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. I wanted to get those two people out of prison," he said in 1995, referring to Pavlinac and Sosnovske. They had three children, two girls and a boy. Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. John Ingram, who worked on the case. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. [18], Early in the investigation of Bennett's murder, Laverne Pavlinac read the news reports surrounding Bennett's death and saw it as an opportunity to force an end to the long-term abusive relationship she had been in with her live-in boyfriend, John Sosnovske. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. I'm thinking, 'My God, she is actually involved in this,'" Ingram said. . One New York serial killer has been plying his grisly trade for over twenty years now, killing at least ten victims between 1996 and 2010, and possibly more we haven't yet discovered. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 18, 2022, 3:19 p.m. Patricia Skiple, who lived in Colton, Oregon, has been identified as a victim of Keith Jesperson, the "Happy Face Killer," almost 30 years after Skiple's body . Pentlands body was found in November 1992 after being discarded in Salem, Oregon. After he strangled them, he dumped the dead bodies on the side of the road. ". His brother gave this letter to law enforcement. 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. . In the summer of 1992, Jesperson met "Claudia" at a truck checkpoint in California. Despite the distance between them, some detectives think that drownings are actually the work of a serial killer or group of serial killers. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Skiple was known to family and friends as Patsy, according to the sheriffs department. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. She was a previously-unidentified woman named Patricia Skiple,[12] who, he claimed, was named "Carla" or "Cindy". 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. This included beatings, sometimes with a belt in front of others, and in one case he received an electric shock. Jesperson married Rose Hucke on August 2, 1975. Jesperson claims he killed her after she tried to double charge him for sex, according to Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer., Because Jesperson allowed her to use his credit card to make a phone call, he devised a depraved way to conceal her identity. Victim 7: Angela Subrize, 21. We need to report this, John.' Jesperson killed his next victim in June 1993 in Santa Nella, California. Welzien told his friends he wanted to call it a night and go back to the hotel where they were staying. The day of his disappearance, Homan had been celebrating Oktoberfest with his friends. [2] Jesperson's father was a domineering alcoholic; according to Jesperson, his paternal grandfather was prone to violence. Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson? [1] April 19, 2022 / 7:43 AM / CBS San Francisco. Cloud State University. Welzien's friends said he had only three or four drinks, but by the end of the night he seemed very intoxicated. ET on ABC. Her actual identity is unknown, but "Susanna" which Jesperson has stated may have been her name was confirmed to be one of his victims because he knew about the tie wraps found around her throat. She told investigators she drove them to a scenic overlook at the Columbia Gorge, where Sosnovske told her to pull over. [10][14], Jesperson was arrested on 30 March 1995 for the murder of Julie Winningham. Jesperson's last victim was Julie Winningham, who'd been his girlfriend. He later claimed his intention was to kill the boy. Jesperson met her in a bar in January 1995 and agreed to give her a ride before eventually killing her. 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. Pavlinac then confessed to her. "I consider this the most dangerous domestic terrorist group in the United States today," said Gannon. A smiley face was found spray painted on an underpass near where James body was discovered. The message was signed with a smiley face. 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. Victim 6: Florida Jane Doe. You can find episodes of Serial Killers and all other Spotify originals from podcast for free on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. [8][16] This led Phil Stanford, the journalist working the story for The Oregonian, to dub Jesperson "The Happy Face Killer". 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Today's episode is part 1 of our coverage of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson. 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. Their house bordered an apple orchard, and Jesperson killed stray cats and gophers that wandered nearby. On 30 August 1992, the currently unidentified body of a woman Jesperson had raped and strangled was found near Blythe, California, United States. She also examined her father's actions in the podcast Happy Face. In November 1995, a judge released Pavlinac and Sosnovske from prison. In the years following, Jesperson said he often thought about what it would be like to do the same to a human. According to former detective Kevin Gannon and Dr. Lee Gilbertson, Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the water. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. Pavlinac had been with Sosnovske, a farmhand 18 years her junior, for a decade when the Bennett case caught her attention in 1990. [8], In November 2008, Jesperson's daughter, Melissa G. Moore, appeared on Dr. Phil to talk about her father. I thought, 'Oh my God, it felt like I put my mother in jail.'". As a child, he was cruel to animals he killed cats and snakes and, under the guise of hunting, inflicted pain on creatures like deer, rabbits, and coyotes. What doesn't make sense is that many of the 40 cases the investigators have looked into have puzzling evidence. California investigators have identified a victim of the West Coast's notorious "Happy Face Killer" nearly 30 years after her body was discovered near a highway in 1993, officials recently . Geib's body was found three weeks later in a lake that had previously been searched. Meanwhile, the real killer carried out a series of murders over five years. He was sentenced to life in prison while Pavlinac was sentenced to no less than ten years, much more than she had anticipated. At school, Jesperson was bigger than his classmates and was taunted with names like "Monster Man" and "Igor." Melissa Moore's father, known as the Happy Face Killer, murdered eight or more women. When she arrived, however, he was nowhere in sight. 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. Jesperson claims he killed her after she tried to double charge him for sex, according to Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer.. Because of their relationship, authorities connected her death to him. 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. Various witnesses outside the hotel saw Welzien vomiting in the street. Jesperson was a. 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. At the time of the incident, the females body was dressed in blue clothing and her identity was unknown, they wrote. Potential "Smiley Face Killers" victim Todd Geib. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. , who survived a violent encounter with Jesperson when she was 21. She had changed her story so many times that investigators said they wondered if she was telling the truth. He has said he strangled her because she wouldn't let him sleep. April 18, 2022, at 9:19 p.m. California 'Happy Face Killer' Victim ID'd After 29 Years. Jesperson signed each letter with a smiley face. I have been a killer for five years and have killed eight people." 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). Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the "Happy Face Killer," nearly 30 years after her murder. I think that she was at a bad place in her life," said her daughter Darlene Carpenter. Revealed as the Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson confessed to killing eight women in Florida, California, Oregon, Wyoming, and Washington. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. They'd mostly all been college-aged, popular, and athletic. "I sometimes now wonder, if he was freed now, if he was released, would he kill again? She then reported Hurley missing, and various searches were conducted. 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. Editor Note: This is rerun of 2018 post. Jesperson has said that he took 166 lives, but only the above eight murders have been attributed to him. When investigators asked him why he decided to come forward, Jesperson listed two reasons. A smiley face was found spray-painted near where Homans body was found. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. The two would often get into trouble together, and Jesperson claimed he was often punished many times for things Martin had done and shifted the blame. James' body, however, had almost no visible damage, which was highly suspicious because it had traveled through heavily trafficked river. 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. "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. He had been questioned by police a week before, but they had no grounds to arrest him after he refused to talk. Jesperson had dated before her before killing her on March 3, 1995 because he believed she was after his money. His last known victim was a woman he dated, which led to his capture and, During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous. She found out that her son had reportedly suffered blunt force trauma to the head, his eye socket and behind his left leg. Alcohol and antidepressants were foundin Geib's toxicology screen, but it was reported thatGeib was not sufferingfrom any form of depression at the time. He tries to paint the victim as someone who needed to be killed, Phelps, whose nearly decade-long relationship with the killer gives him insight into Jespersons mind, told producers. Per Courthouse News Service, Slagle is a registered nurse and grandmother residing in Chico, Calif. The couple divorced in 1990.[8]. This led police agencies in several states to reopen old cases, many of which were found to be possible victims of Jesperson. Updated: Mar 3, 2021 (1955-) Who Is Keith Hunter. On September 29, 2006, 21-year-old Lucas Homan vanished from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Keith grew to be a large, imposing man. 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. ". The Smiley Face Killers. Jesperson, also called the "Happy Face Killer", who is serving two life sentences in Oregon in connection with guilty pleas to two murders. He decided to drag her body underneath his truck to impede identification. The victims were predominately white, male, athletic ("3.5 and above star athletes," according to Gannon), and young from 17 to early 20s. 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. His friends went up to their room and never saw Welzien again. "Madonna, that's what she listened to all day," White said. That this never happened. After getting in an argument with Bennett, he strangled her to death with his hands and disposed of her body. The oldest child, Melissa, was ten years old. Remains found in Merced County, California on June 3, 1993, belonged to a Jesperson victim he has said was called "Cindy." Laverne Pavlinac convinced investigators she and John Sosnovske had killed Taunja Bennett, when they hadn't. Julie Winningham is seen here in this undated photo. A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. The killers always leave a signature smiley face near the location of the body. 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. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! They met at a truck stop in Corning, California. I'll go to death row.'". For example, the Canadian-American serial killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the . That night, he had been celebrating a friend's 21st birthday with a group of friends. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. Laverne Pavlinac is seen here showing investigators where Taunja Bennett's body was found, even though she had nothing to do with the crime. [4] Because of this, Jesperson was a shy child, content to play by himself much of the time. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. He never made it home. The team believes the serial killers are highly sophisticated and communicate with each other on the dark web. Sometime around 1957, Glatman posted Lonely Hearts adverts in newspapers to lure his victims in addition to prowling modeling agencies in Los Angeles, eventually posing as a photographer himself. 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. [6] Approximately one year later, Jesperson was swimming in a lake when another boy held him underwater until he blacked out. Remembering the first known victim of Happy Face serial killer. On April 23 in Hamburg and the following weekend in Dusseldorf, the bodies of young men were retrieved from waterways. 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 purse had not been found at the crime scene, and its location was considered information only the killer would know. 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. I don't," Sosnovke is heard saying on the tape. Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson. Over the past 20 years, hundreds of college-aged men across the US have died as the result of undetermined or accidental drownings. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He never made it home. In April 1990, he sexually assaulted a woman who managed to escape. That letter-writer turned out to be. Victims of the Smiley Face Killer | Photo Credits: Oxygen The Team of Men that Came Up With the Theory. By Tim Stelloh. "She was that kind of woman. Pavlinac's daughters said their mother "was never the same" after she divorced their father after discovering he left her for another woman. 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. Pieces of his artwork have been seen on "murderabilia" sites. Jesperson murdered another woman in August 1992 at a Turlock, California truck stop. The Insane Details of the Smiley Face Killers Theory; The Most Recent Alleged Smiley Face Killers' Victims Highlight How Long This Theory Has . All calls are toll-free and confidential. Patrick McNeill is thought to be the first victim of the Smiley Face Killers. 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. Questions Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice Hopes to Answer, A First Look at the Murder of Susan Berman. 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. [6] He graduated from high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it. Watch Happy Face Killer on Lifetime Movie Club. [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 had a relationship with his final victim and became a suspect after her body was discovered in March 1995. After Jesperson came forward in March 1995, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges for Bennett and Winningham of Camas, Washington, his last known victim. [7] Jesperson continued to spend time with his children when he was in town. Brown also believes that the smiley face images found in some of the cases are likely nothing more than coincidences based upon making a guess at where the body entered the water and searching a wide . They believed his body traveled for almost 10 miles and even went through a dam before its discovery. Published: Apr. Or 'I will cause trouble for your family. He left bodies in Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska and Washington while working as a long-haul truck driver. That's when they said she implicated herself in the murder, according to Det. During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous confessions signed with a smiley face. The footage captured James entering a dark alley, and that was the last time he was seen alive. Jespersons fifth victim was known only as Susanne, whom he met in Crestview, Florida. Their work has spawned an Oxygen series, Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice, which aired in January 2019. 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. Her body disintegrated against the hot asphalt as he drove. Her body was found after his arrest. 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." 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. He strangled her and left her corpse in Oregon. "[Julie] was beautiful inside as well as outside. that, using genetic genealogy, they were able to identify a body found in 1993 as Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon. Here's what the evidence says. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. His friend told him to get out of the car while he parked. "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. He is now 66 years old, according to his prison records. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. [13] Police originally considered her death a drug overdose. Six days after his disappearance,Hurley's body was foundin the Charles River, close to where he asked Mahoney to pick him up. The Smiley Face Killer. When the body of Taunja Bennett was found along the side of an Oregon highway in 1990, investigators never imagined that it would lead to the capture of a vicious serial killer. [17] He was convicted of another murder and received a fourth life sentence in January 2010. 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. Homan did not arrive for a golf outing the next day. Dubbed the Long Island Serial Killer or the Craigslist Ripper, the extent of these unsolved crimes is still unknown. A television movie, Happy Face Killer, starring David Arquette as Jesperson, aired in 2014. "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. One of them was to a friendwho said she heard Geib say, "I'm in a field" before the call dropped. Victim 8: Julia Ann Winningham, 41. [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. "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. Her body, which had been strangled and tied up with duct tape, was found on August 30, 1992. Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California. 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. Taunja Bennett, 23, is seen here in this undated photo. 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. Jespersons heinous crimes as well as shocking twists in the case including a, couple who took the blame for one of his homicides. 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. [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. of Victims 8-185 killed 5 attempted Span of crimes 1995/1966-March 10, 1995 (confirmed) Criminal Charges They divorced in 1989. In 1990, Taunja Bennett was found dead near a scenic overlook at the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. In 1975, when Jesperson was aged 20, he married Rose Hucke, and the couple had three children: two daughters and one son. 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. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. After Jesperson was in custody, he provided the location of Bennett's purse, which only the killer would know. "Now, I'm thinking, 'She's confessed she's pointed out the dump site, she's confessed to us on tape. 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. 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. In. At her trial, Pavlinac recanted her confession, but the jury found her guilty. 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. "I don't remember going to no gorge, dumping no body for God's sake. More than 25 years have passed since the ordeal, and in that time, both Sosnovske and Pavlinac have died. 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. "Theyhave her tell me the story and I looked at her again, and I said, 'Mom, are you sure?' This victim has been identified as Cynthia Lynn (Rose) Wilcox. B. "I said 'Why is she dead?'" Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. 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." Pavlinac told investigators during her last recorded statement on Feb. 26, 1990. 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". Buddy up at all times. When that did not elicit a response, he began writing letters to the media and authorities. Other students hold photos of Mr. Jesperson's victims. Moore recounts living with Jesperson until her parents' 1990 divorce, and noticing how her father was different when she was in elementary school. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV.