While he has claimed to have killed as many as 160 people, only eight murders have been confirmed. Jesperson's father denied being an abusive parent; however, while investigating for his book on the killer, author Jack Olsen was able to confirm much of the claimed abuse with other family members. PHOTO: Justice for Mason/Facebook. In both cases, and as per usual . [00:02:05] Hi, everyone. Criminal profiler Pat Brown calls the serial killer theory "ludicrous", arguing that the evidence does not fit what is known about serial killers. His brothers did not help him, instead they nicknamed him "Igor" or "Ig", a name that stuck throughout his school years. Today's episode is part 1 of our coverage of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson. 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 September 1994, another Jane Doe was found in Crestview, Florida. The production features interviews between, Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. His brother gave this letter to law enforcement. [5], That desire manifested in two attempted murders. 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. 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. He strapped the woman beneath his big rig, the New York Post reported. "Her persistence in this manipulation resulted in her own conviction.". Investigators had been trying to nail down a suspect for weeks when Pavlinac brought Sosnovske to their attention. According to detectives Anthony Duarte and Kevin Gannon, the Smiley Face Theory came into . Sosnovske was brought in for questioning and denied any involvement. Questions Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice Hopes to Answer, A First Look at the Murder of Susan Berman. When she arrived, however, he was nowhere in sight. Jesperson's last victim was the crime that ultimately led to his capture. [He said,] 'No, no. That night, he had been celebrating a friend's 21st birthday with a group of friends. 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. Because of their relationship, authorities connected her death to him. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. 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. He later claimed his intention was to kill the boy. What Is the Smiley Face Killers Theory? 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. Jesperson claims he killed her after she tried to double charge him for sex, according to Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer.. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Potential "Smiley Face Killers" victim Todd Geib. Jesperson's first victim, 23-year-old Taunja Bennett, was killed on January 21, 1990. Keith Hunter Jesperson committed his first murder in 1990. The Lonely Hearts Killer, was a truly frightening and twisted serial murderer in the late 1950s. 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. Oddly,Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the wateras if he had gone for a swim. For example, the Canadian-American serial killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the . During the drive, Welzien started throwing up. Victim 6: Florida Jane Doe. . All calls are toll-free and confidential. Photo: The following morning, James did not show up for work. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! And just like his British counterpart, the police denied . "Now, I'm thinking, 'She's confessed she's pointed out the dump site, she's confessed to us on tape. 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. A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. 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 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. Victim 4:Laurie Ann Pentland, 26. The term "smiley face" became connected to their theory when the team . 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 . Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Jesperson signed each letter with a smiley face. Investigators installed a hidden recording device in their home hoping to catch Sosnovske making incriminating statements. In addition to murder, Jesperson's criminal history included animal cruelty, arson and sexual assault. "I don't remember going to no gorge, dumping no body for God's sake. Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. [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. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. Pavlinac had made the whole thing up. 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. Others say there is no killer. [27] In November 2014, she wrote an article about her father for the BBC.[28]. The Insane Details of the Smiley Face Killers Theory; The Most Recent Alleged Smiley Face Killers' Victims Highlight How Long This Theory Has . Hurley walked outside while Mahoney drove to the stadium to pick him up. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an early age which included torturing animals and attacking other children. Welzien told his friends he wanted to call it a night and go back to the hotel where they were staying. Tommy Booth, 24, disappeared on January 19, 2008 from a bar in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Jesperson murdered another woman in August 1992 at a Turlock, California truck stop. The morning of October 2, Homan's body was found not far from the shore of the Mississippi River. But in the process, she also falsely implicated herself. Punched her, slapped her. We need to report this, John.' "John That's the worst thing you've ever gotten yourself into," she told him. According to police reports, one dog later hit on an an SUV owned by a local band member, who had played a show at the bar the night of Homan's disappearance, but the K9 alert was inconclusive. 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. You could tell where people had been in and out, the vehicles and everything else, limbs broke. He is serving three consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A smiley face was found painted near the river. The purse had not been found at the crime scene, and its location was considered information only the killer would know. [5] This continued as he got older. According to former detective Kevin Gannon and Dr. Lee Gilbertson, Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the water. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior Brian Welzien went missing from Chicago, Illinois, after a night of celebrating Y2K with his friends. "I [had] seen all these tracks and all this and that. Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California. ". On September 29, 2006, 21-year-old Lucas Homan vanished from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Investigators believedhe could have walked to the edge of Lake Michigan, a five-minute walk from the hotel, and fallen in. Santa. Victim 5: California Jane Doe. But a few days later, they got another call from Pavlinac. 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. The renowned crime journalist and author of The Misbegotten Son turns his attention to serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, the "Happy Face Killer" from Oregon who strangled eight women in the 1990s, detailing his evolution from angry child to psychotic murderer. In 1990, shortly after his marriage ended, Keith Jesperson, a long-haul trucker from Selah, Washington, began killing women. That this never happened. Jesperson described murdering her, like other women he killed, as putting her out of her misery.. Her sister Michelle White said Bennett was a compassionate person who loved everyone.. "I sometimes now wonder, if he was freed now, if he was released, would he kill again? 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. Join Melissa Moore, host of Happy Face Season 1, as she helps Becky unravel the strange tale of her family, searching for answers to decades-old mysteries that remain unanswered in the modern day. His blood-alcohol concentrationwas only 0.08 percent. His death was ruleda probable drowning, and there wereno signs of trauma. The first happened when Jesperson was around age 10, when he was friends with a boy named Martin. Hundreds of college-aged men have died in accidental or undetermined drownings. He was found guilty of killing Bennett, Pentland, and Winningham and was sentenced to six consecutive and concurrent sentences. April 19, 2022, 7:31 PM PDT. Safety in numbers is the name of the game, before, during and after a night out on the town. . Victim 3:Cynthia Lyn Rose, 32, was found dead in September 1992. They met at a truck stop in Corning, California. On Monday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff . His father often punished Jesperson by hitting him with a leather belt. 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. John Ingram, who worked on the case. "[Julie] was beautiful inside as well as outside. He strapped the woman beneath his big rig,. His friends went up to their room and never saw Welzien again. A "witchy" smiley face left at a murder site of the supposed "Smiley Face Serial Killer" seems to represent Charlie Manson. 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 met her in a bar in January 1995 and agreed to give her a ride before eventually killing her. [6] Approximately one year later, Jesperson was swimming in a lake when another boy held him underwater until he blacked out. The Smiley Face Killer. He claimed to have victims in five states: Washington, California, Florida, Wyoming and Oregon. In September 1994, the body of a woman was found in Florida. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. She also examined her father's actions in the podcast Happy Face. "Theyhave her tell me the story and I looked at her again, and I said, 'Mom, are you sure?' Pavlinac's daughters said their mother "was never the same" after she divorced their father after discovering he left her for another woman. 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. Jesperson attempted suicide but ended up confessing to Winningham's murder. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. To learn more about this case, watch Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, streaming now on Oxygen. They believed his body traveled for almost 10 miles and even went through a dam before its discovery. 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. 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. His friend told him to get out of the car while he parked. Here's what the evidence says. However, a part of him wanted to claim credit, so he wrote about murdering Bennett in a bus terminal bathroom. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Alcohol and antidepressants were foundin Geib's toxicology screen, but it was reported thatGeib was not sufferingfrom any form of depression at the time. 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. [2] Jesperson's father was a domineering alcoholic; according to Jesperson, his paternal grandfather was prone to violence. 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. M. William Phelps penned a memoir about his interactions with Jesperson: Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer (2017). Jesperson was a middle child, with an older sister and brother and a younger sister and brother. The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department announced on Tuesday that, using genetic genealogy, they were able to identify a body found in 1993 as Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon. He left her remains in Nebraska, though Subrize was likely killed in Wyoming. The message was signed with a smiley face. 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." Julie Winningham is seen here in this undated photo. Various witnesses outside the hotel saw Welzien vomiting in the street. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. "She was a free spirit, and she would go here, there, and she would go to work at a place, and wouldn't work for very long because she would always go out on the road. [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. More than 25 years have passed since the ordeal, and in that time, both Sosnovske and Pavlinac have died. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. Pavlinac told investigators during her last recorded statement on Feb. 26, 1990. She found out that her son had reportedly suffered blunt force trauma to the head, his eye socket and behind his left leg. Other students hold photos of Mr. Jesperson's victims. Jesperson claimed this still-unidentified woman as his fifth victim but told Phelps that he cant recall anything about her. On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. After moving to Selah, Washington, United States, he had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. 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. [8], In November 2008, Jesperson's daughter, Melissa G. Moore, appeared on Dr. Phil to talk about her father. 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". 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. Taunja Bennett was the first to die. The day of his disappearance, Homan had been celebrating Oktoberfest with his friends. A smiley face was found spray-painted near where Homans body was found. Her body disintegrated against the hot asphalt as he drove. Her body was found after his arrest. About two weeks after he went missing,Booth's body was foundfacedown in a creek behind the bar. 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. After the murder, Jesperson remembered they'd spent days together and he'd let her use a credit card. FILE - Accused murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson, dubbed the Happy Face Killer, right, listens to his attorney . 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.