Keith Hunter Jesperson American serial killer originally from Canada Date of Birth: 06.04.1955 Country: USA

Biography of Keith Hunter Jesperson

Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the 'Happy Face Killer', was an American serial killer originally from Canada. He gained notoriety for using smiley faces in his numerous messages sent to the media and prosecutors. Jesperson was born on April 6, 1955, in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. He was the middle child of Leslie and Gladys Jesperson, growing up in a large family with two brothers and two sisters. His father was an alcoholic and a tyrant, although Leslie denied these claims. However, author Jack Olsen, who worked on a book about Jesperson, was able to talk to members of the serial killer's family and confirm that his father did indeed abuse them.

During his childhood, Keith received less attention than his siblings, especially after the family moved to Selah, Washington. He struggled to fit in and make friends due to his large size. Instead of helping him adapt, his brothers teased him by calling him 'Igor', a nickname that stuck with him throughout his school years. Jesperson became shy and spent most of his time playing by himself. He often exhibited inappropriate behavior and resorted to violence, which was harshly punished by his father. Leslie would sometimes beat Keith in front of others, using a belt or even electric shock. From the age of five, Jesperson began torturing and abusing animals, deriving pleasure from watching them fight and relishing in their deaths. His father took pride in his behavior.

As he grew older, Jesperson started fantasizing about transitioning from animals to humans. These fantasies eventually led to two attempted murders. The first occurred when Keith was around 10 years old. He was friends with a boy named Martin, with whom he often got into trouble. Keith became tired of being punished for Martin's actions and attacked him, brutally beating him until his father intervened. Later, Jesperson claimed that he wanted to kill Martin. About two years later, Jesperson was swimming in a lake when another boy dragged him underwater and held him there until he lost consciousness. Not long after, Keith tried to drown another boy himself in a public swimming pool, but lifeguards intervened just in time.

Jesperson graduated from high school in 1973 but did not attend college because his father did not believe he was capable of continuing his education. Despite not being popular with the opposite sex and missing out on school dances and prom, Jesperson managed to meet a girl named Rose Hucke when he was 20 years old. They got married, and the couple had three children – two daughters and a son. To support his family, Keith worked as a truck driver. After 14 years of a strained marriage, Rose packed up their belongings and children while Keith was at work and left, relocating 320 km away to Spokane, Washington, to be with her parents. Jesperson visited the children whenever he came to town. The couple divorced in 1990.

At the age of 35, standing at 6'6" tall and weighing nearly 240 lbs, Keith joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but had to leave due to an injury. He then became a long-haul truck driver after moving to Cheney, Washington. He soon realized that this job would allow him to kill without raising suspicion.

His first known victim was Taunja Bennett, whom he murdered near Portland, Oregon, on January 23, 1990. Jesperson met her at a bar and invited her to his rented house. After having sex, an argument ensued, and Keith brutally beat and eventually strangled Taunja. To establish an alibi, Jesperson returned to the bar, interacted with patrons, and only then disposed of the body. Several days later, Bennett's body was discovered, but the suspects in the case turned out to be entirely unrelated. Keith continued to kill until he was arrested on March 30, 1995, for the murder of Julie Ann Winningham. He attempted suicide twice before confessing to his other crimes. It was revealed that just a few days before his arrest, he had written a letter to his brother confessing to killing eight people over five years.

At one point during the investigation into Taunja Bennett's murder, a woman named Laverne Pavlinac decided to frame her abusive partner, John Sosnovske, in an attempt to get rid of him. She provided false testimony, including specific details about the murder that she had read in newspapers. Pavlinac claimed that Sosnovske forced her to participate in the rape, murder, and disposal of Bennett's body. In February 1991, Sosnovske was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Pavlinac received a sentence of less than 10 years. She later admitted to lying, but her words were disregarded. It was only on November 27, 1995, over four years after their conviction, that they were released from prison after Jesperson presented compelling evidence of his guilt in Bennett's murder.

In 2009, Keith's daughter Melissa released a book titled 'Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter'.