"Madonna, that's what she listened to all day," White said. The Smiley Face Killers. Pavlinac seemed to know intimate details about the case. They were able to identify her as Skiple on April 13. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. Despite the distance between them, some detectives think that drownings are actually the work of a serial killer or group of serial killers. In 1975, when Jesperson was aged 20, he married Rose Hucke, and the couple had three children: two daughters and one son. The body of Julie Winningham, 41, of Camas, Washington, was found alongside a Washington State road in 1995. "I don't remember going to no gorge, dumping no body for God's sake. 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. After moving to Selah, Washington, United States, he had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. After a night of barhopping, Homan headed home at around 10 p.m. with a friend. Pavlinac and Sosnovske were released from prison in November 1995. 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. 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. 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. The Insane Details of the Smiley Face Killers Theory; The Most Recent Alleged Smiley Face Killers' Victims Highlight How Long This Theory Has . When she arrived, however, he was nowhere in sight. "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. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. In these supposed "Smiley Face" serial killings, popular, high-achieving, athletic young men (i.e. And she [said], 'Well, they told me I had to tell you thisbecauseif I told you then they would believe me,'" Carpenter said. Jesperson signed each letter with a smiley face. But in the process, she also falsely implicated herself. 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. 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. Welzien's friends said he had only three or four drinks, but by the end of the night he seemed very intoxicated. The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department. "He says, 'Because I choked her' I said, 'I think weneed to take her to a hospital. Questions Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice Hopes to Answer, A First Look at the Murder of Susan Berman. In the years following, Jesperson said he often thought about what it would be like to do the same to a human. ", This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 19:00. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an early age which included torturing animals and attacking other 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. Alcohol and antidepressants were foundin Geib's toxicology screen, but it was reported thatGeib was not sufferingfrom any form of depression at the time. And that's how I remember her," said Melissa Gavin, her longtime friend. This led police agencies in several states to reopen old cases, many of which were found to be possible victims of Jesperson. He was sentenced to life in prison while Pavlinac was sentenced to no less than ten years, much more than she had anticipated. Over the past 20 years, hundreds of college-aged men across the US have died as the result of undetermined or accidental drownings. Homan and his friend somehow got separated during their walk home, and his friend ended up at the ER detox with a head injury after being picked up by police. His death was ruled an accidental drowning, andthe autopsy report noted"acute alcohol intoxication was a major contributing factor.". "I said 'Why is she dead?'" 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 . According to detectives Anthony Duarte and Kevin Gannon, the Smiley Face Theory came into . Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. "I [had] seen all these tracks and all this and that. He received multiple life sentences for several of these crimes but was spared the death penalty. "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. Photo: [27] In November 2014, she wrote an article about her father for the BBC.[28]. Jespersons heinous crimes as well as shocking twists in the case including a, couple who took the blame for one of his homicides. "She was very giving. 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. 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. The team believes the serial killers are highly sophisticated and communicate with each other on the dark web. 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. While he has claimed to have killed as many as 160 people, only eight murders have been confirmed. Welzien told his friends he wanted to call it a night and go back to the hotel where they were staying. He has said he strangled her because she wouldn't let him sleep. 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. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. Gannon, Duarte, Donovan and Gilbertson claim an organized group of serial killers would drug unsuspecting victims at a bar or party then abduct, hold and torture the victims before finally killing and dumping the bodies in water. Jesperson was born on April 6, 1955, in British Columbia, Canada. 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. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior. The man said "99 Nashua Street, and Hurley said his cell phone battery was going dead. 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. Hurley's mother received a copy of the autopsy report and allowed aphysician to analyze the report. Jesperson's first victim, 23-year-old Taunja Bennett, was killed on January 21, 1990. 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. Authorities came to believe they had convicted the wrong people. Keith Hunter Jesperson committed his first murder in 1990. Her real name remains a mystery. When Mahoney called Hurley to find out where he was waiting, Mahoney said he answered the phone, and she heard him ask someone where he was located. Here's what the evidence says. More than 25 years have passed since the ordeal, and in that time, both Sosnovske and Pavlinac have died. All drowned after getting intoxicated. The body of 23-year-old Taunja Bennett was found in this remote woodland near the Columbia Gorge in 1990. The body of a woman found near Gilroy, California was this week identified as Patricia Skiple, a victim of the Happy Face Killer. According to former detective Kevin Gannon and Dr. Lee Gilbertson, Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the water. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. After a series of letters are sent to the press, the killer earned the moniker, the Happy Face Killer. He enjoyed watching animals kill each other as well as the feeling he got from taking their lives. On October 8, 2009, Hurley went to the game with two friends. 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. In reality, smiley face is a joyous symbol to convey happiness and joy, which is used everywhere from message chatting to letters to wall decoration in our daily lives. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. On 30 August 1992, the currently unidentified body of a woman Jesperson had raped and strangled was found near Blythe, California, United States. He had been questioned by police a week before, but they had no grounds to arrest him after he refused to talk. They'd mostly all been college-aged, popular, and athletic. The "Smiley Face Killer" may or may not be a killer or group of killers who've murdered at least three dozen drunken white college-aged males, dumped their bodies in waterways, and taunted police by drawing a smiley face near the crime scene. His victims, who were often raped and strangled, included short-term acquaintances, sex workers and a girlfriend. When she arrived, however, he was nowhere in sight. He duct-taped her mouth and hands before raping and strangling her. 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. Officials did not implicate the band member in Homan's death. 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. 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. 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]. . Jesperson had dated before her before killing her on March 3, 1995 because he believed she was after his money. Jesperson sent the photo to the Duquesne University students. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. She also examined her father's actions in the podcast Happy Face. , 24, disappeared on January 19, 2008 from a bar in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania. A journalist noticed the symbol and came up with the Happy Face Killer nickname. [20], On 7 January 1996, more than five years after their conviction, Pavlinac and Sosnovske were released from prison after Jesperson and his attorney offered his confession with convincing evidence of his guilt. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Upset that he was not getting any media attention, Jesperson drew a smiley face on a bathroom wall hundreds of miles from the scene of the crime and wrote an anonymous letter confessing to Bennett's murder, providing proof. He was reported missing later that day by his mother, and a massive manhunt ensued. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. He strapped the woman beneath his big rig, the New York Post reported. 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. Victim 8: Julia Ann Winningham, 41. Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California. In 2019, investigators began utilizing genetic genealogy in an attempt to identify Blue Pacheco, partnering with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project. A smiley face was found spray painted on an underpass near where James body was discovered. This led Jesperson to violently attack Martin until his father pulled him away. 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. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. The production features interviews betweenJesperson and M. William Phelps, author Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.Italso features an interview with Daun Slagel, who survived a violent encounter with Jesperson when she was 21. The night of his disappearance, Geib made several calls from his cell phone. of Victims 8-185 killed 5 attempted Span of crimes 1995/1966-March 10, 1995 (confirmed) Criminal Charges The oldest child, Melissa, was ten years old. Now 66, Jesperson is serving five non-consecutive life sentences in Oregon's state penitentiary. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The only difference was that the American version, operating in the Midwest throughout the 1990s, spray painted a smiley face on his victims. Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada and is a serial killer. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. 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. Homan did not arrive for a golf outing the next day. 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. Jesperson worked as a truck driver to support the family. Patrick McNeill is thought to be the first victim of the Smiley Face Killers. After the murder, Jesperson remembered they'd spent days together and he'd let her use a credit card. On Monday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff . 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. When that did not elicit a response, he began writing letters to the media and authorities. Jesperson claimed this still-unidentified woman as his fifth victim but told Phelps that he cant recall anything about her. "The Smiley Face Killers" movie was . Victim 6: Florida Jane Doe. He was caught after killing his 41-year-old girlfriend, Julie Ann Winningham, in 1995. 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.