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Photo: In 1990, shortly after his marriage ended, Keith Jesperson, a long-haul trucker from Selah, Washington, began killing women. She threatened to call the police, and he strangled her. Serial killer Keith Jesperson murders at least eight women over a five-year span and taunts authorities with disturbing letters and scribbled confessions signed with a happy face. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department announced. 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. A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. Jesperson killed his next victim in June 1993 in Santa Nella, California. NR Jul 18th, 2021 Documentary. Her body disintegrated against the hot asphalt as he drove. Her body was found after his arrest. whos serving multiple concurrent sentences in Oregon State Penitentiary. After the murder, Jesperson remembered they'd spent days together and he'd let her use a credit card. Sosnovske was brought in for questioning and denied any involvement. On Monday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff . He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. He is serving three consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. If you need help or need help supporting someone else, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. The book I: the Creation of a Serial Killer (2002), by Jack Olsen, delved into Jesperson's life. California investigators have identified a victim of the Happy Face Killer using DNA nearly 30 years after her body was left near a California highway. Laverne Pavlinac convinced investigators she and John Sosnovske had killed Taunja Bennett, when they hadn't. She had changed her story so many times that investigators said they wondered if she was telling the truth. Search dogs scoured the downtown area where Homan was last seen alive. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior. He strangled her and left her corpse in Oregon. Patrick McNeill is thought to be the first victim of the Smiley Face Killers. Strangulation was Jesperson's preferred method of murdering, the same method he often used to kill animals as a child. The DNA Doe Project identified Skiple's body in partnership with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office after it was found near westbound State Route 152. At some of the sites where the victims' bodies were found, smiley face graffiti had been left behind. Today, we're finishing our look at Keith Jesperson, the twisted murderer otherwise known as the Happy Face Killer. [He said,] 'No, no. Jesperson married Rose Hucke on August 2, 1975. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. [33] The episode was released on July 9, 2021. Investigators installed a hidden recording device in their home hoping to catch Sosnovske making incriminating statements. Criminal profiler Pat Brown calls the serial killer theory "ludicrous", arguing that the evidence does not fit what is known about serial killers. After moving to Selah, Washington, United States, he had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an. Punched her, slapped her. In reality, smiley face is a joyous symbol to convey happiness and joy, which is used everywhere from message chatting to letters to wall decoration in our daily lives. James' parents later hired a private investigator who organized a massive citywide search, which led tothe discovery of James' bodyin the Ohio River on March 6, 2017, 40 days after he had disappeared. When that did not elicit a response, he began writing letters to the media and authorities. Possible Smiley Face killers victim Mason Cox. [10][14], Jesperson was arrested on 30 March 1995 for the murder of Julie Winningham. A smiley face was found spray painted on an underpass near where James body was discovered. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. At the time of the incident, the females body was dressed in blue clothing and her identity was unknown, they wrote. Pavlinac had been with Sosnovske, a farmhand 18 years her junior, for a decade when the Bennett case caught her attention in 1990. She was killed in Washington state on March 10, 1995, and her body was discovered the next day. The Smiley Face Killers | Dancing with Nazis One day, she watched, horrified, as he hung stray kittens from the family's clothesline. Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. They had three children, two girls and a boy. His death was ruled an undetermined drowning. 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. She would pop in and pop out, and over the years, She was that type of person.". 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. California 'Happy Face Killer' victim identified after 29 years - 9News He was a 21-year-old student at Fordham University, and his body was found in. 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.? You could tell where people had been in and out, the vehicles and everything else, limbs broke. Jesperson sent the photo to the Duquesne University students. How "Happy Face Killer" Keith Jesperson's Daughter Discovered His [11] Jesperson gives the Jane Doe's name as Claudia. Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the "Happy Face Killer," nearly 30 years after her murder. Here's what the evidence says. There, he assaulted, beat and strangled her. "She was that kind of woman. 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. But the judge did not overturn Pavlinac's conviction, writing he did not find a constitutional defect with her trial since she had been convicted by a jury of her peers. Other students hold photos of Mr. Jesperson's victims. Smiley Face Murders: More Victims, A Mother's Torment and Strange He would go on to share details of the crime on other restroom walls. "Then it becameserious,a seriousargument. He told investigatorshe could not remember anythingthat happened that night. [18], Early in the investigation of Bennett's murder, Laverne Pavlinac read the news reports surrounding Bennett's death and saw it as an opportunity to force an end to the long-term abusive relationship she had been in with her live-in boyfriend, John Sosnovske. All drowned after getting intoxicated. Now 66, Jesperson is serving five non-consecutive life sentences in Oregon's state penitentiary. Mahoney said she drove around for an hour before returning home, thinking Hurley got another ride, and that when she got back, Hurley was still gone. True Crime Podcast: 'Happy Face' - Rolling Stone How Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson Terrorized America [6] Approximately one year later, Jesperson was swimming in a lake when another boy held him underwater until he blacked out. The purse had not been found at the crime scene, and its location was considered information only the killer would know. Their work has spawned an Oxygen series, Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice, which aired in January 2019. She also examined her father's actions in the podcast Happy Face. She called him a second time, but his cell phone seemed to be out of battery. While he has claimed to have killed as many as 160 people, only eight murders have been confirmed. "John That's the worst thing you've ever gotten yourself into," she told him. In 2019, investigators began utilizing genetic genealogy in an attempt to identify Blue Pacheco, partnering with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project. Melissa Moore's father, known as the Happy Face Killer, murdered eight or more women. Her identity remains unknown. Keith Hunter Jesperson - Crimes. Family & Letters - Biography 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. Police have not saidif a smiley face was present near the death site. Jesperson eventually settled in Selah, Washington with his wife and three children. On September 29, 2006, 21-year-old Lucas Homan vanished from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Skiples remains were found on the side of. 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. Jesperson claims that her name was Susanne. 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. That night, he had been celebrating a friend's 21st birthday with a group of friends. [4] Because of this, Jesperson was a shy child, content to play by himself much of the time. At age 35, Keith was 6'7.5" tall and weighed 240lbs. Pavlinac seemed to know intimate details about the case. A Navy veteran, 24-year-old William Hurley went missing after leaving a Bruins hockey game in Boston,Massachusetts. The Happy Face Killer Pt. 1-Creepy Cascadia 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. . Because of their relationship, authorities connected her death to him. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Pieces of his artwork have been seen on "murderabilia" sites. [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. He decided to drag her body underneath his truck to impede identification. A "witchy" smiley face left at a murder site of the supposed "Smiley Face Serial Killer" seems to represent Charlie Manson. He split from his wife in 1990 after 15 years of . Jesperson grew up in Chilliwack, Canada before moving to Selah, Washington with his family when he was 12. Mahoney drove to the address, but Hurley was not there. Are the Smiley Face Killers Real? - A&E True Crime Remembering the first known victim of Happy Face serial killer. Welzien's friends said he had only three or four drinks, but by the end of the night he seemed very intoxicated. 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. [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. On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. The Pittsburgh police theorized James fell into the river while crossing a bridge near the city center and drowned. The Manchester Pusher: Urban Legend or Serial Killer? The Happy Face Killer: The Truth About Keith Jesperson's Childhood Jesperson worked as a truck driver to support the family. Her body, which had been strangled and tied up with duct tape, was found on August 30, 1992. In November 1995, a judge released Pavlinac and Sosnovske from prison. 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. THE HAPPY FACE K!LLER - KEITH HUNTER JESPERSON #storytelling During the drive, Welzien started throwing up. Pavlinac made this false statement because she wanted to escape her abusive relationship with Sosnovske. Jesperson signed each letter with a smiley face. Victim 2: California Jane Doe. The Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson - Medium Jesperson claims he killed her after she tried to double charge him for sex, according to Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer., Because Jesperson allowed her to use his credit card to make a phone call, he devised a depraved way to conceal her identity. He never made it home. The first victim was found in 1997. 'Happy Face Killer' case tapes reveal the lengths woman went to frame Jesperson is currently serving a sentence of life without parole at the Oregon State Penitentiary. He received multiple life sentences for several of these crimes but was spared the death penalty. Happy Face Killer (TV Movie 2014) - IMDb One of them was to a friend. 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. California 'Happy Face Killer' victim ID'd after 29 years - Yahoo! Victim 1: Taunja Bennett. Victims of the Smiley Face Killer | Photo Credits: Oxygen The Team of Men that Came Up With the Theory. They met at a truck stop in Corning, California. Jesperson's first known victim was Taunja Bennett on 21 January 1990, near Portland, Oregon, United States. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? [7] She was a correspondent for Crime Watch Daily. Taunja Bennett was the first to die. But to Melissa Moore, he was more than just a serial killer . [19] To avoid the possibility of facing the death penalty, Sosnovske pleaded no contest. Tommy Booth, 24, disappeared on January 19, 2008 from a bar in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania. Six days after his disappearance,Hurley's body was foundin the Charles River, close to where he asked Mahoney to pick him up. He left her remains in Nebraska, though Subrize was likely killed in Wyoming. Authorities came to believe they had convicted the wrong people.