Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the wateras if he had gone for a swim. Jesperson's father denied being an abusive parent; however, while investigating for his book on the killer, author Jack Olsen was able to confirm much of the claimed abuse with other family members. "She was very giving. She claimed to have found a strange purse in the trunk of her car with a piece of denim from a pair of jeans inside -- When Bennett was found, her purse was gone and her jeans were missing the fly. Various witnesses outside the hotel saw Welzien vomiting in the street. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. He introduced himself to Bennett at a bar and invited her to a house he was renting. While in custody, Jesperson began revealing details of his killings and making claims of many others, most of which he later recanted. Best Known For: Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. In addition to murder, Jesperson's criminal history included animal cruelty, arson and sexual assault. He never made it home. The night of his disappearance, Geib made several calls from his cell phone. . John Ingram, who worked on the case. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The first victim was found in 1997. While many believe their deaths are just that accidental former NYPD detectives Kevin Gannon, Michael Donovan, Anthony Duarte and professor of criminal justice Dr. Lee Gilbertson are convinced that most of these drownings are homicides. The killers always leave a signature smiley face near the location of the body. Jesperson, who was arrested in 1995 on suspicion of killing a woman in Washington state, was dubbed the Happy Face Killer because he drew smiley faces on letters he sent to the media and. He claimed to have victims in five states: Washington, California, Florida, Wyoming and Oregon. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland.

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