"I Am the Happy Face Killer": Keith Jesperson on KATU News, 1995

Name: "I Am the Happy Face Killer": Keith Jesperson on KATU News, 1995
Uploaded: 2022-04-16
Duration: 13 min 45 s
Description: Calling a Portland newsroom from jail in 1995, Keith Jesperson said he was the "Happy Face Killer" and that an innocent man was serving time for a murder he had committed.

Calling a Portland newsroom from jail in 1995, Keith Jesperson said he was the "Happy Face Killer" and that an innocent man was serving time for a murder he had committed.

Subject: Keith Hunter Jesperson
Recorded: about November 2, 1995
Runtime: 13:45

Content warning: Jesperson describes in court how he strangled a young woman; the coverage concerns the murders of eight women.

The Interview

In 1995, while he was held in the Clark County Jail in Vancouver, Washington, on a charge of murdering Julie Winningham, Keith Jesperson wrote to KATU's newsroom in Portland and then spoke by telephone to KATU reporter Bob Heye. "I am the happy face killer," he told Heye. He said he had killed eight people in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida and Wyoming, and that he was coming forward so that a man imprisoned for one of his crimes would be released. KATU aired the whole call on a morning newscast the next day. This archive compilation also includes two of Heye's courtroom reports from 1995.

Historical Context

In January 1990 Taunja Bennett, 23, was murdered near Portland and her body was left in the Columbia River Gorge. Laverne Pavlinac claimed that she and her boyfriend, John Sosnovske, had killed her. Pavlinac was convicted at trial in 1991, and Sosnovske pleaded no contest and was sentenced to life. Jesperson, a long-haul truck driver, wrote anonymous confessions, including one on a truck-stop restroom wall and letters signed with a smiley face; Oregonian columnist Phil Stanford gave the writer the name "Happy Face Killer". In March 1995 Jesperson was arrested for the murder of Julie Winningham near Washougal, Washington.

Circumstances of the Interview

Jesperson says in the call that he had been talking to the Gideons and a prison ministry about "coming forth with the truth". He declines to explain why he killed, saying he must first talk to his attorney, and promises "a full confession on every victim". The first item in the compilation plays parts of the call with narration. The second, most likely from November 2, 1995, reports his no-contest plea to Bennett's murder in Multnomah County, with his own account in court of how he killed her and cleaned his house afterwards. The third reports a Clark County hearing at which a judge continued a gag order against him.

What the Interview Covers

Jesperson describes the restroom-wall messages and the letters, and says that Phil Stanford, not he, coined the "happy face" name. He says much of what he wrote in the letters was "not really true" about the crimes and was meant to start an investigation that would free Sosnovske. He makes accusations against Pavlinac and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Department. Asked about remorse, he says he has not slept a good night's sleep in five and a half years and that he cannot understand how he could have done it. At Heye's request he confirms that the killing he means took place in the Portland area in January 1990.

What Makes the Recording Significant

The call was made by a man who had confessed in secret for years and now chose a local TV newsroom to confess in public. KATU has said that Jesperson called the newsroom and later confessed to Heye. His statements formed part of the case that freed Pavlinac and Sosnovske: a Marion County judge ordered both released on November 27, 1995. Jesperson is serving life sentences for murders in Washington, Oregon, Wyoming and California.

Archival Importance

The compilation preserves, from the station Jesperson contacted, his public confession as it was first broadcast, together with the courtroom coverage of the plea that tied him to Taunja Bennett's murder.

Important Caveats

Jesperson's account is his own. His claim of eight victims in the call, and the states he names, should not be taken as a complete or verified list. His remarks about Pavlinac (whom he calls Sosnovske's "ex-wife") and about the sheriff's department are his allegations. The date of the telephone call has not been confirmed; the air dates of the four items are not given in the video.

Narrator: In a letter to Channel 2 News, Keith Jesperson says he wants to make a full confession for his crimes as the so-called happy face killer. The top and bottom carry the happy face sign Jesperson says he used as a trademark for his murders. And in a telephone conversation from the Clark County Jail, Jesperson went into even more detail about the killings.

Narrator: The 40-year-old long-haul truck driver says he murdered a total of eight people in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida and Wyoming over the course of five years. Jesperson says he started drawing the smiley face symbol to tempt investigators into tracking him.

Keith Jesperson: [unclear: "I wanted it knowing" / "I wanted it known"], I wasn't trying to brag that I was. And then I sat down with my conscience and started writing something.

Narrator: But it wasn't until last March, when authorities found the body of 41-year-old Julie Winningham dumped along the Camas highway, that investigators began linking the cases. They arrested and charged Jesperson in the Camas highway killing. Jesperson says he doesn't really know why he started his killing spree.

Keith Jesperson: I wasn't chasing around and trying to grab what I could out in the street. If that was the case, I've given rides to people all over the country. And, uh, no, I'm not looking for it. It just, I just got caught in a situation where it was, whatever.

Narrator: Jesperson's confessing, he says, because he believes at least one person has been imprisoned for crimes he committed.

Narrator: Keith Jesperson takes steps toward a court appearance he's tried to avoid for years, as well as [unclear: "an order and a plea" / "an order under plea"] of no contest to the aggravated murder count. After prosecutors read off the charges, and with the victim's family looking on, Jesperson gave grisly details of how in 1990 he killed 23-year-old Taunja Bennett in his apartment.

Keith Jesperson: And forced my fist into her throat. And later grabbed the rope and tied it around her neck securely. And she was dead.

Narrator: Jesperson says he left the body in the Columbia Gorge, then cleaned up his house.

Keith Jesperson: Washed the carpet. I washed the blood off the walls, what I could, and eventually painted the walls of the house I was in. And I tried to forget about it.

Unidentified Speaker: [unclear: "I will assign an order in order you're trying to kill me" / "I will assign an order"]

Narrator: Under oath, Jesperson denied knowing John Sosnovske or Laverne Pavlinac, two people already serving time for the murder. Pavlinac's been hoping Jesperson's confessions set her free.

Laverne Pavlinac: There's a little bit of light at [unclear: "the tunnel" / "the end of the tunnel"].

Narrator: And Laverne Pavlinac's daughter sees today's court action as another step toward her mother's freedom.

Daughter Of Laverne Pavlinac: And we're hoping that these legal proceedings pave the way for Mom to be released.

Bob Heye: Has she said anything to you today about this?

Daughter Of Laverne Pavlinac: I haven't talked to her today, but I'm sure that I'll talk to her this evening. She's very anxious to come home.

Narrator: She thought her mother would come home last week, but a Marion County judge refused to release Pavlinac and Sosnovske, saying there's no proof to show they didn't help Jesperson commit the murder. Deputy DA Jim McIntyre believes Jesperson's guilty plea today can change that.

Jim McIntyre: He has become evidence that we intend to use.

Narrator: Which means this confessed serial killer may have finally given prosecutors enough evidence to set two imprisoned people free. Bob Heye, Channel 2 News.

Katu Anchor: As authorities build murder cases around the claims of Keith Jesperson, the self-proclaimed happy face killer appears in Clark County court.

Narrator: A judge today continued a gag order against Jesperson, limiting his contact with others before he goes on trial for murdering a Camas woman. Now, some Oregon authorities are convinced Jesperson is in fact the serial killer he claims to be. The other case closest to being tied to Jesperson is the death of 23-year-old Laurie Pentland of Carlton. She was found strangled behind a store in Salem in 1992. Investigators in Marion County are waiting for forensics results to confirm their suspicion that Pentland is one of Jesperson's victims.

Narrator: Jesperson earned the nickname The Happy Face Killer in letters to Channel 2 News and other media outlets claiming responsibility for eight murders. The notes included happy face insignias. Right now, Jesperson is charged in the March murder of Julie Winningham in Washougal. He's also a suspect in a January killing in Nebraska and unsolved murder in Florida, the 1992 strangling of Laurie Pentland in Salem, and he's at the center of a review in the 1990 murder of Taunja Bennett along the Crown Point Highway. Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske were sentenced to life terms in connection with Bennett's murder, a case Pavlinac says she tricked authorities into believing. Multnomah County authorities say they're still trying to confirm Jesperson's claims of responsibility in that case. At the Clark County Courthouse in Vancouver, Bob Heye, Channel 2 News.

Jeff Gianola: Good morning, everybody, I'm Jeff Gianola. Yesterday, in an exclusive interview with Channel 2 News, alleged murderer Keith Jesperson confessed to being the so-called happy face killer. He now admits to killing eight people during a murder spree across five western states since 1990. Jesperson remains in the Clark County Jail, charged with the murder of a Camas woman last March. This morning you can listen to the entire telephone interview reporter Bob Heye had with Keith Jesperson. Jesperson begins by saying why he now is going public with this information.

Keith Jesperson: I wrote the letter to start, uh, some kind of proceedings, hopefully [to] get the guy out of Oregon being wrongly accused of, uh, of it. That's the happy face letters. This letter, I wrote it because I want to come clean with everything.

Bob Heye: Essentially, then, you're saying that you're the happy face killer?

Keith Jesperson: I am the happy face killer. There's no doubt. There is no doubt in my mind. No, I am, I am him. Uh, that was started for some kind of show, proof that there's somebody out there that's responsible for that crime, because the innocent man was sentenced. He was forced to take a plea bargain to save his life.

Bob Heye: Why come forward at this time, then?

Keith Jesperson: Well, I got, uh, arrested, like, you know, and, uh, it was just bound to happen. But, uh, I've been trying to do it [unclear: "anonymously" / "and honestly"]. Uh, I got into my, into this problem I'm in, and, uh, I was dealing with the Gideons and the prison ministry, and I was trying, I was talking to them and they were talking to me about coming forth with the truth. And thank God, you know, I've got, I've got them to come and talk to me, and I was able to come out and tell the truth. And I want to get it all over with so that this man that's in OSP is not prosecuted anymore for his crime, for a crime he [unclear: "didn't commit" / "did commit"].

Bob Heye: I understand. For people who don't understand this, the series of killings, first of all, why? Why did you do them?

Keith Jesperson: I can't answer on that right this time without talking [to] my attorney, because we still have legal grounds on this. Uh, I want [to] make sure that I did it, it did happen. I'm not denying that they happened. I will come with a full confession on every victim that I have taken care of. I want to make sure it's all out in the open.

Bob Heye: And again, outline the number of victims.

Keith Jesperson: There are eight total victims in the following states of Washington, Oregon, California, Florida and Wyoming.

Bob Heye: And all under the happy face killer?

Keith Jesperson: Yeah, they, they have been told, uh, the first, like, say, the first things I put out were writing on bathroom walls. You wouldn't believe what people write on bathroom walls. They, uh, be surprised how fast it gets to management, and then people come and see it and give a reasonable doubt. Uh, [unclear: "I wanted it knowing" / "I wanted it known"], I wasn't trying to brag that I was, I was trying to get something started. And then that never did anything. They, they just passed that off as a prank call or whatever. And, uh, then I sat down with my conscience and started writing something, and I tried to make myself, make, make the happy face, which I did not name. Phil Stanford from The Oregonian, actually, he was a, he's a freelance writer now, named that the happy face. All I did is sign a circle with two little eyes and a crescent smile.

Bob Heye: I understand. Um, and your thoughts about, about what you've done? Uh, anything that you could, you'd like to say to people?

Keith Jesperson: People, people look, well, you know, I'm afraid that they're gonna look at me and they're gonna try to say, well, this guy's, you know, he's sick, he's over, and it's probably true. I am, I'm more than probably, I am. I do have a problem. I know I have a problem. Um, I didn't go looking for the pro, I didn't look for, for it to happen. I wasn't out chasing around and trying to grab what I could out in the street. If that was the case, I'm, I've given rides to people all over the country. And no, I'm not looking for it. It just, I just got caught in a situation where it was, whatever. I'm gonna talk with that with my attorney later.

Bob Heye: And again, for my understanding, just so I understand, uh, you're the happy face killer, and, yeah, just tell me what you can.

Keith Jesperson: Well, I am the happy face killer. I am, you know, I'm dubbed that by Phil Stanford. Um, I tried to make it look like, uh, somebody was really, you know, vicious and that was out there. And a lot of things said in those happy face letters were not really true in, actually, the crime content. But, uh, they were started to get the, I was trying to get someone to maybe start an investigation going back, so maybe they would release this guy. He was wrongly accused after his ex-wife, uh, accused him. She has a reputation of playing wolf, and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Department, uh, helped her fabricate a lie, so got her convicted for ten years. And after she got convicted for ten years, they used that against him for leverage so he could cop a plea bargain, so he would go to jail without having to face a trial. And he saved his life, basically.

Bob Heye: Finally, do you have a sense of remorse at all? If people, when they hear you talk about this, they might say, well, how could he have done those crimes? He sounds pretty collected about the whole thing.

Keith Jesperson: Well, it's kind of, it's kind of hard to explain, but I can't understand how I could do it myself. I've always thought I was a, you know, a nice person. Um, I've always brought myself out like that, and I've always got along with everybody. And I've come from a broken home, alcoholism and that. I'm not going to blame that. Of course, there's going to be psychologists that are going to stick their nose in it, and they're going to ask how sane I am. And I am a sane person. I'm saner now than I probably ever have been. I'm coming forth with the truth. I want to make sure it's out there. Remorse? Yeah, I have a lot of remorse. I've, I haven't slept a good night's sleep in five years, five and a half years.

Bob Heye: Now, once again, uh, the one statement you'd like to make about what you're responsible for?

Keith Jesperson: Well, I am responsible for the happy face killing, which includes eight people in five states. And there are a lot of victims out there, and I'm very sorry. I didn't, for life, man, I can't understand myself why. But, uh, I, there's probably a lot of people I know that probably can't understand how I could even... So, you know, that's how I'd like to leave it at this moment.

Bob Heye: Okay, Keith, I appreciate that very much. And I think this will help get the word out. And I think that's, it sounds to me that's what you want to do, is get the word out to people who you want to get in touch with.

Keith Jesperson: Well, I want, first of all, I want the guy that's doing my time out. I mean, he is wrongly accused, and I've been trying to do that for years. But, uh, nobody wants to listen to writings on the walls. They read about them all the time, but they don't want to listen to them.

Bob Heye: For my information, when did that killing take place, and what case, do you remember?

Keith Jesperson: Well, it happened back in January, the middle of January, [unclear: "about one, two-thirds way down" / "two-thirds way down"], and, uh, happened in the Portland area.

Bob Heye: Portland area? That'll just help me track down the case, in case the investigators don't know what I'm talking about, or whatever.

Keith Jesperson: Yeah, well, yeah, that's right.

Bob Heye: In January, in the Portland area, of this year?

Keith Jesperson: Pardon?

Bob Heye: January of this year?

Keith Jesperson: No, that was 1990.

Bob Heye: 1990, okay. I was going to say, okay. Keith, I appreciate it very much. And, uh, thank you very much.

Keith Jesperson: Okay, take care now.

Bob Heye: Thank you.

Keith Jesperson: Okay, bye-bye.

Jeff Gianola: The Clark County Prosecutor's Office confirms Jesperson is the center of an ongoing investigation, and adds the list of his suspected crimes is probably longer than the eight killings he's claiming responsibility for. We'll continue to follow this case as it develops. I'm Jeff Gianola. ---