Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson?
THE Happy Face Killer terrorized women in the 90s, killing them and then dumping their bodies in ditches or on the side of the road.
The infamous serial killer's case has been featured and studied in an array of programs — here's everything to know about him.
Who is the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson?
Keith Hunter Jesperson is a notorious serial killer from the 90s who was born in 1955 in British Columbia, Canada.
He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an early age which included torturing animals and attacking other children.
Jesperson eventually settled in Selah, Washington with his wife and three children.
He split from his wife in 1990 after 15 years of marriage, the same year he killed his first victim.
The murderer was known as the Happy Face Killer because he drew smiley faces in his many letters to the media and authorities.
His last victim was the crime that ultimately led to his capture.
After realizing he was about to be arrested, Jesperson turned himself in hoping it would result in leniency during his sentencing.
Who were his victims?
Jesperson killed eight women between 1990 and 1995.
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While he has claimed to have killed as many as 185 people, only eight murders have been confirmed.
Here is everything to know about each victim - although some are still unidentified to this day:
Taunja Bennett
Jesperson's first victim was Taunja Bennett.
He met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon.
On January 21, 1990, after taking her to his rental place, plans to have sex went awry and he “beat her senseless,” he told author M. William Phelps - who wrote Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.
After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland.
California Jane Doe
Jesperson’s second victim, known only as Claudia, was found murdered on August 30, 1992, in Blythe, California.
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. That triggered him.
He duct-taped her mouth and hands before raping and strangling her.
Cynthia Lyn Rose
Cynthia Lyn Rose, 32, was found dead in September 1992.
Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California.
Jesperson claims she was a sex worker who climbed into his truck, even though he told her he wasn’t interested in her services.
Laurie Ann Pentland
Laurie Ann Pentland, 26. Pentland’s body was found in November 1992 after being discarded in Salem, Oregon.
Jesperson claims he killed her after she tried to double-charge him for sex.
Another California Jane Doe
Jesperson claimed this still-unidentified woman as his fifth victim but told Phelps that he couldn’t recall anything about her.
Her body was found on a roadside rock pile in Santa Nella, California.
Florida Jane Doe
Jesperson’s fifth victim was known only as Susanne, whom he met in Crestview, Florida.
Jesperson described murdering her, like other women he killed, as “putting her out of her misery.”
Angela Subrize
Jesperson met Angela Subrize, 21 in a bar in January 1995 and agreed to give her a ride before eventually killing her.
Because Jesperson allowed her to use his credit card to make a phone call, he devised a depraved way to conceal her identity.
“He strapped the woman beneath his big rig,” the reported. “Her body disintegrated against the hot asphalt as he drove.” Her body was found after his arrest.
Julia Ann Winningham
Jesperson had dated Julia Ann Winningham, 41, before killing her on March 3, 1995, because he believed she was after his money.
Because of their relationship, authorities connected her death to him.
“When contacted by sheriff’s detectives, he said he had gagged her with duct tape, raped her in the sleeping cab of his rig, and strangled her,” reported the .
Where is the Happy Face Killer now?
Jesperson is serving three consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem.
In September 2009, Jesperson was indicted and extradited to Riverside County, California, on murder charges in December 2009.
He was convicted of another murder and received a fourth life sentence in January 2010.
In November 2021, Netflix featured the Happy Face Killer in their original series Catching Killers.
The Happy Face KIller's story features in two parts in episodes 3 and 4.
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Additionally, ABC's 20/20 will re-air their episode on Jeperson's case called Sincerely, the Happy Face Killer, on Friday, August 25, 2023.
The rerun is set to premiere on ABC at 9pm ET.