He is serving three consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. Murderous Keith Hunter Jesperson became known as the Happy Face Killer for his boasting letters to police, signed with a smiley face. 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. He decided to drag her body underneath his truck to impede identification. 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 never made it home. 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. Largely considered an urban legend, the Smiley Face Killer, like the Manchester Pusher, murdered his victims by drowning. His death was ruleda probable drowning, and there wereno signs of trauma. 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. I think that she was at a bad place in her life," said her daughter Darlene Carpenter. Pavlinac's son also died shortly after due to medical reasons. Meanwhile, the real killer carried out a series of murders over five years. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! This included beatings, sometimes with a belt in front of others, and in one case he received an electric shock. Surveillance footage captured Booth entering the bar where the celebration took place, but there is no video evidence of him leaving. 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. She changed her story again, this time to say she too was involved in Bennett's death. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. All Rights Reserved. They'd mostly all been college-aged, popular, and athletic. [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 Navy veteran, 24-year-old William Hurley went missing after leaving a Bruins hockey game in Boston,Massachusetts. That's when they said she implicated herself in the murder, according to Det. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. Questions Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice Hopes to Answer, A First Look at the Murder of Susan Berman. Victim 3:Cynthia Lyn Rose, 32, was found dead in September 1992. Moore, Melissa G. & M. Bridget Cook (2009). The body of Julie Winningham, 41, of Camas, Washington, was found alongside a Washington State road in 1995. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. Pavlinac had made the whole thing up. that, using genetic genealogy, they were able to identify a body found in 1993 as Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon. Jesperson reported that he was raped at age 14. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. 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. They believed his body traveled for almost 10 miles and even went through a dam before its discovery. They had three children, two girls and a boy. 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. He introduced himself to Bennett at a bar and invited her to a house he was renting. In the years following, Jesperson said he often thought about what it would be like to do the same to a human. 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. "Theyhave her tell me the story and I looked at her again, and I said, 'Mom, are you sure?' On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. While in custody, Jesperson shared details of his eight murders. 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. Jesperson murdered another woman in August 1992 at a Turlock, California truck stop. 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. "I said 'Why is she dead?'" 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. of Victims 8-185 killed 5 attempted Span of crimes 1995/1966-March 10, 1995 (confirmed) Criminal Charges PHOTO: Justice for Mason/Facebook. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. [6] He graduated from high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it. She called him a second time, but his cell phone seemed to be out of battery. Pentlands body was found in November 1992 after being discarded in Salem, Oregon. Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson? Welzien told his friends he wanted to call it a night and go back to the hotel where they were staying. She told investigators she drove them to a scenic overlook at the Columbia Gorge, where Sosnovske told her to pull over. Their work has spawned an Oxygen series, Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice, which aired in January 2019. . [8], In November 2008, Jesperson's daughter, Melissa G. Moore, appeared on Dr. Phil to talk about her father. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. . FILE - Accused murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson, dubbed the Happy Face Killer, right, listens to his attorney . B. The term "Smiley Face Killers" come from the graffiti smiley faces supposedly found at the crime scenes. Updated: Mar 3, 2021 (1955-) Who Is Keith Hunter. "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. . After moving to Selah, Washington, United States, he had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. Other students hold photos of Mr. Jesperson's victims. 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. GHB was also found in his system along with alcohol. Victim 1:Taunja Bennett. Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. Based on Pavlinac's statements, and that Sosnovke failed a polygraph test, authorities arrested Sosnovke on murder charges. [8][16] This led Phil Stanford, the journalist working the story for The Oregonian, to dub Jesperson "The Happy Face Killer". But it was all a lie. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. In September 2009, Jesperson was indicted in Riverside County, California, on murder charges; he was extradited in December 2009. 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,, To learn more about this case, watch Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, streaming now on. Victim 5: California Jane Doe. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. [3], Treated like an outcast and a black sheep by his own family and teased by other children for his large size at a young age, Jesperson was a lonely child who showed a propensity for torturing and killing animals. She previously claimed to the FBI that he was a wanted bank robber and frequently complained to Sosnovske's probation officer that he was drinking too much. 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. I'llgo to the pen. Keith grew to be a large, imposing man. are covered in bracing detail in the Oxygen special Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, now streaming. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. James' body, however, had almost no visible damage, which was highly suspicious because it had traveled through heavily trafficked river. In. "The greatest human tragedy is that Laverne Pavlinac derailed the investigation in 1990, and in four years, Keith Jesperson killed more women," said Jim McIntyre, the Multnomah County, Oregon, prosecutor who handled the cases. Jesperson is currently serving a sentence of life without parole at the Oregon State Penitentiary. Hundreds of college-aged men have died in accidental or undetermined drownings. Between 1990 and 1995, eight women died at the hands of Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the Happy Face Killer. 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. 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. Her real name remains a mystery. T he Smiley Face death toll continues to climb, this time in Germany. Jesperson's last victim was the crime that ultimately led to his capture. 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. Investigators have confirmed that he killed at least 8 people, including the woman now known to be Skiple. The body of a woman found near Gilroy, California was this week identified as Patricia Skiple, a victim of the Happy Face Killer. "John That's the worst thing you've ever gotten yourself into," she told him. He never made it home. 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. 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 . The victims were predominately white, male, athletic ("3.5 and above star athletes," according to Gannon), and young from 17 to early 20s. He confessed to killing her and subsequently admitted to seven other murders. 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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The man said "99 Nashua Street, and Hurley said his cell phone battery was going dead. 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. In one six-page letter to The Oregonian newspaper, the serial killer revealed . NR Jul 18th, 2021 Documentary. He tries to paint the victim as someone who needed to be killed, Phelps, whose nearly decade-long relationship with the killer gives him insight into Jespersons mind, told producers. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the Happy Face Killer, nearly 30 years after her murder. In 1975, when Jesperson was aged 20, he married Rose Hucke, and the couple had three children: two daughters and one son. Jesperson resides in the Oregon State Penitentiary, where he spends much of his time making art. serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, with whom they corresponded during the fall semester. He met the developmentally disabled Bennett while out drinking and convinced her to go to his house. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. "She slapped him. The Smiley Face Killers. "I don't remember going to no gorge, dumping no body for God's sake. On Monday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff . Jesperson married Rose Hucke on August 2, 1975. He slapped her. Investigators had been trying to nail down a suspect for weeks when Pavlinac brought Sosnovske to their attention. The morning of October 2, Homan's body was found not far from the shore of the Mississippi River. Tension in the marriage increased, and after fourteen years, while Jesperson was on the road, Hucke packed up her and her children's belongings and drove 200 miles away to live with her parents in Spokane, Washington. Jesperson eventually settled in Selah, Washington with his wife and three children. 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. Homan and his friend somehow got separated during their walk home, and his friend ended up at the ER detox with a head injury after being picked up by police. Photo: [5] This continued as he got older. To learn more about this case, watch Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, streaming now on Oxygen. His death was ruled an undetermined drowning. His victims, who were often raped and strangled, included short-term acquaintances, sex workers and a girlfriend. Jesperson had dated before her before killing her on March 3, 1995 because he believed she was after his money. Bennett was found strangled to death near a scenic overlook at the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. 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. But to Melissa Moore, he was more than just a serial killer . The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. Alcohol and antidepressants were foundin Geib's toxicology screen, but it was reported thatGeib was not sufferingfrom any form of depression at the time. He strangled her and left her corpse in Oregon. [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. The Happy Face Killer's eighth and final victim that would be his downfall. A few days before his arrest, he wrote a letter to his brother in which he confessed to having killed eight people over the course of five years. [5], That desire manifested in two attempted murders. I just said it, this is close enough," she said. . . Surveillance footage captured Booth entering the bar where the celebration took place, but there is no video evidence of him leaving. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department announced. 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. Jesperson was a. Jesperson attempted suicide but ended up confessing to Winningham's murder. , who survived a violent encounter with Jesperson when she was 21. His brothers did not help him, instead they nicknamed him "Igor" or "Ig", a name that stuck throughout his school years. A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. Angela Surbrize was the name of Jesperson's second-to-last victim. In these supposed "Smiley Face" serial killings, popular, high-achieving, athletic young men (i.e. Investigators said there wasno sign of foul play, and his death was ruled an undetermined drowning. 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. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior Brian Welzien went missing from Chicago, Illinois, after a night of celebrating Y2K with his friends. When that did not elicit a response, he began writing letters to the media and authorities. 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. Often Keith would dream of becoming an RCMP officer, the power of a position like that appealed to him, but his dream was dashed in 1990 after an injury prevented him from qualifying. After Jesperson came forward in March 1995, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges for Bennett and Winningham of Camas, Washington, his last known victim. 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. After a night of barhopping, Homan headed home at around 10 p.m. with a friend. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Possible Smiley Face killers victim Mason Cox. Jespersons second victim, known only as Claudia, was found murdered on August 30, 1992 in Blythe, California. 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 Oxygen special. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. A smiley face was paintedon a wall of the bar under a deck. [He said,] 'No, no. Laverne Pavlinac is seen here showing investigators where Taunja Bennett's body was found, even though she had nothing to do with the crime. 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. 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. But Pavlinac claimed she knew where she and Sosnovske had left Bennett's body in the Columbia Gorge outside of town, and took investigators to the exact remote wooded area where Bennett was found. During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous confessions signed with a smiley face. Jesperson claims that her name was Susanne. The smiley face murder theory (also known as the smiley face murders, smiley face killings, and smiley face gang) is a theory advanced by retired New York City detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte, as well as Dr. Lee Gilbertson, a criminal justice professor and gang expert at St. Sosnovske was brought in for questioning and denied any involvement. Victim 1: Taunja Bennett. One day, she watched, horrified, as he hung stray kittens from the family's clothesline. 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. I'm thinking, 'My God, she is actually involved in this,'" Ingram said. [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. Because of their relationship, authorities connected her death to him. [33] The episode was released on July 9, 2021. He claimed to have victims in five states: Washington, California, Florida, Wyoming and Oregon. ". A journalist noticed the symbol and came up with the Happy Face Killer nickname. The Pittsburgh police theorized James fell into the river while crossing a bridge near the city center and drowned. One of Welzien's friends, Nick Young, stayed behind. Best Known For: Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. About two weeks after he went missing,Booth's body was foundfacedown in a creek behind the bar. 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 . Ciao ragazzi, oggi vi raccontiamo la storia di un assassino seriale che ha ucciso almeno 8 vittime in cinque anni e soprannominato "The Happy Face Killer". He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and prosecutors. Remains found in Merced County, California on June 3, 1993, belonged to a Jesperson victim he has said was called "Cindy." Welzien's friends said he had only three or four drinks, but by the end of the night he seemed very intoxicated. . He was a 21-year-old student at Fordham University, and his body was found in. Published: Apr. Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson. The day of his disappearance, Homan had been celebrating Oktoberfest with his friends. Search dogs scoured the downtown area where Homan was last seen alive. She maintains a very private lifestyle, so not much is known about her. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. Jesperson claims he killed her after she tried to double charge him for sex, according to Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer.. There, he assaulted, beat and strangled 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. Hurley's mother received a copy of the autopsy report and allowed aphysician to analyze the report. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. . 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. Watch the full story on "20/20" THIS FRIDAY at 9 p.m. [7] She was a correspondent for Crime Watch Daily. Her body, which had been strangled and tied up with duct tape, was found on August 30, 1992. Punched her, slapped her. And they were laughing," Pavlinac told investigators. That's whyall ofthis doesn'tmake sense. 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 . 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 . Some say the Smiley Face Killer has taken 40 victims over two decades. Oddly,Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the wateras if he had gone for a swim. A smiley face was found painted near the river. A journalist noticed the symbol and came up with the Happy Face Killer nickname. Pieces of his artwork have been seen on "murderabilia" sites. [17] He was convicted of another murder and received a fourth life sentence in January 2010. 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. Soon after his injury was when Keith started to kill. Jesperson was born on 6 April 1955, to Leslie (Les) and Gladys Jesperson in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada,[1] the middle child with two brothers and two sisters. "Now, I'm thinking, 'She's confessed she's pointed out the dump site, she's confessed to us on tape. Julie Winningham is seen here in this undated photo. Pavlinac made this false statement because she wanted to escape her abusive relationship with Sosnovske. "I [had] seen all these tracks and all this and that. [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. In September 1994, another Jane Doe was found in Crestview, Florida. Jesperson's first victim, 23-year-old Taunja Bennett, was killed on January 21, 1990. Soon after Angela Subrize ran into Jesperson at a bar in Spokane, Washington in January 1995, she traveled east with him in his truck. His last known victim was a woman he dated, which led to his capture and incarceration for life. Sosnovske would later plead no contest to the murder charge. That this never happened. Jesperson is serving four life sentences without possibility of parole in Oregon. The first victim was found in 1997. 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. She grew up in a small town in Washington state and survived the escalating violence from her home life and. A jury had convicted a Portland woman named Laverne Pavlinac based on her detailed confession to police that she helped her boyfriend John Sosnovske rape and kill the 23-year-old.
Eastern Virginia Medical School Notable Alumni, Black Real Estate Investors Podcast, Do Lights Deter Armadillos, How Many Games Has Ja Morant Missed?, Articles T