He had been questioned by police a week before, but they had no grounds to arrest him after he refused to talk. This victim has been identified as Cynthia Lynn (Rose) Wilcox. At age 35, Keith was 6'7.5" tall and weighed 240lbs. "[He said] I better not open my mouth. He had a relationship with his final victim and became a suspect after her body was discovered in March 1995. Victims of the Smiley Face Killer | Photo Credits: Oxygen The Team of Men that Came Up With the Theory. Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson. While in custody, Jesperson began revealing details of his killings and making claims of many others, most of which he later recanted. Possible Smiley Face killers victim Mason Cox. , who survived a violent encounter with Jesperson when she was 21. Jesperson eventually settled in Selah, Washington with his wife and three children. GHB was also found in his system along with alcohol. Pavlinac had been with Sosnovske, a farmhand 18 years her junior, for a decade when the Bennett case caught her attention in 1990. Several years later, Hucke began to suspect Jesperson was having affairs when strange women would call. In the summer of 1992, Jesperson met "Claudia" at a truck checkpoint in California. "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. This finding is inconsistent with the belief that Booth drowned the night he disappeared. Her real name remains a mystery. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Most were strangers and some were sex workers. You could tell where people had been in and out, the vehicles and everything else, limbs broke. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? He split from his wife in 1990 after 15 years of . In 1990, Taunja Bennett was found dead near a scenic overlook at the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. 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. The book I: the Creation of a Serial Killer (2002), by Jack Olsen, delved into Jesperson's life. [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. 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]. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. Victim 8: Julia Ann Winningham, 41. Now 66, Jesperson is serving five non-consecutive life sentences in Oregon's state penitentiary. "Theyhave her tell me the story and I looked at her again, and I said, 'Mom, are you sure?' She also said she was able to point to the location of Bennett's body based on where the brush had been cleared away. In both cases, and as per usual . Laverne Pavlinac, right, touches the tear-stained face of her grandaughter, Nicole Sullivan, after being released from prison in Salem, Ore., Nov. 27, 1995. serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, with whom they corresponded during the fall semester. 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. Geib's remains also had very little signs of decomposition, which would have been present if he had died the day he went missing 22 days before the recovery of his body. 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The Smiley Face Killer. Pavlinac's son also died shortly after due to medical reasons. He strapped the woman beneath his big rig,. 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. 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 apprehended before he kills again. [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. On April 23 in Hamburg and the following weekend in Dusseldorf, the bodies of young men were retrieved from waterways. "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. I just said it, this is close enough," she said. 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. Judge Paul Lipscomb of the Circuit Court of Oregon agreed to vacate Sosnovske's sentence after ruling his no-contest plea violated his constitutional rights because it had not been voluntary since he was facing the death penalty. , 24, disappeared on January 19, 2008 from a bar in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania. Courtesy of Kathy Geib, was 22 years old when he went missing during the early hours of June 12, 2005, at a bonfire party in an orchard close to his home in Casnovia, Michigan. That letter-writer turned out to be. Pavlinac made this false statement because she wanted to escape her abusive relationship with Sosnovske. Because of their relationship, authorities connected her death to him. He is now 66 years old, according to his prison records. [1] Her body, which had been strangled and tied up with duct tape, was found on August 30, 1992. They believed his body traveled for almost 10 miles and even went through a dam before its discovery. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. [6] Approximately one year later, Jesperson was swimming in a lake when another boy held him underwater until he blacked out. Her body was found on a roadside rock pile in Santa Nella, California. I will be writing about that more in the future so stay tuned. 'Happy Face Killer' case tapes reveal the lengths woman went to frame boyfriend Meanwhile, the real killer carried out a series of murders over five years. Victim 1: Taunja Bennett. His friends went up to their room and never saw Welzien again. Investigators had been trying to nail down a suspect for weeks when Pavlinac brought Sosnovske to their attention. That's when they said she implicated herself in the murder, according to Det. . Jesperson claims Rose was a sex worker who entered his truck at a truck stop while he slept. They'd mostly all been college-aged, popular, and athletic. "The greatest human tragedy is that Laverne Pavlinac derailed the investigation in 1990, and in four years, Keith Jesperson killed more women," said Jim McIntyre, the Multnomah County, Oregon, prosecutor who handled the cases. Largely considered an urban legend, the Smiley Face Killer, like the Manchester Pusher, murdered his victims by drowning. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. Jesperson was dubbed the "Happy Face Killer" for the smiley face drawings he included on a letter he sent to a Portland, Oregon newspaper, in which he bragged about killing women in a spree that began in 1990. After the murder, Jesperson remembered they'd spent days together and he'd let her use a credit card. Pieces of his artwork have been seen on "murderabilia" sites. "She slapped him. She's told her own daughter the same story, very convincingly.' 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 . The smiley face murder theory (also known as the smiley face murders, smiley face killings, and smiley face gang) is a theory advanced by retired New York City detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte, as well as Dr. Lee Gilbertson, a criminal justice professor and gang expert at St. [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. "She was that kind of woman. 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. At some of the sites where the victims' bodies were found, smiley face graffiti had been left behind. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Kreuger, Peggy; Kendra Justice & Amy Hunt (March 2006). 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. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an early age which included torturing animals and attacking other children. The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department. That triggered him. NR Jul 18th, 2021 Documentary. 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'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. She later rescinded her confession, but in 1991 a jury still found her guilty. 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. We need to report this, John.' That night, he had been celebrating a friend's 21st birthday with a group of friends. 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. Punched her, slapped her. That this never happened. 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. ". Director Carl Hindmarch Stars Doug Bates Janine Brugnone Beghtol Rick Buckner See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 1 User review His friend told him to get out of the car while he parked. Surveillance footage captured Booth entering the bar where the celebration took place, but there is no video evidence of him leaving. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. What doesn't make sense is that many of the 40 cases the investigators have looked into have puzzling evidence. Dubbed the Long Island Serial Killer or the Craigslist Ripper, the extent of these unsolved crimes is still unknown. The oldest child, Melissa, was ten years old. In one six-page letter to The Oregonian newspaper, the serial killer revealed . 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. California 'Happy Face Killer' victim identified after 29 years By Associated Press 8:06am Apr 20, 2022 A victim of the Happy Face Killer has been identified nearly 30 years after her body was left near a California highway, authorities said this week. [00:02:14] During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous confessions signed with a smiley face. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. Sosnovske would later plead no contest to the murder charge. Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson, whos serving multiple concurrent sentences in Oregon State Penitentiary. 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Pavlinac soon admitted to making up her entire story, but her claims were ignored. 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 . He told investigatorshe could not remember anythingthat happened that night. About two weeks after he went missing,Booth's body was foundfacedown in a creek behind the bar. 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. The Insane Details of the Smiley Face Killers Theory; The Most Recent Alleged Smiley Face Killers' Victims Highlight How Long This Theory Has . After a series of letters are sent to the press, the killer earned the moniker, the Happy Face Killer. Detectives first became aware of Pavlinac when she anonymously called them to report that she overheard Sosnovske at a bar bragging about killing Bennett. When she recanted, Pavlinac said she falsely confessed because she was stuck in a volatile relationship with Sosnovske, desperately seeking a way out and wanting him in prison. "Her persistence in this manipulation resulted in her own conviction.". In November 1992, Jesperson had an encounter with sex worker Laurie Anne Pentland at a truck stop. What Is the Smiley Face Killers Theory? Watch Happy Face Killer on Lifetime Movie Club. The night of his disappearance, Geib made several calls from his cell phone. 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. Today's episode is part 1 of our coverage of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson. On September 29, 2006, 21-year-old Lucas Homan vanished from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Taunja Bennett, 23, is seen here in this undated photo. The footage captured James entering a dark alley, and that was the last time he was seen alive. Jesperson has said that he took 166 lives, but only the above eight murders have been attributed to him. 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. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. 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. They divorced in 1989. 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. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department announced. 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. On 30 August 1992, the currently unidentified body of a woman Jesperson had raped and strangled was found near Blythe, California, United States. The following morning, James did not show up for work. In 1990, shortly after his marriage ended, Keith Jesperson, a long-haul trucker from Selah, Washington, began killing women. 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. She also examined her father's actions in the podcast Happy Face. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. Jesperson was born on 6 April 1955, to Leslie (Les) and Gladys Jesperson in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada,[1] the middle child with two brothers and two sisters. Santa. 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." Jesperson claims that her name was Susanne. Jesperson reported that he was raped at age 14. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. 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. 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. Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. 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. 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. . Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson? She maintains a very private lifestyle, so not much is known about her. Daughter of the infamous 'Happy Face' serial killer, Melissa Moore, and leading female Forensic Criminologist, Dr. Laura Pettler, unearth chilling details from homicide case files in this weekly true-crime series which tells the actual stories of people who shared their lives with a killer or their victims. Jesperson, also called the "Happy Face Killer", who is serving two life sentences in Oregon in connection with guilty pleas to two murders. On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. By Joseph Diaz, Scott Engel, Emily Wynn, Jenner Smith, and Lauren Effron November 4, 2021, 3:32 AM 1:24 Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske are seen here in this 1985 family photo. However, the kicker is that these drownings happening in 11 different states. 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. Angela Surbrize was the name of Jesperson's second-to-last victim. They were able to identify her as Skiple on April 13. Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California. Could some of them be connected to a serial killer or group of killers? He decided to drag her body underneath his truck to impede identification. ET on ABC. Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the Happy Face Killer, nearly 30 years after her murder. The morning of October 2, Homan's body was found not far from the shore of the Mississippi River. . Or 'I will cause trouble for your family. During the drive, Welzien started throwing up. One of Welzien's friends, Nick Young, stayed behind. All drowned after getting intoxicated. 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.