"She was that kind of woman. John Ingram, who worked on the case. The Smiley Face Killers. Today's episode is part 1 of our coverage of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson. She found out that her son had reportedly suffered blunt force trauma to the head, his eye socket and behind his left leg. On 30 August 1992, the currently unidentified body of a woman Jesperson had raped and strangled was found near Blythe, California, United States. He was a 21-year-old student at Fordham University, and his body was found in. And she [said], 'Well, they told me I had to tell you thisbecauseif I told you then they would believe me,'" Carpenter said. [6] He graduated from high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! His friends went up to their room and never saw Welzien again. Hurley walked outside while Mahoney drove to the stadium to pick him up. California 'Happy Face Killer' victim identified after 29 years By Associated Press 8:06am Apr 20, 2022 A victim of the Happy Face Killer has been identified nearly 30 years after her body was left near a California highway, authorities said this week. Before serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, known by his nickname "Happy Face Killer," turned himself in, authorities believed they had solved the murder of his first victim Taunja Bennett. When the body of Taunja Bennett was found along the side of an Oregon highway in 1990, investigators never imagined that it would lead to the capture of a vicious serial killer. He was caught after killing his 41-year-old girlfriend, Julie Ann Winningham, in 1995. In these supposed "Smiley Face" serial killings, popular, high-achieving, athletic young men (i.e. Hurley's mother received a copy of the autopsy report and allowed aphysician to analyze the report. In 2006, the serial killer submitted a letter to the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office admitting to sexually assaulting and killing an unknown female subject along a dirt turnout on Highway 152, the department wrote in its release, and a year later he pled guilty to killing her. Laverne Pavlinac is seen here showing investigators where Taunja Bennett's body was found, even though she had nothing to do with the crime. However, Jesperson.css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;} later said he actually killed another woman and did not recognize Wilcox's photo. The body of a woman found near Gilroy, California was this week identified as Patricia Skiple, a victim of the Happy Face Killer. Jesperson resides in the Oregon State Penitentiary, where he spends much of his time making art. Questions Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice Hopes to Answer, A First Look at the Murder of Susan Berman. Between 1997 and 2008, authorities pulled the dead bodies of more than 40 young white men out of rivers and lakes in more than 25 cities across 11 states. 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. Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as "The Happy Face Killer ," is serving a life sentence in prison today. I had been worried about this for a long time. About two weeks after he went missing,Booth's body was foundfacedown in a creek behind the bar. They'd mostly all been college-aged, popular, and athletic. 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. "The Smiley Face Killers" movie was . At the time, he was being investigated for the murder of 41-year-old Julie Winningham, who some described as his girlfriend. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. "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. Police saidthere were no signs of foul play, and his death was ruled an undetermined drowning. She told investigators she had gone to the bar to meet Sosnovke, but Bennett was alive when she picked them up and both got in the car with her. was 23 years old when he went missing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her body was found on a roadside rock pile in Santa Nella, California. They met at a truck stop in Corning, California. Jesperson's last victim was Julie Winningham, who'd been his girlfriend. The killers always leave a signature smiley face near the location of the body. Soon after his injury was when Keith started to kill. On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. Due to the unknown identity of the female adult, Cold Case Detectives later referred to Jane Doe as Blue Pacheco.. 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. 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. Updated: Mar 3, 2021 (1955-) Who Is Keith Hunter. 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. He told investigatorshe could not remember anythingthat happened that night. "I sometimes now wonder, if he was freed now, if he was released, would he kill again? Strangulation was Jesperson's preferred method of murdering, the same method he often used to kill animals as a child. The message was signed with a smiley face. After the body of his first victim, Taunja Bennett, was found, media attention surrounded Laverne Pavlinac, a woman who falsely confessed to having killed Bennett with the help of her abusive boyfriend, John Sosnovske. She was killed in Washington state on March 10, 1995, and her body was discovered the next day. I'llgo to the pen. She would pop in and pop out, and over the years, She was that type of person.". While police didn't get any hard evidence, the recordings demonstrate how Pavlinac attempted to convince her boyfriend he played a role in Bennett's death. jocks) usually after a night of drinking at a bar are kidnapped, tortured, murdered and then their . While in custody, Jesperson shared details of his eight murders. No serial killer loose in Boston, police say, as another man vanishes; Here Are 6 Of The Alleged Victims Of The 'Smiley Face Killings' Is a Serial-Killer Gang Murdering Young Men Across the U.S.? Investigators installed a hidden recording device in their home hoping to catch Sosnovske making incriminating statements. He never made it home. He duct-taped her mouth and hands before raping and strangling her. 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. 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. By Tim Stelloh. I wanted to get those two people out of prison," he said in 1995, referring to Pavlinac and Sosnovske. "Madonna, that's what she listened to all day," White said. In addition to murder, Jesperson's criminal history included animal cruelty, arson and sexual assault. In 1990, shortly after his marriage ended, Keith Jesperson, a long-haul trucker from Selah, Washington, began killing women. Director Rick Bota Writer Richard Christian Matheson Stars David Arquette Gloria Reuben Daryl Shuttleworth See production, box office & company info . 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. The Happy Face Killer's eighth and final victim that would be his downfall. Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. Despite the distance between them, some detectives think that drownings are actually the work of a serial killer or group of serial killers. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Because of their relationship, authorities connected her death to him. His brother gave this letter to law enforcement. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and prosecutors. On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. [33] The episode was released on July 9, 2021. Soon after Angela Subrize ran into Jesperson at a bar in Spokane, Washington in January 1995, she traveled east with him in his truck. [2] Jesperson's father was a domineering alcoholic; according to Jesperson, his paternal grandfather was prone to violence. Or 'I will cause trouble for your family. "John That's the worst thing you've ever gotten yourself into," she told him. 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 . Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. After he strangled them, he dumped the dead bodies on the side of the road. The term "Smiley Face Killers" come from the graffiti smiley faces supposedly found at the crime scenes. I just said it, this is close enough," she said. [15], Although Jesperson at one point claimed to have had as many as 160 victims,[16] only the eight women killed in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska, and Wyoming have been confirmed. 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. "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. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. Jesperson was born on April 6, 1955, in British Columbia, Canada. Published: Apr. [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 had made the whole thing up. A victim of the "Happy Face Killer" has been identified nearly 30 years after her body was left near a California highway, authorities said Monday. Jesperson claims that her name was Susanne. Jesperson attempted suicide but ended up confessing to Winningham's murder. The couple divorced in 1990.[8]. Local police theorized the men simply got too drunk, fell into the water and drowned, but Gannon, Donovan, Duarte and Gilbertson investigated their deaths as the work of an organized group of serial killers dubbed "The Smiley Face Killers." In the years following, Jesperson said he often thought about what it would be like to do the same to a human. Melissa G. Moore, Jesperson's older daughter, wrote Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killers Daughter (2009). She maintains a very private lifestyle, so not much is known about her. I have been a killer for five years and have killed eight people." Angela Surbrize was the name of Jesperson's second-to-last victim. "Just so many bad things that happened in her life that I think, I don't know, it caused her to kinda snap or something," McAlpine said. Officials did not implicate the band member in Homan's death. I'm thinking, 'My God, she is actually involved in this,'" Ingram said. Jesperson is currently serving a sentence of life without parole at the Oregon State Penitentiary. She grew up in a small town in Washington state and survived the escalating violence from her home life and. 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. 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. are covered in bracing detail in the Oxygen special Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, now streaming. 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. Jesperson has said that he took 166 lives, but only the above eight murders have been attributed to him. PHOTO: Justice for Mason/Facebook. He is serving three consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. He had been questioned by police a week before, but they had no grounds to arrest him after he refused to talk. The following morning, James did not show up for work. 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. His death was ruleda probable drowning, and there wereno signs of trauma. In September 1994, the body of a woman was found in Florida. When she arrived, however, he was nowhere in sight. You can find episodes of Serial Killers and all other Spotify originals from podcast for free on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. What Is the Smiley Face Killers Theory? First, she told investigators that she knew Sosnovske did it because she saw Bennett's body, said Ingram. Judge Paul Lipscomb of the Circuit Court of Oregon agreed to vacate Sosnovske's sentence after ruling his no-contest plea violated his constitutional rights because it had not been voluntary since he was facing the death penalty. Laverne Pavlinac convinced investigators she and John Sosnovske had killed Taunja Bennett, when they hadn't. She told investigators she drove them to a scenic overlook at the Columbia Gorge, where Sosnovske told her to pull over. What doesn't make sense is that many of the 40 cases the investigators have looked into have puzzling evidence. I thought, 'Oh my God, it felt like I put my mother in jail.'". At her trial, Pavlinac recanted her confession, but the jury found her guilty. "I don't remember going to no gorge, dumping no body for God's sake. 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. 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. Search dogs scoured the downtown area where Homan was last seen alive. A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. 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. Jespersons heinous crimes as well as shocking twists in the case including a, couple who took the blame for one of his homicides. Per Courthouse News Service, Slagle is a registered nurse and grandmother residing in Chico, Calif. 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. 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. Retired New York City Police detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte, joined by criminal justice professor Dr. Lee Gilbertson, believe that a group of serial killers have been murdering young men around the country and making their deaths look like accidental drownings. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. 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. There, he assaulted, beat and strangled her. 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. While in custody, Jesperson began revealing details of his killings and making claims of many others, most of which he later recanted. Although two different people were originally charged in Bennett's murder, the real killer turned out to be Keith Hunter Jesperson, who the media already knew as "The Happy Face Killer." The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. I don't," Sosnovke is heard saying on the tape. The Happy Face Killer Raven Gender Male Birth Date April 6, 1955 (age 67) Place of Birth Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada Occupation Truck driver Pathology Serial Killer Serial Rapist Modus Operandi Strangulation Type Disorganized No. "She was a free spirit, and she would go here, there, and she would go to work at a place, and wouldn't work for very long because she would always go out on the road. 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. [00:02:05] Hi, everyone. 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. B. 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. 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 met the developmentally disabled Bennett while out drinking and convinced her to go to his house. That this never happened. In November 1995, a judge released Pavlinac and Sosnovske from prison. 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). One day, she watched, horrified, as he hung stray kittens from the family's clothesline. He strapped the woman beneath his big rig, the New York Post reported. Skiples remains were found on the side of. Victim 8: Julia Ann Winningham, 41. Dubbed the Long Island Serial Killer or the Craigslist Ripper, the extent of these unsolved crimes is still unknown. But it was all a lie. serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, with whom they corresponded during the fall semester. Largely considered an urban legend, the Smiley Face Killer, like the Manchester Pusher, murdered his victims by drowning. "I said 'Why is she dead?'" Before his arrest, he also wrote a letter to his brother that admitted, "I am sorry that I turned out this way. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department announced. Pavlinac told investigators during her last recorded statement on Feb. 26, 1990. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. . He decided to drag her body underneath his truck to impede identification. He enjoyed watching animals kill each other as well as the feeling he got from taking their lives. He split from his wife in 1990 after 15 years of . Investigators said there wasno sign of foul play, and his death was ruled an undetermined drowning. 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. Hundreds of college-aged men have died in accidental or undetermined drownings. Because Jesperson allowed her to use his credit card to make a phone call, he devised a depraved way to conceal her identity. That's when they said she implicated herself in the murder, according to Det. 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. He is now 66 years old, according to his prison records. 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. 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. On April 23 in Hamburg and the following weekend in Dusseldorf, the bodies of young men were retrieved from waterways. Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson. Keith Hunter Jesperson committed his first murder in 1990.
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