Keith Hunter Jesperson Biography
Keith Hunter Jesperson is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the early 1990s in the United States. He earned the moniker “Happy Face Killer” because he drew smiley faces on his numerous letters to the media and authorities. Many of his victims were sex workers and transients with no ties to him. Strangulation was Jesperson’s preferred method of murder, and it was also the method he used to kill animals as a child.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Age
Jesperson is 66 years old as of 2021, he was born on 6 April 1955, in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, United States. He celebrates his birthday on 6 April every year and his birth sign is Aries.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Height and Weight
Jesperson stands at a height of 6 feet 7.5 inches (2.02 m), weighs 240 pounds (110 kg), and has gray hair and blue eyes. However, details regarding his actual height and other body measurements are currently not publicly available. We will update this section when the information is available.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Education
He graduated from high school in 1973 but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it. Although Jesperson was not successful with girls in high school, having never even attended a school dance or his prom, he did enter into a relationship after high school.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Family, Parents, and Siblings
Jesperson was born on 6 April 1955, to Leslie (Les) and Gladys Jesperson in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, the middle child with two brothers and two sisters. Jesperson’s father was a domineering alcoholic, and, according to Jesperson, his paternal grandfather was prone to violence. 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.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Wife
Jesperson married Rose Hucke in 1975 when he was 20 years old, and the couple had three children: two daughters and one son. Jesperson supported his family by working as a truck driver. Hucke began to suspect Jesperson was having affairs after receiving phone calls from strange women several years later.
Tensions in the marriage grew, and after fourteen years, while Jesperson was on the road, Hucke packed her belongings and drove 200 miles to live with her parents in Spokane, Washington. Melissa, the oldest child, was ten years old. When Jesperson was in town, he continued to spend time with his children. In 1990, the couple divorced.
Keith Hunter Jesperson’s Daughter
Melissa G. Moore, Jesperson’s daughter, appeared on Dr. Phil in November 2008 to discuss her father. She has also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Lifetime Movies’ Monster in My Family, and an ABC 20/20 special. Moore’s book, Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer’s Daughter, was published in 2008.
Moore recalls living with Jesperson until her parents divorced in 1990, and how she noticed her father was different when she was in elementary school. Jesperson killed stray cats and gophers that wandered near their house, which was bordered by an apple orchard.
She was horrified one day as he hung stray kittens from the family’s clothesline. She dashed off to find her mother, and when they returned, the kittens were dead on the ground. He had laughed as the kittens clawed at each other to escape, and then he had killed them.
In November 2014, she wrote an article for the BBC about her father. In March 2018, she appeared in an episode of the Investigation Discovery true-crime series, Evil Lives Here, titled “Put on a Happy Face.” She was also a Crime Watch Daily correspondent.
In September 2018, the podcast network HowStuffWorks launched a show called Happy Face, which featured interviews with Melissa about her childhood and father.
There were a total of 12 episodes in the series. A trailer for a new true-crime podcast called Life After Happy Face, hosted by Melissa Moore and Forensic Criminologist Dr. Laura Pettler, was released on iTunes in June 2021.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Salary
Details about Jesperson’s salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much he makes will be updated as soon as it is available.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Net Worth
Hunter’s net worth is publicly not available. Through his various sources of income, we believe that Jesperson has been able to accumulate a good net worth but prefers to keep it private. We will update this section once this information is available.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Measurements and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Keith Hunter Jesperson.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Wiki
- Full Names: Keith Hunter Jesperson
- Popular As: Jesperson
- Gender: Male
- Nationality: Canadian-American
- Race / Ethnicity: White
- Religion: Not Known
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Keith Hunter Jesperson Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 66 (2021)
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Date of Birth: 6 April 1955
- Place of Birth: Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
- Birthday: April 6th
Keith Hunter Jesperson Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: Not Available
- Height / How Tall?: 6 feet 7.5 inches (2.02 m)
- Weight: 240 pounds (110 kg)
- Eye Color: Brown
- Hair Color: Gray
- Shoe Size: Not Available
- Dress Size: Not Available
- Chest Size: Not Available
- Waist Size: Not Available
- Biceps Size: Not Available
Keith Hunter Jesperson Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): Leslie (Les)
- Mother: Gladys Jesperson
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): 2
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Wife/Spouse: Rose Hucke (m. 1975; div. 1990)
- Children: 3
Keith Hunter Jesperson Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: Under Review
- Salary: Under Review
Keith Hunter Jesperson Crimes
Taunja Bennett Keith Hunter Jesperson
Taunja Bennett was Jesperson’s first known victim on 21 January 1990, near Portland, Oregon, United States. He approached Bennett in a bar and invited her to a house he was renting. He strangled her to death with his hands after an argument with Bennett and disposed of her body.
On August 30, 1992, the body of a woman Jesperson had raped and strangled was discovered near Blythe, California, in the United States. Claudia is the name given by Jesperson to Jane Doe. Cynthia Lyn Rose’s body was discovered a month later in Turlock, California.
Rose, according to Jesperson, was a sex worker who entered his truck at a truck stop while he was sleeping. Another sex worker, Laurie Ann Pentland of Salem, Oregon, was his fourth victim, and her body was discovered in November 1992.
Pentland, according to Jesperson, tried to double the fee she charged for the sex he had with her. He strangled her after she threatened to call the cops. In June 1993, Jesperson murdered his next victim in Santa Nella, California.
He claimed she was an unidentified woman named “Carla” or “Cindy.” Her death was initially ruled a drug overdose by police. Another Jane Doe was discovered in Crestview, Florida, in September 1994. Susanne, according to Jesperson, was her name.
On March 30, 1995, Jesperson was arrested for the murder of Julie Winningham. He’d been questioned by police a week before, but they didn’t have enough evidence to arrest him because he refused to talk. In the days that followed, Jesperson decided he was almost certainly going to be arrested, and after two suicide attempts, he turned himself in, hoping for leniency during his sentencing.
While in custody, Jesperson began revealing details of his murders and making claims about many others, the majority of which he later recanted. A few days before his arrest, he confessed to killing eight people over the course of five years in a letter to his brother.
This prompted police departments in several states to reopen old cases, many of which were discovered to be possible Jesperson victims. Although Jesperson claimed to have killed up to 185 women, only the eight women killed in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska, and Wyoming have been confirmed.
He is incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem for three consecutive life sentences. Jesperson was charged with murder in Riverside County, California, in September 2009, and was extradited in December 2009. In January 2010, he was convicted of another murder and sentenced to life in prison for the fourth time.
Laverne Pavlinac
Laverne Pavlinac read the news reports surrounding Bennett’s death early in the investigation and saw it as an opportunity to force an end to her long-term abusive relationship with her live-in boyfriend, John Sosnovske.
Pavlinac set up a meeting with investigators and gave a false confession, telling them a detailed story about how Sosnovske forced her to help him rape, murder, and dispose of Bennett’s body. Pavlinac and Sosnovske were both arrested on March 5, 1990, and convicted of murder on February 8, 1991.
Sosnovske pleaded no contest in order to avoid facing the death penalty. He was sentenced to life in prison, while Pavlinac was sentenced to no less than ten years in prison, which was far more than she had expected.
Pavlinac soon admitted to making up her entire story, but her claims were ignored. 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.
He had given police officers the location of the victim’s purse. The purse had not been found at the crime scene, and its location was considered information only the killer would know.
The Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson
Following Bennett’s murder, while all attention was focused on Pavlinac and Sosnovske, Jesperson scribbled a confession on a truck stop bathroom wall and signed it with a smiley face. When that failed to garner the attention he desired, he began writing letters to media outlets and police departments confessing to his murders, beginning with a six-page letter to The Oregonian in which he revealed the details of his murders. Jesperson smiled as he signed each letter. As a result, The Oregonian’s Phil Stanford, who was working on the story, dubbed Jesperson “The Happy Face Killer.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Keith Hunter Jesperson
Who is Keith Hunter Jesperson?
Jesperson is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the early 1990s in the United States. He earned the moniker “Happy Face Killer” because he drew smiley faces on his numerous letters to the media and authorities. Many of his victims were sex workers and transients with no ties to him. Strangulation was Jesperson’s preferred method of murder, and it was also the method he used to kill animals as a child.
How old is Keith Hunter Jesperson?
Jesperson is an American national born on 6 April 1955, in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.
How tall is Keith Hunter Jesperson?
Jesperson stands at a height of 6 feet 7.5 inches (2.02 m).
Is Keith Hunter Jesperson married?
Jesperson married Rose Hucke in 1975 when he was 20 years old, and the couple had three children: two daughters and one son. Jesperson supported his family by working as a truck driver. Hucke began to suspect Jesperson was having affairs after receiving phone calls from strange women several years later.
Tensions in the marriage grew, and after fourteen years, while Jesperson was on the road, Hucke packed her belongings and drove 200 miles to live with her parents in Spokane, Washington. Melissa, the oldest child, was ten years old. When Jesperson was in town, he continued to spend time with his children. In 1990, the couple divorced.
How much is Keith Hunter Jesperson worth?
Hunter’s net worth is publicly not available. Through his various sources of income, we believe that Jesperson has been able to accumulate a good net worth but prefers to keep it private. We will update this section once this information is available.
How much does Keith Hunter Jesperson make?
Details about Jesperson’s salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much he makes will be updated as soon as it is available.
Where does Jesperson live?
Because of security reasons, Jesperson has not shared his precise location of residence. We will update this information if we get the location and images of his house.
Is Jesperson dead or alive?
Jesperson is alive and in good health. There have been no reports of him being sick or having any health-related issues.
Keith Hunter Jesperson Contacts
- Youtube
- Tiktok
- Website
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