Director Carl Hindmarch Stars Doug Bates Janine Brugnone Beghtol Rick Buckner See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 1 User review Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson? Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. The Untold Conspiracy Of The Smiley Face Murders - Grunge.com 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, , 26. 45 colleged-aged males across a 20-year span. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. The footage captured James entering a dark alley, and that was the last time he was seen alive. Soon after his injury was when Keith started to kill. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He received multiple life sentences for several of these crimes but was spared the death penalty. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. 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. , who became known for signing the letters with a happy face symbol thus the Happy Face Killer moniker. What are your thoughts on the 'smiley face murders' theory? Punched her, slapped her. In September 1994, the body of a woman was found in Florida. Victim 1: Taunja Bennett. 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. His death was ruleda probable drowning, and there wereno signs of trauma. Jespersons heinous crimes as well as shocking twists in the case including a, couple who took the blame for one of his homicides. Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the Happy Face Killer, nearly 30 years after her murder. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Her body was found on a roadside rock pile in Santa Nella, California. Keith Hunter Jesperson committed his first murder in 1990. They met at a truck stop in Corning, California. And that's how I remember her," said Melissa Gavin, her longtime friend. She found out that her son had reportedly suffered blunt force trauma to the head, his eye socket and behind his left leg. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. The production features interviews between, Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.. The area had been searched repeatedly in the weeks before his body was discovered, but no one had seen Booth. 'Happy Face Killer' victim identified after 29 years as Oregon woman Jesperson grew up in Chilliwack, Canada before moving to Selah, Washington with his family when he was 12. 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 then sought work again as an interstate truck driver after relocating to Cheney, Washington. In November 1992, Jesperson had an encounter with sex worker Laurie Anne Pentland at a truck stop. 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. After the murder, Jesperson remembered they'd spent days together and he'd let her use a credit card. As she and Sosnovske started their life sentences, one of the United States' most notorious serial killers continued his murder spree. Hunting Down Privileged Men: The Smiley Face Killings In addition to murder, Jesperson's criminal history included animal cruelty, arson and sexual assault. Before his arrest, he also wrote a letter to his brother that admitted, "I am sorry that I turned out this way. "I consider this the most dangerous domestic terrorist group in the United States today," said Gannon. Pentlands body was found in November 1992 after being discarded in Salem, Oregon. April 19, 2022, 7:31 PM PDT. ET on ABC. 10 Twisted and Unbelievable Facts About the Happy Face Killer At age 35, Keith was 6'7.5" tall and weighed 240lbs. In these supposed "Smiley Face" serial killings, popular, high-achieving, athletic young men (i.e. His victims, who were often raped and strangled, included short-term acquaintances, sex workers and a girlfriend. Victim 4:Laurie Ann Pentland, 26. Julie Winningham is seen here in this undated photo. Sometimes they even brag about it. "John That's the worst thing you've ever gotten yourself into," she told him. To learn more about this case, watch Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, streaming now on Oxygen. [7] Jesperson continued to spend time with his children when he was in town. 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." He never made it home. 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. [6] Approximately one year later, Jesperson was swimming in a lake when another boy held him underwater until he blacked out. Investigators said there wasno sign of foul play, and his death was ruled an undetermined drowning. [26], In 2008, Moore published a book titled Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter. "I said 'Why is she dead?'" 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While many believe their deaths are just that accidental former NYPD detectives Kevin Gannon, Michael Donovan, Anthony Duarte and professor of criminal justice Dr. Lee Gilbertson are convinced that most of these drownings are homicides. The body of a woman found near Gilroy, California was this week identified as Patricia Skiple, a victim of the Happy Face Killer. 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. whos serving multiple concurrent sentences in Oregon State Penitentiary. Kreuger, Peggy; Kendra Justice & Amy Hunt (March 2006). 9 Currently Active Serial Killers: Unsolved Cases in 2020 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. Jesperson sent the photo to the Duquesne University students. Jesperson eventually settled in Selah, Washington with his wife and three children. Several years later, Hucke began to suspect Jesperson was having affairs when strange women would call. Safety in numbers is the name of the game, before, during and after a night out on the town. "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. 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. He slapped her. A television movie, Happy Face Killer, starring David Arquette as Jesperson, aired in 2014. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Bennett was found strangled to death near a scenic overlook at the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. In November 1995, a judge released Pavlinac and Sosnovske from prison. Now 66, Jesperson is serving five non-consecutive life sentences in Oregon's state penitentiary. Sosnovske pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California. T he Smiley Face death toll continues to climb, this time in Germany. Because Jesperson allowed her to use his credit card to make a phone call, he devised a depraved way to conceal her identity. 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.