She was a previously-unidentified woman named Patricia Skiple,[12] who, he claimed, was named "Carla" or "Cindy". At her trial, Pavlinac recanted her confession, but the jury found her guilty. Mahoney drove to the address, but Hurley was not there. Melissa Moore's father, known as the Happy Face Killer, murdered eight or more women. This led police agencies in several states to reopen old cases, many of which were found to be possible victims of Jesperson. On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. Tommy Booth, 24, disappeared on January 19, 2008 from a bar in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania. The police gave him the nickname "The Happy Face Killer" as he would leave a happy face on his confession letters to the media. James' body, however, had almost no visible damage, which was highly suspicious because it had traveled through heavily trafficked river. Buddy up at all times. Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson, whos serving multiple concurrent sentences in Oregon State Penitentiary. A smiley face had been spray-painted on a tree near where Geib's body was found, and a smiley face sticker was later placed on his gravesite. [26], In 2008, Moore published a book titled Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter. April 19, 2022 / 7:43 AM / CBS San Francisco. She's told her own daughter the same story, very convincingly.' Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Hundreds of college-aged men have died in accidental or undetermined drownings. "Madonna, that's what she listened to all day," White said. Between 1990 and 1995, eight women died at the hands of Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the Happy Face Killer. Jesperson signed each letter with a smiley face. [2] Jesperson's father was a domineering alcoholic; according to Jesperson, his paternal grandfather was prone to violence. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. Now 66, Jesperson is serving five non-consecutive life sentences in Oregon's state penitentiary. The message was signed with a smiley face. , 32, was found dead in September 1992. 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. The body of a woman found near Gilroy, California was this week identified as Patricia Skiple, a victim of the Happy Face Killer. After a series of letters are sent to the press, the killer earned the moniker, the Happy Face Killer. 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 . Investigators had been trying to nail down a suspect for weeks when Pavlinac brought Sosnovske to their attention. 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. Soon after Angela Subrize ran into Jesperson at a bar in Spokane, Washington in January 1995, she traveled east with him in his truck. He met the developmentally disabled Bennett while out drinking and convinced her to go to his house. Murderous Keith Hunter Jesperson became known as the Happy Face Killer for his boasting letters to police, signed with a smiley face. Surveillance footage captured Booth entering the bar where the celebration took place, but there is no video evidence of him leaving. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! GHB was also found in his system along with alcohol. Keith grew to be a large, imposing man. She later rescinded her confession, but in 1991 a jury still found her guilty. 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. Despite the distance between them, some detectives think that drownings are actually the work of a serial killer or group of serial killers. Today, we're finishing our look at Keith Jesperson, the twisted murderer otherwise known as the Happy Face Killer. She found out that her son had reportedly suffered blunt force trauma to the head, his eye socket and behind his left leg. B. ", This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 19:00. I'll hurt your family.'". 45 colleged-aged males across a 20-year span. Victim 1:Taunja Bennett. Photo: T he Smiley Face death toll continues to climb, this time in Germany. Melissa G. Moore, Jesperson's older daughter, wrote Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killers Daughter (2009). 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. , 24, disappeared on January 19, 2008 from a bar in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. "I think what happened to mother was she was in an abusive relationship, and she was desperate, and desperate people do desperate things, not to say that it was right, but that's what I think happened," said Pavlinac's daughter Bonne McAlpine. Soon after his injury was when Keith started to kill. [6] He graduated from high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it. Jesperson grew up in Chilliwack, Canada before moving to Selah, Washington with his family when he was 12. Victim 7: Angela Subrize, 21. 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. Jesperson is currently serving a sentence of life without parole at the Oregon State Penitentiary. In addition to murder, Jesperson's criminal history included animal cruelty, arson and sexual assault. 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. Her body, which had been strangled and tied up with duct tape, was found on August 30, 1992. Her body was found on a roadside rock pile in Santa Nella, California. Before his arrest, he also wrote a letter to his brother that admitted, "I am sorry that I turned out this way. was 23 years old when he went missing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was killed in Washington state on March 10, 1995, and her body was discovered the next day. [5] This continued as he got older. What Is the Smiley Face Killers Theory? [4] Because of this, Jesperson was a shy child, content to play by himself much of the time. 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 . 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. 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. [00:02:05] Hi, everyone. "The Smiley Face Killers" movie was . His blood-alcohol concentrationwas only 0.08 percent. [6] Although Jesperson was not successful with girls in high school, having never even attended a school dance or his prom, he did enter into a relationship after high school. But to Melissa Moore, he was more than just a serial killer . He confessed to killing her and subsequently admitted to seven other murders. In both cases, and as per usual . Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the "Happy Face Killer," nearly 30 years after her murder. are covered in bracing detail in the Oxygen special Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, now streaming. 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." Several years later, Hucke began to suspect Jesperson was having affairs when strange women would call. 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. Jesperson claimed this still-unidentified woman as his fifth victim but told Phelps that he cant recall anything about her. Search dogs scoured the downtown area where Homan was last seen alive. 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. That's whyall ofthis doesn'tmake sense. Rather than fall victim to the trauma surrounding her father's crimes and arrest, she processed the events. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. His last known victim was a woman he dated, which led to his capture and, During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous. I'll go to death row.'". jocks) usually after a night of drinking at a bar are kidnapped, tortured, murdered and then their . Jesperson told Phelps they met at a truck stop and that after he agreed to give her a ride he felt like she was trying to play him. Watch Happy Face Killer on Lifetime Movie Club. Homan was the eighth accidental drowning case in La Crosse over a nine-year period. Pieces of his artwork have been seen on "murderabilia" sites. Jesperson claims Rose was a sex worker who entered his truck at a truck stop while he slept. Jesperson eventually settled in Selah, Washington with his wife and three children. 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. [15], Although Jesperson at one point claimed to have had as many as 160 victims,[16] only the eight women killed in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska, and Wyoming have been confirmed. "He went off into the woods with her," Pavlinac told investigators. According to detectives Anthony Duarte and Kevin Gannon, the Smiley Face Theory came into . This finding is inconsistent with the belief that Booth drowned the night he disappeared. 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. I'llgo to the pen. 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 described murdering her, like other women he killed, as putting her out of her misery.. The production features interviews between, Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.. He later claimed his intention was to kill the boy. Updated: Mar 3, 2021 (1955-) Who Is Keith Hunter. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. "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. Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson? He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an. For the 2014 film about Jesperson, see, List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)", "Serial killer receives fourth life sentence", "Dr. Phil Returns to The Oprah Show: My Father Is a Serial Killer", "ABC '20/20': Melissa Moore, Daughter Of Serial Killer, Opens Up Tonight About Life With 'Happy Face Killer' Keith Jesperson", "Meet Crime Watch Daily Correspondent Melissa Moore | Truecrimedaily.com", "My evil dad: Life as a serial killer's daughter", "Happy Face Presents: Two Face on Apple Podcasts", "Life After Happy Face on Apple Podcasts", Daughter of the 'Happy Face Killer' Talks About Growing Up With a Serial Killer Dad, Keith Hunter Jesperson: Happy Face Killer, Daughter of serial killer confronts her past, Radio Interview with Melissa Moore (daughter), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keith_Hunter_Jesperson&oldid=1142498372, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Canadian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Crimes against sex workers in the United States, People extradited within the United States, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Oregon, Violence against women in the United States, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from November 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 8 confirmed (confessed to as many as 185). On September 29, 2006, 21-year-old Lucas Homan vanished from La Crosse, Wisconsin. The book I: the Creation of a Serial Killer (2002), by Jack Olsen, delved into Jesperson's life. Detectives first became aware of Pavlinac when she anonymously called them to report that she overheard Sosnovske at a bar bragging about killing Bennett. Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon, had been known only as "Blue Pacheco" for the color of her clothing until genetic genealogy was used to identify her last week, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said. These convictions meant Jesperson was unlikely to ever face charges for his crime. 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. 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 just said it, this is close enough," she said. In these supposed "Smiley Face" serial killings, popular, high-achieving, athletic young men (i.e. He left bodies in Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska and Washington while working as a long-haul truck driver. During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous confessions signed with a smiley face. I think that she was at a bad place in her life," said her daughter Darlene Carpenter. 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. Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. Jesperson killed his next victim in June 1993 in Santa Nella, California. I'm thinking, 'My God, she is actually involved in this,'" Ingram said. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! PHOTO: Justice for Mason/Facebook. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. Jesperson's first victim, 23-year-old Taunja Bennett, was killed on January 21, 1990. 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. They were able to identify her as Skiple on April 13. He claimed to have victims in five states: Washington, California, Florida, Wyoming and Oregon. Questions Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice Hopes to Answer, A First Look at the Murder of Susan Berman. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. 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. Pavlinac had made the whole thing up. In November 1992, Jesperson had an encounter with sex worker Laurie Anne Pentland at a truck stop. And just like his British counterpart, the police denied . According to former detective Kevin Gannon and Dr. Lee Gilbertson, Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the water. Jesperson married Rose Hucke on August 2, 1975. But when investigators were unable to match the purse and denim piece to Bennett, they confronted Pavlinac about fabricating evidence. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior Brian Welzien went missing from Chicago, Illinois, after a night of celebrating Y2K with his friends. "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. On Monday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff . Sometimes they even brag about it. She was a mother and approximately 45 years old at the time she was killed. She ran to get her mother, and when they returned, the kittens lay on the ground dead. "Now, I'm thinking, 'She's confessed she's pointed out the dump site, she's confessed to us on tape. They had three children, two girls and a boy. The footage captured James entering a dark alley, and that was the last time he was seen alive. He had given police officers the location of the victim's purse. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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.