The Happy Face Killer

Keith Hunter Jespersen

“I know how to kill someone and get away with it.”

Why was he called the happy face killer? Why did he start killing?

He wrote letters to the media confessing to the murders.

It started with a six page letter to the police and would sign each with a happy face.

Wrote a confession to the murder of Taunja Bennett (1st victim). (more info on the subject to come)

He started his 5 year killing spree when his wife got a divorce.

He was a truck driver and would engage women into small talk gain their trust, then rape, strangle, murder them and the dump the bodies far away from the area they were killed at.

Happy face killer.com and Department of psychology Radford VA

How he operated

He was a truck driver and would engage women into small talk gain their trust, then rape, strangle, murder them and the dump the bodies far away from the area they were killed at.

Basic information

Born April 16 1995

Serial killer from 1990-1995

Locations from , California, Washington Florida, and Oregon.

8 victims all women ages 21,23,26,32,40,and 41.

Strangle and rape his victims.

Caught by police march 30 1995.

Convicted October 1995.

Department of psychology Radford VA

True crime report.com.

Childhood

Born April 6 1995 in British Columbia

At the age of 5 he began killing small animals (cats, He would bash in gopher heads,)

He suffered from both psyological and psychological abuse from his father.

His father shocked him in a greenhouse with 12 volts however Keith claims it was 220 volts. His father was also a drunk and looked down on women.

He started shoplifting in 7th grade.

Never went to collage IQ of 102.

Shot an arrow with exploding tip at the house of one of his teachers at the age of 14.

Department of psychology Radford VA

Taunja Bennett victim #1.

Taunja Bennett was 23 years old. She met Keith at a bar in Portland Oregon on January 23 1990.

He offered to buy her a drink and then the went to his house and things took a wrong turn.

He placed his hand around her neck then strangled her with rope and watched the life leave her body.

After killing her he went to the bar had a few more drinks then returned home to retrieve the body, he then drove outside of Portland to the Colombia river gourge near crown point and dumped the body.

Her body was found a few days later.

Department of psychology Radford VA

Victim #2, and 3

Claudia AKA, (Jane Doe) in Blythe, California. She was raped and choked to death. Between July or August 1992. even though murderpedia said august.

Cynthia Lyn rose, Keith killed her because according to him she snuck into his truck when he was sleeping and wanted sex . He told her he was not interested. He later told police when he sent a letter that said she was a prostitute that he picked up and murdered. Body found September 1992.

Serial killer pod cast, murderpedia.

Victim #4, 5, and 6.

Laurie Ann Pentland was murdered when she wanted to charged him double the price for sex and threatened to call the police first week of November 1992. in Salem, Oregon.

Jane doe 1993 police thought she died of a drug overdose. Body found in Santa nella, California.

The Doe Network: says Jespersen killed 10-12 women and it was in Santa Clara not Santa nella like Department of psychology Radford VA. Said.

Jane doe found west of crestwiew, Florida September 14 1994. Keith claimed her name was Susanne.

Jane doe Reconstruction of Victim believed to be Jane doe 1993.

Jane doe- name given to someone dead if they can not be identified.

Victim #7. Angela surbrize.

Keith Jespersen picked up Angela near Spokane Washington in January 1995.

Rode with him for a week; Her plan was to get a ride to Indiana to see her boyfriend. He raped and then strangled her

Then when you thought it could not get any more dreadful it took a turn for the worse.

He tied her body underneath his truck face down and drove to grind off her face and prints.

Department of psychology Radford VA.

Victim #8 Julie Anne Winningham, His fiancée

He was engaged to her however she just wanted him for his money

They were together when he was a serial killer, but she did not know he was committing murder.

He choked her to death in Washington on march 10 1995.

This was his last murder.

The reason he was caught was because he had a connection to this victim

A woman named Dawn slagle told police his name was Keith jesperson

To be continued……..

The One That Lived Dawn Slagle

A young woman just had an argument with her husband on a late night, and needed time to calm down so she took her baby and went for a walk.

A man approached her, and said “Hello my name is Keith Jespersen, it’s cold out side tonight you don’t want your baby to get cold, why don’t you come sit in the truck and I can give you a ride home”.

Even though she had a bad feeling she agreed and decided to let him help, and give her a ride back home.

To be continued……..Married to a serial killer Sunday night news.com

The One That Lived Dawn Slagle

Once she was in the truck she soon regretted her decision

He demanded sexual intercourse and she refused, He then grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the truck window.

Her baby started crying and according to Dawn “his mood changed and he said to her the following words.

“Don’t ever get in a car with another person you don’t know again because it might be the last thing you do.”

She said that my baby saved my life that day.

His only mistake was reveling his name and led to his arrest.

Married to a serial killer Sunday night news.com

False suspects

Laverne pavlinac read about the first murder, she came up with a plan to use Bennett's case to her advantage to end her 10 year abuse from her boyfriend.

She made anonymous tips to police saying her boyfriend killed Bennett, She also later changed her story. Saying that they both met her at a bar and her boyfriend raped Bennett and murdered her.

When the police interviewed the boyfriend he denied the claims of his girlfriend.

she put in the trunk of her car the items located in the search warrant. Police later determined they were planted as false evidence.

National registry of exonerations

False suspects

Police then took her to the gorge to see if she could point out locations only the police and killer would know.

However they were arrested she was in January 1991. sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 10 years. He was sentenced to life in prison in march 1991.

When Keith Jesperson found they were taking credit for his work he accomplished, he confessed and told police where her purse was, sure enough it was him, since Laverne could not tell the police where it was.

The judge refused to vacate her conviction by punishing her for abuse of the Judicial system.

They were released on November 27 1995.

Location of the purse.

The clue on the Bathroom wall

When jesperson found about Laverne and john taking credit for his work he wrote a confession to the murder of Taunja Bennett on the bathroom wall of a truck stop signed with a happy face.

Letters

His Daughter

Melissa Moore is the daughter of Keith Jespersen.

Wrote a book called “Shattered silence the unknown story of a serial killers daughter”.

She said that when she brought kittens home one day she wittinessed first hand an experience she will never forget.

She brought the kittens home with her and she wanted to show her parents like most kids do. She then saw her father grab them by the tail and hang them on the clothes line in the yard. She said she got scared and ran into the house to tell her mother, however when they got outside it was to late and the cats were dead on the ground.

Some conversations between her and her father were awkward. EX #1. "One time as we were driving up the old scenic highway,

my father said, 'I know how to kill someone and get away with it,'" EX #2. "The same route that we would take going to the Oregon

coast is where he disposed of the first victim,"

http://a.abcnews.com/images/2020/abc_2020_webcast1_100819_wn.jpg

What She Witnessed

Keith Jespersen today sentenced to life in prison in the Oregon State

Penitentiary. He is serving life without parole.  Interview with date line NBC. Were you treated fairly when you turned

yourself in or were you like the guys being thrown to the ground on the T.V. show "Cops"? 

When the Sheriff's arrived, I walked over to them and told them who I was. The Wilcox, Arizona sheriff's treated me with respect. Handcuffed me in front and loosely-not cinching tight. Matter of fact, most police agencies have treated me with the same respect that I have shown to them. I know it could go the other way if I started to react the other way. I'm a big guy and it would only create a bigger hassle for me to be uncooperative in my daily routine. 

 http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Dr-Phil-Helps-a-Serial-Killers-Daughter/3#ixzz2wGkL6UAC

Movie

In 2014 the lifetime movie network produced a movie about Keith Jespersen called “The Happy Face Killer.

It premiered on march 1st 2014.

David Arquette portrayed Keith Jespersen.

Keith Jespersen Portrayed in the lifetime movie Network

IMDB.com

Serial killers statistics.