Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. The purse had not been found at the crime scene, and its location was considered information only the killer would know. She told investigators she drove them to a scenic overlook at the Columbia Gorge, where Sosnovske told her to pull over. Published: Apr. At age 35, Keith was 6'7.5" tall and weighed 240lbs. Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. In November 1992, Jesperson had an encounter with sex worker Laurie Anne Pentland at a truck stop. 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. "She was that kind of woman. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee. Murderous Keith Hunter Jesperson became known as the Happy Face Killer for his boasting letters to police, signed with a smiley face. All drowned after getting intoxicated. He left bodies in Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska and Washington while working as a long-haul truck driver. Here's what the evidence says. Investigators have confirmed that he killed at least 8 people, including the woman now known to be Skiple. A smiley face was found painted near the river. "I don't think she was in love with him. Jesperson became a suspect after Winningham's was found since he was known to be her boyfriend. He was a 21-year-old student at Fordham University, and his body was found in. [10] Jesperson soon realized that this job afforded him the opportunity to kill without being suspected. Officials did not implicate the band member in Homan's death. The Smiley Face Killers. Homan was the eighth accidental drowning case in La Crosse over a nine-year period. 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. April 18, 2022, at 9:19 p.m. California 'Happy Face Killer' Victim ID'd After 29 Years. 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. But to Melissa Moore, he was more than just a serial killer . Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson. 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." 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. "To come clean get it all over, the record straight. Welzien told his friends he wanted to call it a night and go back to the hotel where they were staying. 2. That night, he had been celebrating a friend's 21st birthday with a group of friends. In 1975, when Jesperson was aged 20, he married Rose Hucke, and the couple had three children: two daughters and one son. The oldest child, Melissa, was ten years old. "Then it becameserious,a seriousargument. 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. jocks) usually after a night of drinking at a bar are kidnapped, tortured, murdered and then their . Director Rick Bota Writer Richard Christian Matheson Stars David Arquette Gloria Reuben Daryl Shuttleworth See production, box office & company info In later years, Jesperson also sent anonymous letters to The Oregonian newspaper about what had become his multiple murders. 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. The production features interviews between, Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.. Updated: Mar 3, 2021 (1955-) Who Is Keith Hunter. [6] Approximately one year later, Jesperson was swimming in a lake when another boy held him underwater until he blacked out. He left her remains in Nebraska, though Subrize was likely killed in Wyoming. 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. According to detectives Anthony Duarte and Kevin Gannon, the Smiley Face Theory came into . A journalist noticed the symbol and came up with the Happy Face Killer nickname. Alcohol and antidepressants were foundin Geib's toxicology screen, but it was reported thatGeib was not sufferingfrom any form of depression at the time. Canadian-American serial killer (born 1955), "Happy Face Killer" redirects here. 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. I think that she was at a bad place in her life," said her daughter Darlene Carpenter. 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. Before his arrest, he also wrote a letter to his brother that admitted, "I am sorry that I turned out this way. Melissa G. Moore, Jesperson's older daughter, wrote Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killers Daughter (2009). After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. Potential "Smiley Face Killers" victim Todd Geib. Keith Hunter Jesperson, The Sad Story of the Happy Face Killer Stories about . 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." Various witnesses outside the hotel saw Welzien vomiting in the street. 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. Their work has spawned an Oxygen series, Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice, which aired in January 2019. Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the "Happy Face Killer," nearly 30 years after her murder. 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. 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 . More than 25 years have passed since the ordeal, and in that time, both Sosnovske and Pavlinac have died. What Is the Smiley Face Killers Theory? She also examined her father's actions in the podcast Happy Face. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. Several years later, Hucke began to suspect Jesperson was having affairs when strange women would call. Sosnovske pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. "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. I knew it had to be around there someplace. ". After moving to Selah, Washington, United States, he had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as "The Happy Face Killer ," is serving a life sentence in prison today. of Victims 8-185 killed 5 attempted Span of crimes 1995/1966-March 10, 1995 (confirmed) Criminal Charges 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. . He duct-taped her mouth and hands before raping and strangling her. "She was very giving. M. William Phelps penned a memoir about his interactions with Jesperson: Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer (2017). Investigators installed a hidden recording device in their home hoping to catch Sosnovske making incriminating statements. He never made it home. "The Smiley Face Killers" movie was . "I sometimes now wonder, if he was freed now, if he was released, would he kill again? A smiley face was paintedon a wall of the bar under a deck. That this never happened. Watch Happy Face Killer on Lifetime Movie Club. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. A "witchy" smiley face left at a murder site of the supposed "Smiley Face Serial Killer" seems to represent Charlie Manson. Geib's body was found three weeks later in a lake that had previously been searched. After a series of letters are sent to the press, the killer earned the moniker, the Happy Face Killer. Jesperson is currently serving a sentence of life without parole at the Oregon State Penitentiary. While he has claimed to have killed many more people, officials can only confirm that Jesperson killed eight women between 1990 and 1995 in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska and Wyoming. Jesperson met her in a bar in January 1995 and agreed to give her a ride before eventually killing her. [27] In November 2014, she wrote an article about her father for the BBC.[28]. Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Birth Year: 1955, Birth date: April 6, 1955, Birth City: British Columbia, Birth Country: Canada. Pavlinac seemed to know intimate details about the case. She then reported Hurley missing, and various searches were conducted. [11] Jesperson gives the Jane Doe's name as Claudia. An Oregon mother was identified Tuesday as a victim of "the Happy Face Killer" nearly four decades after her body was found on the side of a . He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an. A Navy veteran, 24-year-old William Hurley went missing after leaving a Bruins hockey game in Boston,Massachusetts. When she arrived, however, he was nowhere in sight. At age 35, standing 6feet 7inches (2.01m) and weighing approximately 255 pounds (116kg),[9] Jesperson began working toward the goal of joining the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), but an injury suffered while training ended this endeavor. 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. Victim 5: California Jane Doe. "[He said] I better not open my mouth. "He says, 'Because I choked her' I said, 'I think weneed to take her to a hospital. This included beatings, sometimes with a belt in front of others, and in one case he received an electric shock. Hurley walked outside while Mahoney drove to the stadium to pick him up. In. A stealth serial killer who wants to trick everyone against him will change-up his playbook with small tweaks to put a wrench in the profiler's and forensic scientist's game. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Victims of the Smiley Face Killer | Photo Credits: Oxygen The Team of Men that Came Up With the Theory. Victim 1:Taunja Bennett. The police gave him the nickname "The Happy Face Killer" as he would leave a happy face on his confession letters to the media. When an Oregon newspaper ran a five-part series called The Happy Face Serial Killer in 1994, an anonymous author took credit for the five murders. His victims, who were often raped and strangled, included short-term acquaintances, sex workers and a girlfriend. 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. 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. Investigators said there wasno sign of foul play, and his death was ruled an undetermined drowning. serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, with whom they corresponded during the fall semester. Remains found in Merced County, California on June 3, 1993, belonged to a Jesperson victim he has said was called "Cindy." 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. 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." Tommy Booth, 24, disappeared on January 19, 2008 from a bar in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania. Pentlands body was found in November 1992 after being discarded in Salem, Oregon. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Surveillance footage captured Booth entering the bar where the celebration took place, but there is no video evidence of him leaving. [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. "I consider this the most dangerous domestic terrorist group in the United States today," said Gannon. 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 claimed this still-unidentified woman as his fifth victim but told Phelps that he cant recall anything about her. 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. His fourth victim was another sex worker, Laurie Ann Pentland of Salem, Oregon, whose body was found in November 1992. Their house bordered an apple orchard, and Jesperson killed stray cats and gophers that wandered nearby. 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. Punched her, slapped her. The Pittsburgh police theorized James fell into the river while crossing a bridge near the city center and drowned. She maintains a very private lifestyle, so not much is known about her. Jesperson sent the photo to the Duquesne University students. Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an early age which included torturing animals and attacking other children. He had a relationship with his final victim and became a suspect after her body was discovered in March 1995. April 19, 2022 / 7:43 AM / CBS San Francisco. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Hurley walked outside while Mahoney drove to the stadium to pick him up. ET on ABC. And just like his British counterpart, the police denied . Jesperson's first victim, 23-year-old Taunja Bennett, was killed on January 21, 1990. He is now 66 years old, according to his prison records. Criminal profiler Pat Brown calls the serial killer theory "ludicrous", arguing that the evidence does not fit what is known about serial killers. 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. Jesperson described murdering her, like other women he killed, as putting her out of her misery.. He had given police officers the location of the victim's purse. She was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison with a 10-year minimum served. Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the Happy Face Killer, nearly 30 years after her murder. The daughter of a man dubbed the "Happy Face Killer" has revealed the suffering she went through after discovering her father, Keith Jesperson, was a serial rapist and murderer who preyed on what he once claimed was as many as 185 people over a five-year span. On April 23 in Hamburg and the following weekend in Dusseldorf, the bodies of young men were retrieved from waterways. 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. When investigators asked him why he decided to come forward, Jesperson listed two reasons. "Her persistence in this manipulation resulted in her own conviction.". A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. The couple divorced in 1990.[8]. Her body disintegrated against the hot asphalt as he drove. Her body was found after his arrest. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. He was caught after killing his 41-year-old girlfriend, Kellyanne Conway, George Conway To Divorce After Decadeslong Marriage: Report, Reports: 3 children dead, 2 wounded in attack at Texas home, 'Extremely dangerous': Spike in illegal crossings at Canada-Vermont border has feds sounding alarm, School punished teen girl for working out in sports bra in 100-degree Texas heat, ACLU says, Republicans Use Arcane Political Tactic to Thwart Democrats, SoCal in for cool start to weekend, butlight showers make brief return, Ryan Coogler Built A Multi-Million Dollar Empire, But His Brothers Work On Creed III Proves Its A Family Affair, Peoria's year of adversity turns into 4A basketball championship in win over Deer Valley, Monster Jam, Blake Shelton, Orlando City soccer: Orlando preparing for big crowds this weekend. 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. 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. Jesperson attempted suicide but ended up confessing to Winningham's murder. 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. Jesperson, also called the "Happy Face Killer", who is serving two life sentences in Oregon in connection with guilty pleas to two murders. He confessed to killing her and subsequently admitted to seven other murders. . After Jesperson was in custody, he provided the location of Bennett's purse, which only the killer would know. , "I'm in a field" before the call dropped. One of them was to a friend. Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon, had been . They believed his body traveled for almost 10 miles and even went through a dam before its discovery. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. 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. His brothers did not help him, instead they nicknamed him "Igor" or "Ig", a name that stuck throughout his school years. . Six days after his disappearance,Hurley's body was foundin the Charles River, close to where he asked Mahoney to pick him up. Laverne Pavlinac, right, touches the tear-stained face of her grandaughter, Nicole Sullivan, after being released from prison in Salem, Ore., Nov. 27, 1995. In March 2018, she was featured in an episode, titled "Put on a Happy Face", of the Investigation Discovery true crime series Evil Lives Here. 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. 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. Between 1990-1995, a series of murders were discovered over several states, all with a very similar MO. [1] At the time, he was being investigated for the murder of 41-year-old Julie Winningham, who some described as his girlfriend. He could not find Welzien and reported him missing around 1 p.m. After extensive searches, Welzien's body was found 77 days later on March 17. Jesperson reported that he was raped at age 14. Jesperson claims that her name was Susanne. Taunja Bennett was the first to die. For example, the Canadian-American serial killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the . Some say the Smiley Face Killer has taken 40 victims over two decades. 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. After a night of barhopping, Homan headed home at around 10 p.m. with a friend. He met the developmentally disabled Bennett while out drinking and convinced her to go to his house. Search dogs scoured the downtown area where Homan was last seen alive. [7] He had watched and laughed as the kittens clawed each other to escape, then he killed them. I will be writing about that more in the future so stay tuned. 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. His blood-alcohol concentrationwas only 0.08 percent. 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'sgiveher the shirt off her back," McAlpine said. She called him a second time, but his cell phone seemed to be out of battery. , 32, was found dead in September 1992. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and prosecutors. 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.
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