Victim 5: California Jane Doe. On Monday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff . Pavlinac set up a meeting with investigators and gave a false confession, using the details she had read in the newspaper to give a detailed story of how Sosnovske forced her to help him rape, murder, and dispose of Bennett's body. A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Various witnesses outside the hotel saw Welzien vomiting in the street. At some of the sites where the victims' bodies were found, smiley face graffiti had been left behind. She also examined her father's actions in the podcast Happy Face. He is now 66 years old, according to his prison records. 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. 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. 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.? . On September 29, 2006, 21-year-old Lucas Homan vanished from La Crosse, Wisconsin. All Rights Reserved. His death was ruled an accidental drowning, andthe autopsy report noted"acute alcohol intoxication was a major contributing factor.". All calls are toll-free and confidential. At some of the sites where the victims' bodies were found, smiley face graffiti had been left behind. '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. 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. 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. He duct-taped her mouth and hands before raping and strangling her. In 1975, when Jesperson was aged 20, he married Rose Hucke, and the couple had three children: two daughters and one son. That triggered him. serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, with whom they corresponded during the fall semester. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The term "smiley face" became connected to their theory when the team . Julie Winningham is the last known victim of Keith Hunter Jesperson. As she and Sosnovske started their life sentences, one of the United States' most notorious serial killers continued his murder spree. In November 1995, a judge released Pavlinac and Sosnovske from prison. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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 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. .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. It had been washed ashore on a beach in Gary, Indiana, 30 miles south of Chicago. This included beatings, sometimes with a belt in front of others, and in one case he received an electric shock. He claimed to have victims in five states: Washington, California, Florida, Wyoming and Oregon. 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. 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. They met at a truck stop in Corning, California. 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. 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. 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. April 19, 2022, 7:31 PM PDT. Victim 6: Florida Jane Doe. FILE - Accused murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson, dubbed the Happy Face Killer, right, listens to his attorney . In November 1992, Jesperson had an encounter with sex worker Laurie Anne Pentland at a truck stop. But when investigators were unable to match the purse and denim piece to Bennett, they confronted Pavlinac about fabricating evidence. But in the process, she also falsely implicated herself. Updated: Mar 3, 2021 (1955-) Who Is Keith Hunter. went missing after leaving a Bruins hockey game in Boston,Massachusetts. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. Jesperson worked as a truck driver to support the family. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. 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. 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. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. Search dogs scoured the downtown area where Homan was last seen alive. Bennett was found strangled to death near a scenic overlook at the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. He later claimed his intention was to kill the boy. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. Others say there is no killer. . 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. "Her persistence in this manipulation resulted in her own conviction.". Sosnovske would later plead no contest to the murder charge. Her body was found on a roadside rock pile in Santa Nella, California. , who survived a violent encounter with Jesperson when she was 21. At school, Jesperson was bigger than his classmates and was taunted with names like "Monster Man" and "Igor." The Lonely Hearts Killer, was a truly frightening and twisted serial murderer in the late 1950s. 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. Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California. I had been worried about this for a long time. She claimed to have found a strange purse in the trunk of her car with a piece of denim from a pair of jeans inside -- When Bennett was found, her purse was gone and her jeans were missing the fly. Today, we're finishing our look at Keith Jesperson, the twisted murderer otherwise known as the Happy Face Killer. His older daughter has described witnessing acts of animal cruelty that included Jesperson killing kittens. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. 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In the summer of 1992, Jesperson met "Claudia" at a truck checkpoint in California. After a night of barhopping, Homan headed home at around 10 p.m. with a friend. He had a relationship with his final victim and became a suspect after her body was discovered in March 1995. Victim 1: Taunja Bennett. Other students hold photos of Mr. Jesperson's victims. 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. Based on Pavlinac's statements, and that Sosnovke failed a polygraph test, authorities arrested Sosnovke on murder charges. Now 66, Jesperson is serving five non-consecutive life sentences in Oregon's state penitentiary. Jesperson's first known victim was Taunja Bennett on 21 January 1990, near Portland, Oregon, United States. 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. Remembering the first known victim of Happy Face serial killer. After Jesperson was in custody, he provided the location of Bennett's purse, which only the killer would know. In September 1994, another Jane Doe was found in Crestview, Florida. After moving to Selah, Washington, United States, he had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. That's when they said she implicated herself in the murder, according to Det. 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. Taunja Bennett, 23, is seen here in this undated photo. 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. His friends went up to their room and never saw Welzien again. He confessed to killing her and subsequently admitted to seven other murders. The term "Smiley Face Killers" come from the graffiti smiley faces supposedly found at the crime scenes. When she arrived, however, he was nowhere in sight. Canadian-American serial killer (born 1955), "Happy Face Killer" redirects here. 45 colleged-aged males across a 20-year span. These convictions meant Jesperson was unlikely to ever face charges for his crime. This finding is inconsistent with the belief that Booth drowned the night he disappeared. Pavlinac's daughters said their mother "was never the same" after she divorced their father after discovering he left her for another woman. The killers always leave a signature smiley face near the location of the body. 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,, To learn more about this case, watch Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, streaming now on. The only difference was that the American version, operating in the Midwest throughout the 1990s, spray painted a smiley face on his victims. 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. The body of 23-year-old Taunja Bennett was found in this remote woodland near the Columbia Gorge in 1990. 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. Punched her, slapped her. Mahoney drove to the address, but Hurley was not there. She told investigators she drove them to a scenic overlook at the Columbia Gorge, where Sosnovske told her to pull over. 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. Revealed as the Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson confessed to killing eight women in Florida, California, Oregon, Wyoming, and Washington. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. 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. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. 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. His blood-alcohol concentrationwas only 0.08 percent. Jesperson was a. Daun Slagle is the sole survivor of the "Happy Face Killer." She is the only person to survive an attack by the infamous serial killer. And they were laughing," Pavlinac told investigators. I knew it had to be around there someplace. 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. 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 had dated before her before killing her on March 3, 1995 because he believed she was after his money. 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. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. Surveillance footage captured Booth entering the bar where the celebration took place, but there is no video evidence of him leaving. 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. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior. 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. There, he assaulted, beat and strangled her. And she [said], 'Well, they told me I had to tell you thisbecauseif I told you then they would believe me,'" Carpenter said. One of them was to a friend. A smiley face was found spray-painted near where Homans body was found. 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. Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. 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. The morning of October 2, Homan's body was found not far from the shore of the Mississippi River. Jesperson eventually settled in Selah, Washington with his wife and three children. 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. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior Brian Welzien went missing from Chicago, Illinois, after a night of celebrating Y2K with his friends. [21], Following Bennett's murder, as all the attention was going to Pavlinac and Sosnovske, Jesperson wrote a confession on the bathroom wall of a truck stop and signed it with a smiley face. "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. 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. [He said,] 'No, no. The night of his disappearance, Geib made several calls from his cell phone. , who became known for signing the letters with a happy face symbol thus the Happy Face Killer moniker. [00:02:14] Remains found in Merced County, California on June 3, 1993, belonged to a Jesperson victim he has said was called "Cindy." 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. [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. Questions Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice Hopes to Answer, A First Look at the Murder of Susan Berman. Her body disintegrated against the hot asphalt as he drove. Her body was found after his arrest. He left her remains in Nebraska, though Subrize was likely killed in Wyoming. Today's episode is part 1 of our coverage of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson. He was found guilty of killing Bennett, Pentland, and Winningham and was sentenced to six consecutive and concurrent sentences. They divorced in 1989. 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 says, 'Because I choked her' I said, 'I think weneed to take her to a hospital. But to Melissa Moore, he was more than just a serial killer . In both cases, and as per usual . She grew up in a small town in Washington state and survived the escalating violence from her home life and. She was killed in Washington state on March 10, 1995, and her body was discovered the next day. 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. Director Carl Hindmarch Stars Doug Bates Janine Brugnone Beghtol Rick Buckner See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 1 User review This led police agencies in several states to reopen old cases, many of which were found to be possible victims of Jesperson. One of the things about my dad - which made me very uncomfortable as a young woman - was that he was very explicit about his sexual relationships. First, she told investigators that she knew Sosnovske did it because she saw Bennett's body, said Ingram. She would pop in and pop out, and over the years, She was that type of person.". "She slapped him. Sosnovske pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and kidnapping charges to avoid the possibility of a death sentence and was sentenced to life in prison. "John That's the worst thing you've ever gotten yourself into," she told him.