For now it remains only a theory that has yet to be proved. The first happened when Jesperson was around age 10, when he was friends with a boy named Martin. After the murder, Jesperson remembered they'd spent days together and he'd let her use a credit card. Her actual identity is unknown, but "Susanna" which Jesperson has stated may have been her name was confirmed to be one of his victims because he knew about the tie wraps found around her throat. One of them was to a friendwho said she heard Geib say, "I'm in a field" before the call dropped. Oddly,Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the wateras if he had gone for a swim. He would often get into trouble for behaving badly, sometimes violently, and would be severely punished by his father. Jesperson claims Rose was a sex worker who entered his truck at a truck stop while he slept. Remembering the first known victim of Happy Face serial killer. That's when they said she implicated herself in the murder, according to Det. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Soon after Angela Subrize ran into Jesperson at a bar in Spokane, Washington in January 1995, she traveled east with him in his truck. Largely considered an urban legend, the Smiley Face Killer, like the Manchester Pusher, murdered his victims by drowning. His friend told him to get out of the car while he parked. [17] He was convicted of another murder and received a fourth life sentence in January 2010. Pavlinac had made the whole thing up. "[Julie] was beautiful inside as well as outside. Jesperson claims that her name was Susanne. "To come clean get it all over, the record straight. Jesperson's last victim was the crime that ultimately led to his capture. Pavlinac soon admitted to making up her entire story, but her claims were ignored. "I sometimes now wonder, if he was freed now, if he was released, would he kill again? Hurley's mother received a copy of the autopsy report and allowed aphysician to analyze the report. "I don't think she was in love with him. 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. She would pop in and pop out, and over the years, She was that type of person.". A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. Laverne Pavlinac, right, touches the tear-stained face of her grandaughter, Nicole Sullivan, after being released from prison in Salem, Ore., Nov. 27, 1995. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. Keith Hunter Jesperson committed his first murder in 1990. Victims of the Smiley Face Killer | Photo Credits: Oxygen The Team of Men that Came Up With the Theory. 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. "I'm told to place her into a holding cell I say, 'OK, Laverne, now you need to go into that room right there,' She turned around and she looked at me and she gave me a hug. But when investigators were unable to match the purse and denim piece to Bennett, they confronted Pavlinac about fabricating evidence. 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. Director Carl Hindmarch Stars Doug Bates Janine Brugnone Beghtol Rick Buckner See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 1 User review He never made it home. The oldest child, Melissa, was ten years old. I'm thinking, 'My God, she is actually involved in this,'" Ingram said. Pavlinac made this false statement because she wanted to escape her abusive relationship with Sosnovske. I thought, 'Oh my God, it felt like I put my mother in jail.'". His blood-alcohol concentrationwas only 0.08 percent. "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. Jespersons second victim, known only as Claudia, was found murdered on August 30, 1992 in Blythe, California. And that's how I remember her," said Melissa Gavin, her longtime friend. 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. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and prosecutors. Jesperson had dated before her before killing her on March 3, 1995 because he believed she was after his money. His death was ruled an accidental drowning, andthe autopsy report noted"acute alcohol intoxication was a major contributing factor.". In November 1995, a judge released Pavlinac and Sosnovske from prison. He slapped her. Could some of them be connected to a serial killer or group of killers? 45 colleged-aged males across a 20-year span. Strangulation was Jesperson's preferred method of murdering, the same method he often used to kill animals as a child. 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 . Jesperson is currently serving a sentence of life without parole at the Oregon State Penitentiary. 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. Victim 6: Florida Jane Doe. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. 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. He confessed to killing her and subsequently admitted to seven other murders. That this never happened. 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. The Smiley Face Killer. 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." At the time, he was being investigated for the murder of 41-year-old Julie Winningham, who some described as his girlfriend. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. 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. Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the Happy Face Killer, nearly 30 years after her murder. 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. 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. 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. Various witnesses outside the hotel saw Welzien vomiting in the street. ET on ABC. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. I have been a killer for five years and have killed eight people." 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. 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. "I consider this the most dangerous domestic terrorist group in the United States today," said Gannon. 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. Investigators have confirmed that he killed at least 8 people, including the woman now known to be Skiple. The man said "99 Nashua Street, and Hurley said his cell phone battery was going dead. [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. Jesperson's first victim, 23-year-old Taunja Bennett, was killed on January 21, 1990. Remains found in Merced County, California on June 3, 1993, belonged to a Jesperson victim he has said was called "Cindy." Because of their relationship, authorities connected her death to him. 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. Melissa Moore's father, known as the Happy Face Killer, murdered eight or more women. Punched her, slapped her. [2] Jesperson's father was a domineering alcoholic; according to Jesperson, his paternal grandfather was prone to violence. 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. His death was ruled an undetermined drowning. Pentlands body was found in November 1992 after being discarded in Salem, Oregon. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It had been washed ashore on a beach in Gary, Indiana, 30 miles south of Chicago. He left bodies in Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska and Washington while working as a long-haul truck driver. [32] The series had 12 episodes. Victim 1: Taunja Bennett. Welzien told his friends he wanted to call it a night and go back to the hotel where they were staying. He later claimed his intention was to kill the boy. Happy Face stands out because of Moore 's intimate tie to the criminal in question. Surveillance footage captured Booth entering the bar where the celebration took place, but there is no video evidence of him leaving. 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. After Jesperson was in custody, he provided the location of Bennett's purse, which only the killer would know. , who survived a violent encounter with Jesperson when she was 21. He enjoyed watching animals kill each other as well as the feeling he got from taking their lives. . Jesperson described murdering her, like other women he killed, as putting her out of her misery.. 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. 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. Buddy up at all times. He met the developmentally disabled Bennett while out drinking and convinced her to go to his house. On April 23 in Hamburg and the following weekend in Dusseldorf, the bodies of young men were retrieved from waterways. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. 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. 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. She had changed her story so many times that investigators said they wondered if she was telling the truth. However, a part of him wanted to claim credit, so he wrote about murdering Bennett in a bus terminal bathroom. Most were strangers and some were sex workers. 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. Jesperson married Rose Hucke on August 2, 1975. At some of the sites where the victims' bodies were found, smiley face graffiti had been left behind. She changed her story again, this time to say she too was involved in Bennett's death. 2. Victim 3:Cynthia Lyn Rose, 32, was found dead in September 1992. 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. I just said it, this is close enough," she said. And just like his British counterpart, the police denied . 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. 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. He strangled her and left her corpse in Oregon. Moore, Melissa G. & M. Bridget Cook (2009). "I said 'Why is she dead?'" During the drive, Welzien started throwing up. 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. Updated: Mar 3, 2021 (1955-) Who Is Keith Hunter. 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. Jesperson got away easily so long as he was killing women he did not know, but his impulsivity got the best of him, and eventually, he murdered someone he did knowhis own girlfriend. 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. His friends went up to their room and never saw Welzien again. "Then it becameserious,a seriousargument. 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. A smiley face was paintedon a wall of the bar under a deck. 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. Detectives first became aware of Pavlinac when she anonymously called them to report that she overheard Sosnovske at a bar bragging about killing Bennett. As she and Sosnovske started their life sentences, one of the United States' most notorious serial killers continued his murder spree.