Her daughters are still trying to understand why their mother did what she did, and why she didn't see another way to end the relationship. While in custody, Jesperson began revealing details of his killings and making claims of many others, most of which he later recanted. 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. She maintains a very private lifestyle, so not much is known about her. Jesperson resides in the Oregon State Penitentiary, where he spends much of his time making art. According to former detective Kevin Gannon and Dr. Lee Gilbertson, Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the water. 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. One day, she watched, horrified, as he hung stray kittens from the family's clothesline. Today, we're finishing our look at Keith Jesperson, the twisted murderer otherwise known as the Happy Face Killer. That triggered him. "[He said] I better not open my mouth. A Navy veteran, 24-year-old William Hurley went missing after leaving a Bruins hockey game in Boston,Massachusetts. She would pop in and pop out, and over the years, She was that type of person.". Jesperson's first known victim was Taunja Bennett on 21 January 1990, near Portland, Oregon, United States. GHB was also found in his system along with alcohol. "Madonna, that's what she listened to all day," White said. ". After a series of letters are sent to the press, the killer earned the moniker, the Happy Face Killer. 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. After moving to Selah, Washington, United States, he had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! What are your thoughts on the 'smiley face murders' theory? 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. 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. Safety in numbers is the name of the game, before, during and after a night out on the town. Some time later, at a public pool, Jesperson attempted to drown the boy by holding his head under the water until a lifeguard pulled him away.[6]. "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. are covered in bracing detail in the Oxygen special Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, now streaming. Watch Happy Face Killer on Lifetime Movie Club. That night, he had been celebrating a friend's 21st birthday with a group of friends. I'll go to death row.'". It had been washed ashore on a beach in Gary, Indiana, 30 miles south of Chicago. After Pavlinac confessed to investigators, her daughter said she got a call from the detectives asking her to come to her mother's house right away. "I don't remember going to no gorge, dumping no body for God's sake. 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. Tommy Booth, 24, disappeared on January 19, 2008 from a bar in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania. We need to report this, John.' Largely considered an urban legend, the Smiley Face Killer, like the Manchester Pusher, murdered his victims by drowning. Her sister Michelle White said Bennett was a compassionate person who loved everyone.. You could tell where people had been in and out, the vehicles and everything else, limbs broke. 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. First, she told investigators that she knew Sosnovske did it because she saw Bennett's body, said Ingram. She was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison with a 10-year minimum served. . . 'Happy Face Killer's' daughter believes he would kill again if released Jesperson signed each letter with a smiley face. Welzien's friends said he had only three or four drinks, but by the end of the night he seemed very intoxicated. Sosnovske was brought in for questioning and denied any involvement. The 'smiley face' murder theory: They didn't - Mysteriesrunsolved In. 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. Jesperson's first victim, 23-year-old Taunja Bennett, was killed on January 21, 1990. Victim 5: California Jane Doe. 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. Remains found in Merced County, California on June 3, 1993, belonged to a Jesperson victim he has said was called "Cindy." He strapped the woman beneath his big rig,. Melissa Moore's father, known as the Happy Face Killer, murdered eight or more women. 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. THE HAPPY FACE K!LLER - KEITH HUNTER JESPERSON #storytelling He met the developmentally disabled Bennett while out drinking and convinced her to go to his house. 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. went missing from Chicago, Illinois, after a night of celebrating Y2K with his friends. A smiley face was found spray painted on an underpass near where James body was discovered. [26], In 2008, Moore published a book titled Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter. A smiley face was paintedon a wall of the bar under a deck. 'Happy Face Killer' Bay Area murder victim finally identified Andrew Chamings , SFGATE April 18, 2022 Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon, was 45 at the time of her death in 1993. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. His boss informed his family, who filed a missing persons report 72 hours later. However, the kicker is that these drownings happening in 11 different states. 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. 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". 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. [32] The series had 12 episodes. By Tim Stelloh. In these supposed "Smiley Face" serial killings, popular, high-achieving, athletic young men (i.e. His friend told him to get out of the car while he parked. Skiples remains were found on the side of. 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.? 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Homan did not arrive for a golf outing the next day. 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." 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. , "I'm in a field" before the call dropped. California 'Happy Face Killer' victim ID'd after 29 years California 'Happy Face Killer' victim ID'd after 29 years - Yahoo! 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. His fourth victim was another sex worker, Laurie Ann Pentland of Salem, Oregon, whose body was found in November 1992. [27] In November 2014, she wrote an article about her father for the BBC.[28]. [4] Because of this, Jesperson was a shy child, content to play by himself much of the time. A "witchy" smiley face left at a murder site of the supposed "Smiley Face Serial Killer" seems to represent Charlie Manson. I thought, 'Oh my God, it felt like I put my mother in jail.'". His brothers did not help him, instead they nicknamed him "Igor" or "Ig", a name that stuck throughout his school years. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. 10 Twisted and Unbelievable Facts About the Happy Face Killer When that did not create the attention he desired, he wrote letters to media outlets and police departments confessing to his murders, starting with a six-page letter to The Oregonian in which he revealed the details of his killings. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. I knew it had to be around there someplace. Best Known For: Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. New clues in alleged 'Smiley Face Killer' murders - FOX 32 Chicago She had changed her story so many times that investigators said they wondered if she was telling the truth. She grew up in a small town in Washington state and survived the escalating violence from her home life and. He told investigatorshe could not remember anythingthat happened that night. At school, Jesperson was bigger than his classmates and was taunted with names like "Monster Man" and "Igor." Laverne Pavlinac, right, touches the tear-stained face of her grandaughter, Nicole Sullivan, after being released from prison in Salem, Ore., Nov. 27, 1995. During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous confessions signed with a smiley face. 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. They were able to identify her as Skiple on April 13. James' body, however, had almost no visible damage, which was highly suspicious because it had traveled through heavily trafficked river. Jesperson claims he killed her after she tried to double charge him for sex, according to Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer.. Who Are The Happy Face Killer Keith Jesperson's Victims? | Crime News Happy Face stands out because of Moore 's intimate tie to the criminal in question. Keith Hunter Jesperson committed his first murder in 1990. A journalist noticed the symbol and came up with the Happy Face Killer nickname. Photo: In April 1990, he sexually assaulted a woman who managed to escape. Santa. I don't," Sosnovke is heard saying on the tape. 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. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. She threatened to call the police, and he strangled her. On September 29, 2006, 21-year-old Lucas Homan vanished from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Jesperson murdered another woman in August 1992 at a Turlock, California truck stop. 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, 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 last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. [6] He graduated from high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! A smiley face was found painted near the river. After getting in an argument with Bennett, he strangled her to death with his hands and disposed of her body. Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson? Jesperson reported that he was raped at age 14. 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. 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. Victim 4:Laurie Ann Pentland, 26. Her identity remains unknown. [11] Jesperson gives the Jane Doe's name as Claudia. Smiley Face Killers - Fact or Fiction? - Positively Pittsburgh Surveillance footage captured Booth entering the bar where the celebration took place, but there is no video evidence of him leaving. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. "The Smiley Face Killers" movie was . Pavlinac then confessed to her. She then described how she watched Sosnovske have sex with Bennett while he directed her to hold a rope around her neck, and that she believed she pulled the rope too tight, killing Bennett. The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department. Alcohol and antidepressants were foundin Geib's toxicology screen, but it was reported thatGeib was not sufferingfrom any form of depression at the time. 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." 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. Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon, had been . 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. He would go on to share details of the crime on other restroom walls. He slapped her. I'll hurt your family.'". 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. Dr. Laura Pettler, along with her partner in crime-fighting, Melissa Moore, are taking a deep dive into murder cases in the upcoming podcast, "Life After Happy Face." "Life After Happy Face" is a follow-up to Moore's "The Happy Face Killer" podcast, which followed the case of Keith Jesperson, a serial killer who wreaked havoc in the Pacific Northwest during the 1990s. This victim has been identified as Cynthia Lynn (Rose) Wilcox. 2. The Smiley Face Killers. The killers always leave a signature smiley face near the location of the body. That letter-writer turned out to be Keith Hunter Jesperson, who became known for signing the letters with a happy face symbol thus the Happy Face Killer moniker. Jesperson killed his next victim in June 1993 in Santa Nella, California. Julie Winningham is seen here in this undated photo. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He then sought work again as an interstate truck driver after relocating to Cheney, Washington. 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 also said she was able to point to the location of Bennett's body based on where the brush had been cleared away. These convictions meant Jesperson was unlikely to ever face charges for his crime. In 1990, Taunja Bennett was found dead near a scenic overlook at the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. "Her persistence in this manipulation resulted in her own conviction.". Detectives first became aware of Pavlinac when she anonymously called them to report that she overheard Sosnovske at a bar bragging about killing Bennett. FILE - Accused murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson, dubbed the Happy Face Killer, right, listens to his attorney . Pavlinac made this false statement because she wanted to escape her abusive relationship with Sosnovske. He had a relationship with his final victim and became a suspect after her body was discovered in March 1995. In later years, Jesperson also sent anonymous letters to The Oregonian newspaper about what had become his multiple murders. His victims, who were often raped and strangled, included short-term acquaintances, sex workers and a girlfriend. 'Happy Face Killer' Victim Identified 30 years After Body Found Near How "Happy Face Killer" Keith Jesperson's Daughter Discovered His Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske are seen here in this 1985 family photo. Sosnovske pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. In November 1995, a judge released Pavlinac and Sosnovske from prison. The 'Smiley Face Killer' Theory That Connects 40 College Students 'Happy Face Killer' case tapes reveal the lengths woman went to frame [5] This continued as he got older. "She was very giving. Jesperson described murdering her, like other women he killed, as putting her out of her misery.. Several years later, Hucke began to suspect Jesperson was having affairs when strange women would call. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an. whos serving multiple concurrent sentences in Oregon State Penitentiary. [8], In November 2008, Jesperson's daughter, Melissa G. Moore, appeared on Dr. Phil to talk about her father. 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. 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. Meanwhile, the real killer carried out a series of murders over five years. 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 showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an early age which included torturing animals and attacking other children. 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. Their work has spawned an Oxygen series, Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice, which aired in January 2019. [00:02:14] 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. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. She changed her story again, this time to say she too was involved in Bennett's death. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. At age 35, Keith was 6'7.5" tall and weighed 240lbs. But when investigators were unable to match the purse and denim piece to Bennett, they confronted Pavlinac about fabricating evidence. Moore recounts living with Jesperson until her parents' 1990 divorce, and noticing how her father was different when she was in elementary school. A television movie, Happy Face Killer, starring David Arquette as Jesperson, aired in 2014. 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. .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. Oddly,Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the wateras if he had gone for a swim. 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. Jesperson was born on April 6, 1955, in British Columbia, Canada. One of them was to a friend. He confessed to killing her and subsequently admitted to seven other murders. 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. The man said "99 Nashua Street, and Hurley said his cell phone battery was going dead. [7] She was a correspondent for Crime Watch Daily. Due to the unknown identity of the female adult, Cold Case Detectives later referred to Jane Doe as Blue Pacheco.. B. 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. Jesperson's last victim was Julie Winningham, who'd been his girlfriend. The couple divorced in 1990.[8]. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. Smiley Face Killer Theory: The Evidence For And Against 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. The message was signed with a smiley face. Jesperson met her in a bar in January 1995 and agreed to give her a ride before eventually killing her. In September 1994, another Jane Doe was found in Crestview, Florida. 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. Sosnovske would later plead no contest to the murder charge. Buddy up at all times. Keith Hunter Jesperson - Wikipedia She was killed in Washington state on March 10, 1995, and her body was discovered the next day. I have been a killer for five years and have killed eight people." Happy Face Killer (TV Movie 2014) - IMDb Over the past 20 years, hundreds of college-aged men across the US have died as the result of undetermined or accidental drownings. 10 Creepiest Photos Of Victims Taken By Serial Killers - Listverse