went missing from Chicago, Illinois, after a night of celebrating Y2K with his friends. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. Jesperson met her in a bar in January 1995 and agreed to give her a ride before eventually killing her. Sometimes they even brag about it. 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. His brother gave this letter to law enforcement. The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department. According to former detective Kevin Gannon and Dr. Lee Gilbertson, Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the water. Keith grew to be a large, imposing man. "I consider this the most dangerous domestic terrorist group in the United States today," said Gannon. Best Known For: Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. She told investigators she had gone to the bar to meet Sosnovke, but Bennett was alive when she picked them up and both got in the car with her. He left her remains in Nebraska, though Subrize was likely killed in Wyoming. Victim 1: Taunja Bennett. Potential "Smiley Face Killers" victim Todd Geib. She then described how she watched Sosnovske have sex with Bennett while he directed her to hold a rope around her neck, and that she believed she pulled the rope too tight, killing Bennett. ". When that did not elicit a response, he began writing letters to the media and authorities. Homan was the eighth accidental drowning case in La Crosse over a nine-year period. She maintains a very private lifestyle, so not much is known about her. 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. [13] Police originally considered her death a drug overdose. 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. Search dogs scoured the downtown area where Homan was last seen alive. The term "smiley face" became connected to their theory when the team . "Now, I'm thinking, 'She's confessed she's pointed out the dump site, she's confessed to us on tape. According to Gannon and Gilbertson, Homan had various injuries on his head, hands and arms, and they theorized that a mark on his forehead may have been a footprint that was the result of Homan being held down. 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. He enjoyed watching animals kill each other as well as the feeling he got from taking their lives. 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. After getting in an argument with Bennett, he strangled her to death with his hands and disposed of her body. [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. 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. 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. . She was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison with a 10-year minimum served. But a few days later, they got another call from Pavlinac. That night, he had been celebrating a friend's 21st birthday with a group of friends. She'sgiveher the shirt off her back," McAlpine said. California 'Happy Face Killer' victim ID'd after 29 years Published: Apr. 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. I don't," Sosnovke is heard saying on the tape. Melissa G. Moore, Jesperson's older daughter, wrote Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killers Daughter (2009). Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. His fourth victim was another sex worker, Laurie Ann Pentland of Salem, Oregon, whose body was found in November 1992. Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as "The Happy Face Killer ," is serving a life sentence in prison today. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department announced. Her body, which had been strangled and tied up with duct tape, was found on August 30, 1992. At the time, Pavlinac said she was able to dupe authorities because she had learned details of the crime from newspaper articles and from reading the search warrant without police noticing. [8][16] This led Phil Stanford, the journalist working the story for The Oregonian, to dub Jesperson "The Happy Face Killer". The Happy Face Killer's eighth and final victim that would be his downfall. FILE - Accused murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson, dubbed the Happy Face Killer, right, listens to his attorney . PHOTO: Justice for Mason/Facebook. California 'Happy Face Killer' Victim ID'd After 29 Years Happy Face Killer victim's body identified after 29 years Keith Hunter Jesperson Now: The Happy Face Killer Today - Heavy.com Watch the full story on "20/20" THIS FRIDAY at 9 p.m. He claimed to have victims in five states: Washington, California, Florida, Wyoming and Oregon. [2] Jesperson's father was a domineering alcoholic; according to Jesperson, his paternal grandfather was prone to violence. On April 23 in Hamburg and the following weekend in Dusseldorf, the bodies of young men were retrieved from waterways. The last known sighting of the Duquesne University graduate student was caught on asurveillance camera in the downtown area. Victim 1:Taunja Bennett. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 45 colleged-aged males across a 20-year span. A "witchy" smiley face left at a murder site of the supposed "Smiley Face Serial Killer" seems to represent Charlie Manson. ". We need to report this, John.' Victim 5: California Jane Doe. Jesperson got away easily so long as he was killing women he did not know, but his impulsivity got the best of him, and eventually, he murdered someone he did knowhis own girlfriend. She would pop in and pop out, and over the years, She was that type of person.". He told investigatorshe could not remember anythingthat happened that night. Jesperson is currently serving a sentence of life without parole at the Oregon State Penitentiary. I had been worried about this for a long time. 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. This victim has been identified as Cynthia Lynn (Rose) Wilcox. The day of his disappearance, Homan had been celebrating Oktoberfest with his friends. Pavlinac had made the whole thing up. 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. Per Courthouse News Service, Slagle is a registered nurse and grandmother residing in Chico, Calif. He had given police officers the location of the victim's purse. Are the Smiley Face Killers Real? - A&E True Crime During the drive, Welzien started throwing up. Welzien's friends said he had only three or four drinks, but by the end of the night he seemed very intoxicated. Pavlinac's daughters said their mother "was never the same" after she divorced their father after discovering he left her for another woman. Rather than fall victim to the trauma surrounding her father's crimes and arrest, she processed the events. . According to police reports, one dog later hit on an an SUV owned by a local band member, who had played a show at the bar the night of Homan's disappearance, but the K9 alert was inconclusive. Jesperson worked as a truck driver to support the family. 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. 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. [He said,] 'No, no. She ran to get her mother, and when they returned, the kittens lay on the ground dead. Life After Happy Face on Apple Podcasts There, he assaulted, beat and strangled her. She changed her story again, this time to say she too was involved in Bennett's death. April 18, 2022, at 9:19 p.m. California 'Happy Face Killer' Victim ID'd After 29 Years. The Pittsburgh police theorized James fell into the river while crossing a bridge near the city center and drowned. 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. After Jesperson was in custody, he provided the location of Bennett's purse, which only the killer would know. The Untold Conspiracy Of The Smiley Face Murders - Grunge.com You could tell where people had been in and out, the vehicles and everything else, limbs broke. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. After a night of barhopping, Homan headed home at around 10 p.m. with a friend. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. [11] Jesperson gives the Jane Doe's name as Claudia. Canadian-American serial killer (born 1955), "Happy Face Killer" redirects here. 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. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The message was signed with a smiley face. Sosnovske would later plead no contest to the murder charge. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. 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. The Chilling Story Behind the 1999 Smiley Face Murders jocks) usually after a night of drinking at a bar are kidnapped, tortured, murdered and then their . The Insane Details of the Smiley Face Killers Theory - Cosmopolitan All Rights Reserved. "He says, 'Because I choked her' I said, 'I think weneed to take her to a hospital. After a series of letters are sent to the press, the killer earned the moniker, the Happy Face Killer. [27] In November 2014, she wrote an article about her father for the BBC.[28]. Taunja Bennett was the first to die. , who survived a violent encounter with Jesperson when she was 21. 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. On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. Smiley face murder theory - Wikipedia They divorced in 1989. Or 'I will cause trouble for your family. Kreuger, Peggy; Kendra Justice & Amy Hunt (March 2006). [1], At a very early ageas young as fiveJesperson would capture and torture animals. She was killed in Washington state on March 10, 1995, and her body was discovered the next day. Her sister Michelle White said Bennett was the only one in their family who graduated from high school, someone who read a lot and loved music. Pavlinac had been with Sosnovske, a farmhand 18 years her junior, for a decade when the Bennett case caught her attention in 1990. Victim 4:Laurie Ann Pentland, 26. 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. Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske are seen here in this 1985 family photo. New clues in alleged 'Smiley Face Killer' murders - FOX 32 Chicago And just like his British counterpart, the police denied . Jesperson murdered another woman in August 1992 at a Turlock, California truck stop. Jesperson claimed this still-unidentified woman as his fifth victim but told Phelps that he cant recall anything about her. 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. Punched her, slapped her. 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. Photo: 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. He had a relationship with his final victim and became a suspect after her body was discovered in March 1995. They believed his body traveled for almost 10 miles and even went through a dam before its discovery. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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 . [19] To avoid the possibility of facing the death penalty, Sosnovske pleaded no contest. The victims were predominately white, male, athletic ("3.5 and above star athletes," according to Gannon), and young from 17 to early 20s. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! While he has claimed to have killed as many as 160 people, only eight murders have been confirmed. [5], That desire manifested in two attempted murders. 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 . Smiley faces again served as his signature, prompting a journalist to dub Jesperson the "Happy Face Killer.". In the years following, Jesperson said he often thought about what it would be like to do the same to a human. Investigators believedhe could have walked to the edge of Lake Michigan, a five-minute walk from the hotel, and fallen in. Smiley Face Killer Theory: The Evidence For And Against "She was that kind of woman. B. Smiley Face Killers - Fact or Fiction? - Positively Pittsburgh 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]. She also examined her father's actions in the podcast Happy Face. 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. Detectives first became aware of Pavlinac when she anonymously called them to report that she overheard Sosnovske at a bar bragging about killing Bennett. [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. Mahoney drove to the address, but Hurley was not there. "I don't think she was in love with him. GILROY (CBS SF/AP) A victim of the Happy Face Killer has been identified nearly 30 years after her body was left near a rural Gilroy highway . "Happy Face Killer" victim identified almost 30 years after her body 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. 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. "She was very giving. Jesperson signed each letter with a smiley face. What doesn't make sense is that many of the 40 cases the investigators have looked into have puzzling evidence. 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. Her body was found on a roadside rock pile in Santa Nella, California. Jesperson was a middle child, with an older sister and brother and a younger sister and brother. That this never happened. April 19, 2022 / 7:43 AM / CBS San Francisco. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The Happy Face Killer | Medium Homan did not arrive for a golf outing the next day. In addition to murder, Jesperson's criminal history included animal cruelty, arson and sexual assault. Police have not saidif a smiley face was present near the death site. The morning of October 2, Homan's body was found not far from the shore of the Mississippi River.

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