[26], In 2008, Moore published a book titled Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. , 32, was found dead in September 1992. Because Jesperson allowed her to use his credit card to make a phone call, he devised a depraved way to conceal her identity. 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 . What doesn't make sense is that many of the 40 cases the investigators have looked into have puzzling evidence. On 30 August 1992, the currently unidentified body of a woman Jesperson had raped and strangled was found near Blythe, California, United States. His father often punished Jesperson by hitting him with a leather belt. On January 25, 2017 around 11:30 p.m., James was walking back to his apartment after a night out drinking with friends and co-workers. The oldest child, Melissa, was ten years old. The footage captured James entering a dark alley, and that was the last time he was seen alive. They were able to identify her as Skiple on April 13. Jesperson murdered another woman in August 1992 at a Turlock, California truck stop. "Her persistence in this manipulation resulted in her own conviction.". Jesperson told Phelps they met at a truck stop and that after he agreed to give her a ride he felt like she was trying to play him. "He says, 'Because I choked her' I said, 'I think weneed to take her to a hospital. He left bodies in Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska and Washington while working as a long-haul truck driver. Jesperson would capture birds and stray cats and dogs around the trailer park where he lived with his family, severely beating the animals and then strangling them to death, something for which he claims his father was proud of him. . Published: Apr. [7] Jesperson continued to spend time with his children when he was in town. [11] Jesperson gives the Jane Doe's name as Claudia. In one six-page letter to The Oregonian newspaper, the serial killer revealed . He had a relationship with his final victim and became a suspect after her body was discovered in March 1995. "She was very giving. They had three children, two girls and a boy. I'm thinking, 'My God, she is actually involved in this,'" Ingram said. Victim 2: California Jane Doe. A Canadian-born long-haul truck driver and divorced father of three, Jesperson carried out his killings over the course of five years until he turned himself in to authorities in 1995. He would go on to share details of the crime on other restroom walls. His last known victim was a woman he dated, which led to his capture and incarceration for life. I knew it had to be around there someplace. But in the process, she also falsely implicated herself. [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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Mahoney drove to the address, but Hurley was not there. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. He never made it home. In November 1992, Jesperson had an encounter with sex worker Laurie Anne Pentland at a truck stop. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Here's what the evidence says. A "witchy" smiley face left at a murder site of the supposed "Smiley Face Serial Killer" seems to represent Charlie Manson. 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. Their house bordered an apple orchard, and Jesperson killed stray cats and gophers that wandered nearby. Jesperson eventually settled in Selah, Washington with his wife and three children. Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. That's when they said she implicated herself in the murder, according to Det. . "She was that kind of woman. And that's how I remember her," said Melissa Gavin, her longtime friend. When she arrived, however, he was nowhere in sight. He strangled her and left her corpse in Oregon. On January 25, 2017 around 11:30 p.m., James was walking back to his apartment after a night out drinking with friends and co-workers. I think that she was at a bad place in her life," said her daughter Darlene Carpenter. Investigators installed a hidden recording device in their home hoping to catch Sosnovske making incriminating statements. 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. The day of his disappearance, Homan had been celebrating Oktoberfest with his friends. Meanwhile, the real killer carried out a series of murders over five years. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Laverne Pavlinac is seen here showing investigators where Taunja Bennett's body was found, even though she had nothing to do with the crime. Police interview tapes obtained by "20/20" show the lengths Pavlinac went to convince investigators she and Sosnovske were the killers responsible when they weren't. Skiple was known to family and friends as Patsy, according to the sheriffs department. Jesperson has said that he took 166 lives, but only the above eight murders have been attributed to him. The following morning, James did not show up for work. In these supposed "Smiley Face" serial killings, popular, high-achieving, athletic young men (i.e. Her real name remains a mystery. Now 66, Jesperson is serving five non-consecutive life sentences in Oregon's state penitentiary. The term "Smiley Face Killers" come from the graffiti smiley faces supposedly found at the crime scenes. Sometime around 1957, Glatman posted Lonely Hearts adverts in newspapers to lure his victims in addition to prowling modeling agencies in Los Angeles, eventually posing as a photographer himself. 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. Jesperson killed his next victim in June 1993 in Santa Nella, California. They divorced in 1989. Remains found in Merced County, California on June 3, 1993, belonged to a Jesperson victim he has said was called "Cindy." Keith Hunter Jesperson committed his first murder in 1990. Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson, whos serving multiple concurrent sentences in Oregon State Penitentiary. What Is the Smiley Face Killers Theory? Jesperson resides in the Oregon State Penitentiary, where he spends much of his time making art. . Detectives first became aware of Pavlinac when she anonymously called them to report that she overheard Sosnovske at a bar bragging about killing Bennett. went missing after leaving a Bruins hockey game in Boston,Massachusetts. Before his arrest, he also wrote a letter to his brother that admitted, "I am sorry that I turned out this way. Join Melissa Moore, host of Happy Face Season 1, as she helps Becky unravel the strange tale of her family, searching for answers to decades-old mysteries that remain unanswered in the modern day. Their work has spawned an Oxygen series, Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice, which aired in January 2019. However, a part of him wanted to claim credit, so he wrote about murdering Bennett in a bus terminal bathroom. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an early age which included torturing animals and attacking other children. By Joseph Diaz, Scott Engel, Emily Wynn, Jenner Smith, and Lauren Effron November 4, 2021, 3:32 AM 1:24 Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske are seen here in this 1985 family photo. ABC News/YouTube By Jean Mendoza / June 8, 2021 9:24 am EST Keith Hunter Jesperson is a serial killer who claimed the lives of eight women between 1990 and 1995. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and prosecutors. Victim 5: California Jane Doe. When contacted by sheriffs detectives, he said he had gagged her with duct tape, raped her in the sleeping cab of his rig and strangled her, reported the Spokesman-Review. [22] She was also featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show,[23] the Lifetime Movies network series Monster in My Family,[24][25] and a 20/20 special on ABC. 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Between 1990-1995, a series of murders were discovered over several states, all with a very similar MO. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous confessions signed with a smiley face. [7] He had watched and laughed as the kittens clawed each other to escape, then he killed them. After he strangled them, he dumped the dead bodies on the side of the road. All Rights Reserved. Director Carl Hindmarch Stars Doug Bates Janine Brugnone Beghtol Rick Buckner See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 1 User review Moore recounts living with Jesperson until her parents' 1990 divorce, and noticing how her father was different when she was in elementary school. She was a mother and approximately 45 years old at the time she was killed. He had given police officers the location of the victim's purse. April 19, 2022, 7:31 PM PDT. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. "[He said] I better not open my mouth. Taunja Bennett, 23, is seen here in this undated photo. She told investigators she drove them to a scenic overlook at the Columbia Gorge, where Sosnovske told her to pull over. According to Jesperson, after he killed his fifth victim in 1993 he managed to stave off murderous urges for more than a year by committing arson while on the road as a trucker. He left her remains in Nebraska, though Subrize was likely killed in Wyoming. The Smiley Face Killers. [19] To avoid the possibility of facing the death penalty, Sosnovske pleaded no contest. [1], At a very early ageas young as fiveJesperson would capture and torture animals. The renowned crime journalist and author of The Misbegotten Son turns his attention to serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, the "Happy Face Killer" from Oregon who strangled eight women in the 1990s, detailing his evolution from angry child to psychotic murderer. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. '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. She changed her story again, this time to say she too was involved in Bennett's death. One of them was to a friend. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an. ". [13] Police originally considered her death a drug overdose. The couple divorced in 1990.[8]. 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. The 21-year-old finance student rarely partied since he was dedicated to the university's soccer team, but he decided to have a few drinks for the new year. Murderous Keith Hunter Jesperson became known as the Happy Face Killer for his boasting letters to police, signed with a smiley face. Hundreds of college-aged men have died in accidental or undetermined drownings. According to former detective Kevin Gannon and Dr. Lee Gilbertson, when Booth was found, his body was in full rigor mortis, which normallydissipates within 24 to 36 hours after death. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. Between 1990 and 1995, eight women died at the hands of Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the Happy Face Killer. I'll hurt your family.'". At age 35, Keith was 6'7.5" tall and weighed 240lbs. He has said he strangled her because she wouldn't let him sleep. Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon, had been known only as "Blue Pacheco" for the color of her clothing until genetic genealogy was used to identify her last week, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said. In. James' body, however, had almost no visible damage, which was highly suspicious because it had traveled through heavily trafficked river. She maintains a very private lifestyle, so not much is known about her. Pavlinac then confessed to her. That triggered him. GHB was also found in his system along with alcohol. In both cases, and as per usual . A smiley face was found spray-painted near where Homans body was found. 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. I will be writing about that more in the future so stay tuned. ". A journalist noticed the symbol and came up with the Happy Face Killer nickname. Pavlinac had made the whole thing up. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department announced. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Victim 1:Taunja Bennett. Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. Jesperson, who was born in British Columbia in 1955 and moved to the US when he was 12, kept on killing until he was caught in 1995. The body of 23-year-old Taunja Bennett was found in this remote woodland near the Columbia Gorge in 1990. This included beatings, sometimes with a belt in front of others, and in one case he received an electric shock. As she and Sosnovske started their life sentences, one of the United States' most notorious serial killers continued his murder spree. Laverne Pavlinac, who, along with John Sosnovske, was convicted for the killing of Taunja Bennett, waits at the Oregon Women's Correctional Center in Salem, Ore., Oct. 27, 1995, for word on her release. Best Known For: Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. Jesperson was linked to murdering six other women, some of which remain unknown to this day: an unidentified woman who Jesperson said was named "Claudia" in August 1992 near Blythe, California; Cynthia Lynn Rose in September 1992 in Turlock, California; Lori Ann Pentland in November 1992 in Salem, Oregon; an unidentified woman who Jesperson said was named "Carla" in June 1993 in Santa Nella, California; an unidentified woman who Jesperson said was named "Suzanne" in September 1994 in Crestview, Florida; and Angela Subrize in January 1995 in Laramie County, Wyoming. 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. A smiley face was found painted near the river. [6] He graduated from high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it. Jesperson claims that her name was Susanne. Gannon and Gilbertson also notedthe body appeared to have been staged three sticks were strategically placed around his body, and there were shoe and drag marks in the soil. Jesperson worked as a truck driver to support the family. ", This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 19:00. Hurley walked outside while Mahoney drove to the stadium to pick him up. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He was a 21-year-old student at Fordham University, and his body was found in. Happy Face stands out because of Moore 's intimate tie to the criminal in question. whos serving multiple concurrent sentences in Oregon State Penitentiary. According to police reports, one dog later hit on an an SUV owned by a local band member, who had played a show at the bar the night of Homan's disappearance, but the K9 alert was inconclusive. But to Melissa Moore, he was more than just a serial killer . Article Title: Keith Hunter Jesperson Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/keith-hunter-jesperson, Publisher: A&E Television Networks, Last Updated: March 3, 2021, Original Published Date: February 2, 2021. 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." His brothers did not help him, instead they nicknamed him "Igor" or "Ig", a name that stuck throughout his school years. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior. Kreuger, Peggy; Kendra Justice & Amy Hunt (March 2006). Her sister Michelle White said Bennett was the only one in their family who graduated from high school, someone who read a lot and loved music. He would often get into trouble for behaving badly, sometimes violently, and would be severely punished by his father. He strapped the woman beneath his big rig,. B. One of Welzien's friends, Nick Young, stayed behind. 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. For example, the Canadian-American serial killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the . Welzien told his friends he wanted to call it a night and go back to the hotel where they were staying. Jesperson claims she was a sex worker who climbed into his truck, even though he told her he wasnt interested in her services, according to the two-hour, , 26. Possible Smiley Face killers victim Mason Cox. In April 1990, he sexually assaulted a woman who managed to escape. On September 29, 2006, 21-year-old Lucas Homan vanished from La Crosse, Wisconsin. More than 25 years have passed since the ordeal, and in that time, both Sosnovske and Pavlinac have died. After getting in an argument with Bennett, he strangled her to death with his hands and disposed of her body. Victim 3:Cynthia Lyn Rose, 32, was found dead in September 1992. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. Jesperson married Rose Hucke on August 2, 1975. Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon, had been . Pentlands body was found in November 1992 after being discarded in Salem, Oregon. Jesperson is serving four life sentences without possibility of parole in Oregon. [21], Following Bennett's murder, as all the attention was going to Pavlinac and Sosnovske, Jesperson wrote a confession on the bathroom wall of a truck stop and signed it with a smiley face. Pavlinac's son also died shortly after due to medical reasons. I just said it, this is close enough," she said. [8][16] This led Phil Stanford, the journalist working the story for The Oregonian, to dub Jesperson "The Happy Face Killer". When she recanted, Pavlinac said she falsely confessed because she was stuck in a volatile relationship with Sosnovske, desperately seeking a way out and wanting him in prison. Pavlinac had been with Sosnovske, a farmhand 18 years her junior, for a decade when the Bennett case caught her attention in 1990. And they were laughing," Pavlinac told investigators. Keith Hunter Jesperson (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the early 1990s. She also said she was able to point to the location of Bennett's body based on where the brush had been cleared away. Cloud State University. While in custody, Jesperson began revealing details of his killings and making claims of many others, most of which he later recanted. "I said 'Why is she dead?'" Jesperson was a middle child, with an older sister and brother and a younger sister and brother. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. During the drive, Welzien started throwing up. She later rescinded her confession, but in 1991 a jury still found her guilty. 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. Canadian-American serial killer (born 1955), "Happy Face Killer" redirects here. The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department announced on Tuesday that, using genetic genealogy, they were able to identify a body found in 1993 as Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon. [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. The 21-year-old finance student rarely partied since he was dedicated to the university's soccer team, but he decided to have a few drinks for the new year. Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson? Her identity remains unknown. "I think what happened to mother was she was in an abusive relationship, and she was desperate, and desperate people do desperate things, not to say that it was right, but that's what I think happened," said Pavlinac's daughter Bonne McAlpine. FILE - Accused murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson, dubbed the Happy Face Killer, right, listens to his attorney . Pavlinac's daughters said their mother "was never the same" after she divorced their father after discovering he left her for another woman. That this never happened. Jesperson described murdering her, like other women he killed, as putting her out of her misery.. "I [had] seen all these tracks and all this and that. He then sought work again as an interstate truck driver after relocating to Cheney, Washington. are covered in bracing detail in the Oxygen special Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, now streaming. Skiples remains were found on the side of California State Route 152 in the Gilroy area about 80 miles southeast of San Francisco in June 1993, in an area known as Pacheco Pass. He had been questioned by police a week before, but they had no grounds to arrest him after he refused to talk. This finding is inconsistent with the belief that Booth drowned the night he disappeared. The "Smiley Face Killer" may or may not be a killer or group of killers who've murdered at least three dozen drunken white college-aged males, dumped their bodies in waterways, and taunted police by drawing a smiley face near the crime scene. That night, he had been celebrating a friend's 21st birthday with a group of friends. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. He enjoyed watching animals kill each other as well as the feeling he got from taking their lives. [8], In November 2008, Jesperson's daughter, Melissa G. Moore, appeared on Dr. Phil to talk about her father. In September 2009, Jesperson was indicted in Riverside County, California, on murder charges; he was extradited in December 2009. I wanted to get those two people out of prison," he said in 1995, referring to Pavlinac and Sosnovske. Melissa G. Moore, Jesperson's older daughter, wrote Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killers Daughter (2009). Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California. [4] Because of this, Jesperson was a shy child, content to play by himself much of the time. Convicted murderer Keith Jesperson, right, shown here at a Nov. 2, 1995, court appearance in Portland, Ore., with attorney Thomas Phelan, has recanted all his previous murder admissions. Sosnovske pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and kidnapping charges to avoid the possibility of a death sentence and was sentenced to life in prison. Following the discovery of Bennett's body in January 1990, Laverne Pavlinac lied to police that she'd aided her boyfriend John Sosnovske in committing the crime. After the murder, Jesperson remembered they'd spent days together and he'd let her use a credit card. The victims were predominately white, male, athletic ("3.5 and above star athletes," according to Gannon), and young from 17 to early 20s. I don't," Sosnovke is heard saying on the tape. After a night of barhopping, Homan headed home at around 10 p.m. with a friend. You could tell where people had been in and out, the vehicles and everything else, limbs broke. Notorious serial killer Keith Jesperson, better known by the "Happy Face Killer" nickname he was given in the '90s, has spent decades behind bars but his daughter believes he would kill again if released from prison today. After moving to Selah, Washington, United States, he had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. California State Route 152 in the Gilroy area about 80 miles southeast of San Francisco in June 1993, in an area known as Pacheco Pass. "Pavlinac has selfishly engaged in an obsessive and persistent obstruction of justice which deflected the investigation at an early stage, causing it to focus on her boyfriend, Sosnovske, while the real killer remained free to kill again and again," Lipscomb wrote in 1995. The night of his disappearance, Geib made several calls from his cell phone. Todd Geib was 22 years old when he went missing during the early hours of June 12, 2005, at a bonfire party in an orchard close to his home in Casnovia, Michigan. RUIN SMILEY'S DAY: Follow these tips to minimize the danger of vanishing into thin air one night and ending up another unsolved "drowned" statistic: 1. In 1990, shortly after his marriage ended, Keith Jesperson, a long-haul trucker from Selah, Washington, began killing women. In later years, Jesperson also sent anonymous letters to The Oregonian newspaper about what had become his multiple murders. Jesperson's last victim was Julie Winningham, who'd been his girlfriend. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. The production features interviews betweenJesperson and M. William Phelps, author Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.Italso features an interview with Daun Slagel, who survived a violent encounter with Jesperson when she was 21. [2] Jesperson's father was a domineering alcoholic; according to Jesperson, his paternal grandfather was prone to violence. ET on ABC. A smiley face was paintedon a wall of the bar under a deck. At the time, Pavlinac said she was able to dupe authorities because she had learned details of the crime from newspaper articles and from reading the search warrant without police noticing. "I don't think she was in love with him. Welzien's friends said he had only three or four drinks, but by the end of the night he seemed very intoxicated. Pavlinac soon admitted to making up her entire story, but her claims were ignored. His boss informed his family, who filed a missing persons report 72 hours later. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Jesperson's first known victim was Taunja Bennett on 21 January 1990, near Portland, Oregon, United States. More than a dozen of these cases have been outlined in Gannon and Gilbertson's book "Case Studies in Drowning Forensics," but there are six deaths in particular that stand out as potential Smiley Face murders: Dakota James was 23 years old when he went missing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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