HAPPY FACE KILLER PHONE INTERVIEW

Transcribed BY Christi Punteney

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Question One

Brittany: Hi Keith, this is Brittany.

Keith: Hi Brittany.

Brittany: Um, my question for you is, there were some cases where you had strangled the women and let them come back to, on several times. I was wondering, why did you torture them first rather than killing them immediately?

Keith: Excuse me, what?

Brittany: Why did you torture the women first, rather than killing them immediately?

Keith: I did kill them immediately.

Brittany: Oh you did, ok. Sorry.

Keith: I did. In the book, Jack Olsen’s book that he wrote that they was uh, that I, he said that I strangled and I brought them back to life, and I brou…, and then I strangled again…

Britanny: Yeah

Keith: And I brought em back to life, and strangled them and brought them back to life, I mean that was just completely poppycock.

Brittany: Oh, ok.

Keith: It was not uh, it was a, not, when I did it, it was done over with. I did not want uh, I did not cherish murder, I basically looked at it as something I had to do to get over with, and keep going. So it wasn’t uh, I didn’t inten…, I wasn’t intent on holding them hostage in my mind, or on my, or in my grip for any more length of time then I have to.

Brittany: Ok. Thank you.

Question Two

Jill: Uh, hi Keith, this is Jill.

Keith: Hi Jill.

Jill: I ha…

Keith: I have a sister named Jill.

Jill: What?

Class: Laughing. He’s teasing.

Jill: Oh uh yeah, that’s cool. Um, uh one que..., of, it’s almost two part question for you, um, what would you have done differently in your cases that you were, um, involved in, and um, things that you regretted during, uh, during these crimes.

Keith: Well I regr…, I regret every crime I’ve done…

Jill: Um hmm

Keith: and uh, because it, it, it’s kinda like, here I am in prison. I have to deal with what I’ve done an, an, if I were to go back, what would I do differently? I wouldn’t have killed em. I would have said, well you know what? You know that woman, when she told me that she wanted all my money, or else, I would have just laughed at her, right? Because knowing that was probably what it was all is about. Or, you know, if they stepped on my board, and said get the hell out of this parking spot, you know, I could just wen, you know, go F off you know, or I could have done something different. I, maybe I would have uh, changed my occupations, if I would have stayed away from the clientele, that, the people I was dealing with at the time. Um, bu… but it seems like it runs, it runs into me all the time. I can’t get away from it. Its uh, it’s like a bad penny always turns up, uh. I regret everything. I wish um, I wish I wasn’t in prison, I wish I was with my family, with my kids, um, I was able to share their lives with them. I, I can’t do that from in prison, other than through mail, an, an, it’s snails mail, uh, it’s no email anymore. It’s not, it’s not, I can’t get email, uh, so if I could, you know, if I come use Dodson’s email I could probably learn.

Class: Laughs

Keith: And, and, uh, and communicate with my kid who’s over in Iraq fighting for the country. I don’t know.

Jill: Thank you

Keith: You’re welcome.

Question Three

Brittany: My last question um, I, if you could pick your own nickname to replace the happy face killer, what would you pick?

Keith: If I could pick a way to have me killed?

Class: Laughing

Brittany: No, no, no… If you could pick a

Keith: Laughing

Brittany: If you could pick a nickname…

Keith: Oh my name, my logo, my …, Dodson can hear better in I can.

Brittany: If you can pick a nickname to replace… the happy face

Keith: A nickname, you know that’s pretty hard ta understand, um, I’ve, I’ve looked at this happy face stuff, and it’s really kind of stu, stupid. I mean I get, you imagine I walk the track out here and I’ve got all these other convicts or inmates and they’re, they’re sayin are ya happy and ya know it clap your hands, you know, an, an, …

Class: Laughing

Keith: and the little poems you know, like um, it’s, it’s stupid stuff, right? An I’m thinkin, an, an, the guy goes like, well he don’t look happy now he’s in prison. Or um, it’s, it’s, it’s really is, um, I don’t know, how cou…, how, how would I pick a better name than that, I mean I beat out Walmart.

Class: Laughing. That’s true.

Keith: Laughing

Question Four

Natalie: Hey Keith, it’s Natalie again. I have one more quick question for you. I was just wondering what went through your mind when you were choking someone, I mean was it like a rush or a high for you? Did it spur a need for you to kill again?

Keith: Well, I, I saw it as a, as taking care of business, something I didn’t really wanna do. It was like, it was a, it was a task, it was something that had to happen cause I put myself in that position. It, what was going through my mind was like, it’s, I have to do this, it’s over I mean this the way my mind thought of, I thought of taking care of business, an this is my way of, of walking away without any problems. And, you know, it was a job, it was no different than goin to the store an um, buying a jug of milk. So I have to go to the store an buy a jug of milk, so I have to do it. Same difference. I mean it’s just something, you put yourself in a state of mind that, it just has to happen. It doesn’t, it’s not gunna go away if you, mean, I can’t back down. I can not. It is a task I felt I need to do to take care of business. Period.

Question 5

Girl: Uh, you said that, when you were committing your acts, you mostly felt angry cause you were put in that position. What do you mean you were put in that position, like how were you forced to commit those acts?

Keith: Well, in the Bennett case, I got in a, kind of slapping match with her, an I had slugged her. And when I looked down I seen the damage I had done. I realized that I had put myself in the situation. Uh, through a confrontation with this person. But I had come out ahead as far as damage wise, you know, she, she didn’t damage me, I damaged her an then I had to realize that this position which I was now put into, I had to take care of a situation. Do I call the hospital, th…, uh, uh, the ambulance to come an, an take me, you know, take her away an at the same time the police would take me away. Or do I hide this, this assault and kill her and put her somewhere where they, no one can find her, which of course they found her eight hours later, after the fact. In every situation I’ve dealt with, with these women I’ve been with, there are situations that put me in a wrong place, an it’s not, it’s not necessarily their fault, however it’s a situation that we mutually got into and I just decided it wasn’t what I wanted and I got out the only way I knew I could, and that was killing them.

Girl: Ok. Alright, well thank you.

Keith: You’re welcome.

Question Six

Lyndsey: Hi Keith, it’s Lyndsey again. Um, just in how many people you’re corresponding with right now, we were just wondering why, um, you’re so willing to help our class, um, we really appreciate it but, we’re just wondering why you chose to talk with us?

Keith: Well, it’s, this is a…, like I say, there are so many people in prison that want to uh, deny everything. They say, well you know I’m, you know, I, I can say that, that one, one killer in here that has multiples, an he has flat said I didn’t do it. And I’m like huh, I’ve seen the forensics, right? I’ve seen the shows on uh, the Discovery Channel or whatever. And I’ve seen the programs come up, an, and this what they have. Of course I know the media will lie, or just tell stories sometimes. However, it isn’t really a lie, it’s, it’s what they know, it’s, they, they’re telling a story that they know and they don’t really get into details. And that’s like Jack Olsen’s book, they don’t get into details. But why would I come forward an, an help this class? Well gee, you are the future of America, you are the future people that have to deal with the forensic science and law, of this country. It does me good, and everyone else in prison, to have people that are knowledgeable out there that know the rules and know how they are used. Proper law isn’t any good unless you know the knowledge of the law and, my dealing with this and if I can, if I can help you through this and show you how it really works, then I’ve actually bettered my situation, I think.

Lyndsey: Yeah

Keith: That’s why I help you.

Lyndsey: Alright. Thank you very much.

Keith: You’re welcome.