1 00:00:06,557 --> 00:00:10,635 NARRATOR: In March, 1995, the body of 41-year-old Julie 2 00:00:10,710 --> 00:00:13,595 Winningham was found just off Highway 14 3 00:00:13,604 --> 00:00:17,355 in Washington in the USA's Pacific Northwest. 4 00:00:17,430 --> 00:00:19,122 She'd been strangled to death. 5 00:00:19,990 --> 00:00:20,835 DON FINDLAY: He's a monster. 6 00:00:20,844 --> 00:00:23,395 Six plus feet, 280 pounds. 7 00:00:23,470 --> 00:00:26,635 My mom was five pounds and 100 pounds soaking wet. 8 00:00:26,710 --> 00:00:29,482 So it's like a toothpick He's a big man. 9 00:00:30,670 --> 00:00:32,235 NARRATOR: Julie had become the eighth victim 10 00:00:32,310 --> 00:00:35,915 of an active serial killer named Keith Jesperson. 11 00:00:35,990 --> 00:00:38,395 The 39-year-old truck driver had been 12 00:00:38,470 --> 00:00:41,035 murdering innocent women across America 13 00:00:41,044 --> 00:00:43,042 for the previous five years. 14 00:00:44,270 --> 00:00:45,955 GEOFFREY WANSELL: In a sense, they were falling 15 00:00:46,030 --> 00:00:47,475 into the hands of a wolf. 16 00:00:47,550 --> 00:00:51,035 They're hens in the hen coop, and Jesperson 17 00:00:51,044 --> 00:00:52,242 is the wolf at the door. 18 00:00:53,644 --> 00:00:56,315 NARRATOR: Jesperson captured the intrigue of the nation 19 00:00:56,390 --> 00:00:59,875 when he confessed to five murders in an anonymous letter 20 00:00:59,950 --> 00:01:03,562 he sent to a newspaper, which he signed with a smile. 21 00:01:13,390 --> 00:01:16,195 NARRATOR: Keith Jesperson, labeled the Happy Face 22 00:01:16,270 --> 00:01:19,635 Killer had made his mark as one of the world's 23 00:01:19,710 --> 00:01:21,035 most evil killers. 24 00:01:21,110 --> 00:01:24,602 [music playing] 25 00:01:41,390 --> 00:01:44,435 NARRATOR: When 39-year-old trucker Keith Jesperson 26 00:01:44,444 --> 00:01:48,835 confessed all to detectives in March, 1995, 27 00:01:48,910 --> 00:01:50,955 the media finally got a chance to put 28 00:01:51,030 --> 00:01:54,835 a name to the notorious Happy Face Killer. 29 00:01:54,910 --> 00:01:57,355 Over a five year period, Jesperson 30 00:01:57,430 --> 00:01:59,235 squeezed the life out of at least 31 00:01:59,310 --> 00:02:01,795 eight women across five states. 32 00:02:01,870 --> 00:02:06,035 Detective Monty Beuttner was part of the investigative team 33 00:02:06,110 --> 00:02:08,675 that finally brought an end to the happy face 34 00:02:08,750 --> 00:02:10,482 killer's reign of terror. 35 00:02:11,710 --> 00:02:13,602 MONTY BEUTTNER: Jesperson targeted typically 36 00:02:13,677 --> 00:02:17,555 prostitutes, homeless women, women that he felt that would 37 00:02:17,630 --> 00:02:20,435 not have anybody that would report them missing 38 00:02:20,510 --> 00:02:23,235 any time soon to give him a chance to escape to get out 39 00:02:23,310 --> 00:02:25,595 of the area driving his truck. 40 00:02:25,670 --> 00:02:28,075 NARRATOR: Six foot seven inch Jesperson, 41 00:02:28,150 --> 00:02:30,795 a divorced father of three, towered 42 00:02:30,870 --> 00:02:32,442 over his diminutive victims. 43 00:02:33,510 --> 00:02:34,635 MONTY BEUTTNER: For Keith Jesperson, 44 00:02:34,710 --> 00:02:36,595 his big thing was control. 45 00:02:36,670 --> 00:02:40,195 He wanted to control women, he wanted to abuse them in the way 46 00:02:40,270 --> 00:02:43,755 that he was aroused by, so he focused on finding victims 47 00:02:43,830 --> 00:02:45,802 that he thought would meet that need for him. 48 00:02:47,197 --> 00:02:49,995 NARRATOR: Despite his size and destructive power, 49 00:02:50,070 --> 00:02:53,235 Jesperson was mild-mannered and softly spoken 50 00:02:53,310 --> 00:02:55,762 during his confessions to detectives. 51 00:03:10,324 --> 00:03:11,435 CHRIS PETERSON: Every time I talked 52 00:03:11,510 --> 00:03:13,235 to him, he was my best friend. 53 00:03:13,310 --> 00:03:15,995 And when you looked at him, the last thing 54 00:03:16,004 --> 00:03:19,195 you would ever suspect was that this guy was a serial killer. 55 00:03:19,270 --> 00:03:22,115 I mean, he didn't hang around with bad people. 56 00:03:22,190 --> 00:03:24,195 I never heard him swear. 57 00:03:24,270 --> 00:03:25,915 If you met Jesperson, the last thing 58 00:03:25,990 --> 00:03:28,435 you would suspect that he was a criminal. 59 00:03:28,510 --> 00:03:30,402 He doesn't come across as a criminal. 60 00:03:30,477 --> 00:03:33,235 At one point he said to me, you know, 61 00:03:33,310 --> 00:03:34,995 you and I could go on a tour teaching 62 00:03:35,070 --> 00:03:36,595 people how not to get murdered. 63 00:03:36,670 --> 00:03:39,675 And that was kind of the mindset of this particular guy 64 00:03:39,750 --> 00:03:42,875 that he really enjoyed people looking at him and saying, 65 00:03:42,950 --> 00:03:45,195 oh my God, this is a serial killer, 66 00:03:45,270 --> 00:03:48,635 and he must be really an important powerful person 67 00:03:48,644 --> 00:03:50,755 to be involved in that sort of a lifestyle. 68 00:03:50,830 --> 00:03:53,235 And so I don't think there was ever any remorse. 69 00:03:53,310 --> 00:03:56,362 It was it was all about I want people to look at me. 70 00:03:58,310 --> 00:04:00,395 NARRATOR: This killer's story begins just 71 00:04:00,470 --> 00:04:03,435 outside of Vancouver, Canada. 72 00:04:03,444 --> 00:04:06,882 Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in Chilliwack, 73 00:04:06,957 --> 00:04:11,035 British Columbia, on the 6th of April 1955. 74 00:04:11,110 --> 00:04:14,835 He grew up in a large family in a rural home. 75 00:04:14,910 --> 00:04:17,835 GEOFFREY WANSELL: Jesperson had two brothers and two sisters. 76 00:04:17,910 --> 00:04:21,635 He was the so-called runt, I think, of the litter. 77 00:04:21,710 --> 00:04:26,595 The boy, I think, sought to get his father's attention 78 00:04:26,670 --> 00:04:28,568 from quite an early age. 79 00:04:28,644 --> 00:04:31,235 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: His father was incredibly domineering. 80 00:04:31,310 --> 00:04:33,715 His father really looked down on women, 81 00:04:33,790 --> 00:04:37,075 so from a very early age he develops this view 82 00:04:37,150 --> 00:04:39,475 that a misogynistic view of women, 83 00:04:39,550 --> 00:04:42,315 a view of women that is quite demeaning, 84 00:04:42,390 --> 00:04:43,575 is one that's normal. 85 00:04:44,510 --> 00:04:46,435 NARRATOR: Jesperson's assertive father 86 00:04:46,444 --> 00:04:50,795 appeared to bring out a violent side in the young man. 87 00:04:50,804 --> 00:04:53,235 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: One of Jesperson's earliest memories 88 00:04:53,310 --> 00:04:56,115 is apparently of throwing a rock down 89 00:04:56,190 --> 00:04:58,315 a slide at a children's playground 90 00:04:58,390 --> 00:05:00,642 that hit his brother in the head. 91 00:05:00,717 --> 00:05:03,635 And I think what he was trying to do here was essentially 92 00:05:03,710 --> 00:05:05,355 get his father's attention. 93 00:05:05,430 --> 00:05:09,795 His father was somebody who valued aggression, who valued 94 00:05:09,870 --> 00:05:11,702 this kind of behavior, and I think 95 00:05:11,777 --> 00:05:15,642 this really was a cry for that kind of validation from him. 96 00:05:17,030 --> 00:05:20,802 CHRIS PETERSON: The ugly truth must be that he 97 00:05:20,877 --> 00:05:23,235 had no normality in his life. 98 00:05:23,310 --> 00:05:26,275 There was no convention in that family life 99 00:05:26,350 --> 00:05:30,235 from that upbringing, which meant that, in a sense, 100 00:05:30,310 --> 00:05:34,195 there was no moral compass, there was no right and wrong. 101 00:05:34,270 --> 00:05:36,515 NARRATOR: Before he'd even turned seven, 102 00:05:36,590 --> 00:05:39,355 Jesperson displayed traits that have become 103 00:05:39,430 --> 00:05:42,235 synonymous with serial killers. 104 00:05:42,310 --> 00:05:43,315 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Jesperson like 105 00:05:43,390 --> 00:05:45,515 to kill and torture animals. 106 00:05:45,590 --> 00:05:50,315 So he harmed cats, and dogs, and gophers, and crows. 107 00:05:50,390 --> 00:05:54,315 That gave him a sense of power a sense of control 108 00:05:54,390 --> 00:05:56,675 that he couldn't get in any other way. 109 00:05:56,750 --> 00:06:00,715 But he's also realizing that he quite enjoys having control 110 00:06:00,790 --> 00:06:05,082 over another living creature, of holding its life in your hands. 111 00:06:06,550 --> 00:06:10,235 NARRATOR: The family moves south across the border into the US, 112 00:06:10,244 --> 00:06:12,235 and Jesperson would eventually find 113 00:06:12,310 --> 00:06:15,842 work in a job that would assist him in his murderous career. 114 00:06:17,390 --> 00:06:18,915 CHRIS PETERSON: He's become a truck driver for a company 115 00:06:18,990 --> 00:06:24,162 in Washington state, which gives him access to freedom, 116 00:06:24,237 --> 00:06:27,115 drive around, can sleep in the cab. 117 00:06:27,190 --> 00:06:30,195 He can pull up with whatever truck stop he fancies, 118 00:06:30,204 --> 00:06:33,835 where that almost always a collection of young women 119 00:06:33,910 --> 00:06:36,642 knowing that drivers want company. 120 00:06:36,717 --> 00:06:40,642 Is the perfect fit for Jesperson's character. 121 00:06:41,997 --> 00:06:43,535 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: So he's got a lot of time 122 00:06:43,610 --> 00:06:47,475 on his hands to ruminate, to fantasize, to start to plan 123 00:06:47,550 --> 00:06:51,635 things, so this is quite a dangerous situation 124 00:06:51,710 --> 00:06:54,155 to be in because nobody's there to put 125 00:06:54,230 --> 00:06:55,482 the brakes on his behavior. 126 00:06:57,110 --> 00:07:00,235 NARRATOR: By early 1990, Keith Jesperson 127 00:07:00,310 --> 00:07:04,035 was separated from his wife and spending much of his time 128 00:07:04,110 --> 00:07:07,035 driving his truck up and down the seemingly 129 00:07:07,110 --> 00:07:10,035 endless highways of America. 130 00:07:10,110 --> 00:07:14,835 On the 22nd of January 1990, in Portland, Oregon, 131 00:07:14,910 --> 00:07:18,235 a 23-year-old woman was found dead. 132 00:07:18,310 --> 00:07:19,715 CHRIS PETERSON: Taunja Bennett was reported 133 00:07:19,790 --> 00:07:24,835 missing by her mother, and some young man stopped along 134 00:07:24,910 --> 00:07:27,915 that highway one day then discovered her body, which 135 00:07:27,990 --> 00:07:32,075 had been drug off the road down into a little bit of a ravine 136 00:07:32,150 --> 00:07:35,642 off of the scenic highway out in the Columbia Gorge. 137 00:07:37,310 --> 00:07:39,795 NARRATOR: Detectives presumed they'd solved the case quickly 138 00:07:39,870 --> 00:07:43,435 when a local woman Laverne Pavlinac told the police 139 00:07:43,510 --> 00:07:46,515 that her boyfriend was responsible for the death 140 00:07:46,590 --> 00:07:48,228 of Taunja Bennett. 141 00:07:48,304 --> 00:07:51,475 CHRIS PETERSON: Laverne was several years older than John 142 00:07:51,550 --> 00:07:57,155 Sosnovske and John was an alcoholic, 143 00:07:57,230 --> 00:08:00,635 and I think John was probably a very 144 00:08:00,710 --> 00:08:03,515 abusive partner to Laverne. 145 00:08:03,524 --> 00:08:07,035 And I think she was just trying to get John Sosnovske out 146 00:08:07,110 --> 00:08:09,435 of her life, and decided she would 147 00:08:09,510 --> 00:08:13,475 frame him for murder as a way to get John out of her life. 148 00:08:13,550 --> 00:08:15,155 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: In the beginning 149 00:08:15,230 --> 00:08:17,155 she just tries to pin it completely on him, 150 00:08:17,230 --> 00:08:21,635 but then she kind of inserts herself into this narrative. 151 00:08:21,644 --> 00:08:24,202 And I think there's almost a sense in which she's enjoying 152 00:08:24,277 --> 00:08:26,235 the drama of the story and she wants 153 00:08:26,310 --> 00:08:27,762 to play a larger part in it. 154 00:08:29,044 --> 00:08:31,315 NARRATOR: Laverne's story was a lie. 155 00:08:31,390 --> 00:08:33,955 The police didn't know it yet, but Taunja 156 00:08:34,030 --> 00:08:37,755 had in fact been killed by a 34-year-old trucker 157 00:08:37,830 --> 00:08:39,402 named Keith Jesperson. 158 00:08:39,477 --> 00:08:44,115 He had met Taunja playing pool at the B&I tavern, which 159 00:08:44,190 --> 00:08:46,515 was in east Wallowa county and they had decided 160 00:08:46,590 --> 00:08:49,035 we'll go get something to eat at a nearby restaurant, 161 00:08:49,110 --> 00:08:53,595 and when they left the tavern, he 162 00:08:53,670 --> 00:08:59,795 realized he didn't have enough money with him to buy dinner. 163 00:08:59,870 --> 00:09:03,835 So he said, let's go to my house and I'll get some money. 164 00:09:03,910 --> 00:09:08,635 He gets involved in a sexual act with Taunja and at that point 165 00:09:08,710 --> 00:09:10,235 Taunja said something that offended 166 00:09:10,244 --> 00:09:12,275 him and he murdered her. 167 00:09:12,350 --> 00:09:15,035 He choked her with his fist. 168 00:09:15,110 --> 00:09:18,515 And he was a big man, Taunja was a little woman, 169 00:09:18,590 --> 00:09:22,835 and so that wasn't a big challenge to kill Taunja. 170 00:09:22,910 --> 00:09:26,715 GEOFFREY WANSELL: And I don't think he cared very much. 171 00:09:26,790 --> 00:09:29,195 I mean, he left her in the house, and to cover his tracks, 172 00:09:29,270 --> 00:09:32,195 went back to the bar and had another series of drinks, 173 00:09:32,270 --> 00:09:33,755 and then went back to the house and decided 174 00:09:33,830 --> 00:09:35,362 he's going to dump the body. 175 00:09:35,437 --> 00:09:37,555 What he's got plenty of opportunities to dump the body. 176 00:09:37,630 --> 00:09:39,475 All he needs to do is to load her into the truck 177 00:09:39,550 --> 00:09:41,122 and he can drop her where he wants. 178 00:09:42,110 --> 00:09:43,635 NARRATOR: Taunja Bennett had become 179 00:09:43,644 --> 00:09:45,635 Jesperson's first victim. 180 00:09:45,710 --> 00:09:49,315 And despite the fact that two other people were in court, 181 00:09:49,390 --> 00:09:52,235 charged with the 23-year-old's murder, 182 00:09:52,310 --> 00:09:55,035 Jesperson had an urge to tell the world 183 00:09:55,110 --> 00:09:57,235 that he was her killer. 184 00:09:57,310 --> 00:09:59,635 GEOFFREY WANSELL: While the trial's taking place, 185 00:09:59,710 --> 00:10:04,835 he stops off in a restroom and writes a message 186 00:10:04,910 --> 00:10:08,635 on the wall, which is "I beat her, I raped her, I killed her. 187 00:10:08,710 --> 00:10:10,188 I liked it. 188 00:10:10,264 --> 00:10:12,675 You may think I'm sick, but I enjoyed it." 189 00:10:12,750 --> 00:10:15,995 And two other people are taking the fall. 190 00:10:16,070 --> 00:10:18,202 And he signs it with a smiley face. 191 00:10:20,150 --> 00:10:21,468 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: And at first, this 192 00:10:21,544 --> 00:10:23,435 would appear to be quite compelling, 193 00:10:23,510 --> 00:10:25,515 but it wasn't new information. 194 00:10:25,590 --> 00:10:28,282 It was information that anybody could have had, and just 195 00:10:28,357 --> 00:10:30,395 repeated onto the wall. 196 00:10:30,404 --> 00:10:33,915 So I think this was a desire for recognition 197 00:10:33,990 --> 00:10:35,455 on Jesperson's part. 198 00:10:35,530 --> 00:10:38,235 It was a desire to be noticed, and to actually take 199 00:10:38,310 --> 00:10:40,435 the credit for these murders. 200 00:10:40,510 --> 00:10:43,115 NARRATOR: As news of the truck stop confession 201 00:10:43,124 --> 00:10:47,275 reached Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske's lawyers, 202 00:10:47,350 --> 00:10:48,835 they were intrigued. 203 00:10:48,910 --> 00:10:52,115 But the jury would never get to hear about the revelations 204 00:10:52,190 --> 00:10:54,162 signed with a smiley face. 205 00:10:55,470 --> 00:10:59,035 GEOFFREY WANSELL: The defense of Laverne and John 206 00:10:59,110 --> 00:11:03,195 try to get these confessions brought 207 00:11:03,270 --> 00:11:08,235 in as evidence in the trial, but the judge forbids it. 208 00:11:08,310 --> 00:11:13,395 It's hearsay, it could be anybody, it's not convincing, 209 00:11:13,470 --> 00:11:15,475 there's no forensic proof. 210 00:11:15,550 --> 00:11:18,035 Sorry, we're not allowing it into evidence. 211 00:11:18,110 --> 00:11:23,235 And both are duly convicted of the murder, 212 00:11:23,310 --> 00:11:28,035 and Keith Jesperson is free to kill again. 213 00:11:28,110 --> 00:11:31,642 After all, he's already boasted that he can. 214 00:11:31,717 --> 00:11:33,175 So why shouldn't he? 215 00:11:34,350 --> 00:11:37,395 NARRATOR: As to innocent people were sentenced to life 216 00:11:37,470 --> 00:11:40,355 in prison for the murder of Taunja Bennett, 217 00:11:40,430 --> 00:11:43,675 Keith Jesperson remain free. 218 00:11:43,750 --> 00:11:48,315 In 1992, two years after killing for the first time, 219 00:11:48,390 --> 00:11:50,515 Jesperson struck again. 220 00:11:50,590 --> 00:11:52,595 This time in California. 221 00:11:52,670 --> 00:11:54,515 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Jesperson second victim, 222 00:11:54,590 --> 00:11:59,395 Claudia, was a woman who he kept alive in his truck 223 00:11:59,470 --> 00:12:00,835 for four days. 224 00:12:00,910 --> 00:12:03,202 He quite enjoyed torturing her. 225 00:12:03,277 --> 00:12:05,075 He quite enjoyed the fact that she would 226 00:12:05,150 --> 00:12:07,075 have been fearful for her life and probably 227 00:12:07,150 --> 00:12:08,642 pleading for her life. 228 00:12:08,717 --> 00:12:13,835 So this really highlights that it's the process that Jesperson 229 00:12:13,910 --> 00:12:16,315 enjoys, it's that feeling of power, 230 00:12:16,390 --> 00:12:18,595 that feeling of complete control and domination 231 00:12:18,670 --> 00:12:20,835 he gets when he has got somebody who's 232 00:12:20,910 --> 00:12:23,275 completely subservient to him. 233 00:12:23,350 --> 00:12:25,235 GEOFFREY WANSELL: He eventually, after a few days, 234 00:12:25,310 --> 00:12:27,522 gets bored, kills her by punching 235 00:12:27,597 --> 00:12:32,275 her literally to death, and then chucks her out of the truck. 236 00:12:32,350 --> 00:12:35,475 Now, how do you identify the body of a young woman 237 00:12:35,550 --> 00:12:39,442 found miles away from where she may have been last seen. 238 00:12:40,510 --> 00:12:43,155 Remember, we're in the early 90's here. 239 00:12:43,164 --> 00:12:45,315 We don't have the kind of elaborate databases 240 00:12:45,324 --> 00:12:48,195 that the police authorities have now. 241 00:12:48,270 --> 00:12:51,155 It's simply a body. 242 00:12:51,230 --> 00:12:56,475 And again, that confirms to Jesperson 243 00:12:56,550 --> 00:12:59,642 his ability to get away with it, his ability 244 00:12:59,717 --> 00:13:00,642 to do what he wants. 245 00:13:02,057 --> 00:13:06,595 It's a very powerful addictive substance 246 00:13:06,670 --> 00:13:10,715 for a man who's already got a warped mind, 247 00:13:10,724 --> 00:13:12,835 and has no moral compass. 248 00:13:12,910 --> 00:13:15,235 This is powerful medicine indeed. 249 00:13:15,244 --> 00:13:18,435 NARRATOR: By April 1994, Jesperson 250 00:13:18,510 --> 00:13:21,115 had killed another three women, taking 251 00:13:21,190 --> 00:13:23,635 his gruesome tally to five. 252 00:13:23,710 --> 00:13:26,435 But the 39-year-old was growing frustrated 253 00:13:26,510 --> 00:13:29,315 with the lack of credit he felt he deserved 254 00:13:29,390 --> 00:13:31,595 for his ongoing killing spree. 255 00:13:31,670 --> 00:13:35,475 He began to right that wrong by sending letters to an Oregon 256 00:13:35,550 --> 00:13:38,435 courthouse and a local newspaper, 257 00:13:38,510 --> 00:13:40,835 reiterating his claims that he was 258 00:13:40,910 --> 00:13:44,515 the person responsible for the death of Taunja Bennett 259 00:13:44,590 --> 00:13:46,482 back in January 1990. 260 00:13:47,750 --> 00:13:49,355 MONTY BEUTTNER: Keith loves the media attention. 261 00:13:49,430 --> 00:13:52,915 He was doing anything he could to obtain that attention. 262 00:13:52,990 --> 00:13:55,035 And when somebody else was getting it, 263 00:13:55,110 --> 00:13:56,555 Keith wasn't comfortable with that. 264 00:13:56,630 --> 00:13:59,275 So when that occurred, it was the first time Keith 265 00:13:59,350 --> 00:14:02,235 came out of hiding so to speak. 266 00:14:02,310 --> 00:14:04,235 Contacted the newspaper, took credit 267 00:14:04,310 --> 00:14:06,595 for the homicide of Taunja Bennett, 268 00:14:06,670 --> 00:14:09,242 but would not divulge who he was. 269 00:14:09,317 --> 00:14:11,515 With all of the letters, he signed them with a happy face 270 00:14:11,590 --> 00:14:13,995 at the bottom, and the Oregonian newspaper deemed 271 00:14:14,070 --> 00:14:15,122 him the Happy Face Killer. 272 00:14:16,644 --> 00:14:19,995 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: At this point he's really, really frustrated. 273 00:14:20,070 --> 00:14:21,955 He's written on the walls of truck stops, 274 00:14:22,030 --> 00:14:23,642 he's written to the county court, 275 00:14:23,717 --> 00:14:26,715 and yet still he's not getting the recognition that he feels 276 00:14:26,790 --> 00:14:30,795 he deserves, especially around that smiley face moniker 277 00:14:30,870 --> 00:14:32,188 that he's crafted. 278 00:14:32,264 --> 00:14:34,355 He probably thought that was a brilliant kind 279 00:14:34,430 --> 00:14:37,475 of brand identity, and nobody's picking it up. 280 00:14:37,550 --> 00:14:40,195 So at this point he's really, really angry. 281 00:14:40,270 --> 00:14:44,155 He's screaming out now, I've done this, I'm proud of this, 282 00:14:44,230 --> 00:14:46,042 I deserve recognition for it. 283 00:14:47,510 --> 00:14:50,395 NARRATOR: The letters detailed all five of the murders 284 00:14:50,470 --> 00:14:54,075 that Jesperson had committed, allowing authorities to link 285 00:14:54,150 --> 00:14:56,315 the separate cases together. 286 00:14:56,390 --> 00:14:59,275 But the trucker continued on regardless. 287 00:14:59,350 --> 00:15:01,835 He killed a sixth victim known only 288 00:15:01,844 --> 00:15:05,515 as Susanne in September 1994. 289 00:15:05,590 --> 00:15:09,715 And in January 1995, he claimed a seventh. 290 00:15:09,790 --> 00:15:12,122 His most inhumane so far. 291 00:15:13,430 --> 00:15:15,035 GEOFFREY WANSELL: Angela Surbrize 292 00:15:15,044 --> 00:15:20,595 is one that always sticks in my mind 293 00:15:20,670 --> 00:15:24,835 because it doesn't start out at a truck stop in the same way 294 00:15:24,910 --> 00:15:27,595 as the many of the other killings have. 295 00:15:27,670 --> 00:15:31,995 This time he offers Angela a lift. 296 00:15:32,004 --> 00:15:35,795 She's 21, she wants to lift to see her father. 297 00:15:35,870 --> 00:15:38,195 In the end, she phones her father and her father 298 00:15:38,270 --> 00:15:39,868 says, oh don't come now. 299 00:15:39,944 --> 00:15:43,235 So she decides to go and see her boyfriend in Indiana. 300 00:15:43,244 --> 00:15:47,115 According to Jesperson, he got irritated with her because she 301 00:15:47,124 --> 00:15:48,955 was telling him to hurry up. 302 00:15:49,030 --> 00:15:51,035 He says how much she was nagging at him 303 00:15:51,044 --> 00:15:53,075 and how much she was bitching at him. 304 00:15:53,150 --> 00:15:56,562 And what he's doing here is victim blaming. 305 00:15:56,637 --> 00:16:00,115 He's drawing on these stereotypical notions of women 306 00:16:00,190 --> 00:16:03,915 as annoying, as nagging because that has often been used 307 00:16:03,990 --> 00:16:06,115 in the past to justify murders. 308 00:16:06,190 --> 00:16:09,635 It's this kind of crime of passion type of argument. 309 00:16:09,710 --> 00:16:13,315 And he really is quite in tune with that. 310 00:16:13,390 --> 00:16:16,315 NARRATOR: After spending a week together on the road, 311 00:16:16,390 --> 00:16:19,235 Jesperson strangled Angela to death, 312 00:16:19,310 --> 00:16:22,235 but he was far from finished with her. 313 00:16:22,244 --> 00:16:24,675 GEOFFREY WANSELL: You have a man who is now 314 00:16:24,750 --> 00:16:26,402 quite literally out of control. 315 00:16:26,477 --> 00:16:32,595 But what makes Angela's killing so horrible 316 00:16:32,670 --> 00:16:36,835 is that he decides to cover his tracks, 317 00:16:36,910 --> 00:16:45,595 and he ties that poor dead young woman's body under his truck, 318 00:16:45,670 --> 00:16:46,842 and toes it. 319 00:16:46,917 --> 00:16:48,835 And the objective is to obliterate 320 00:16:48,910 --> 00:16:52,155 her face and her fingerprints. 321 00:16:52,230 --> 00:16:54,395 He's sufficiently aware that he knows 322 00:16:54,470 --> 00:16:57,355 that this one could be traced. 323 00:16:57,430 --> 00:16:59,355 After all, one or two people may well 324 00:16:59,430 --> 00:17:01,435 have known that he had offered her a lift, 325 00:17:01,510 --> 00:17:05,442 and he wants to make sure that she's unidentifiable. 326 00:17:07,710 --> 00:17:10,315 This is a killing of the supreme wickedness. 327 00:17:10,390 --> 00:17:15,355 I mean, one feels desperately that she couldn't possibly 328 00:17:15,430 --> 00:17:19,155 have deserved that horrific fate, 329 00:17:19,230 --> 00:17:23,875 and yet Jesperson meted it out to her, 330 00:17:23,950 --> 00:17:28,122 without a twinge of conscience as far as we can see. 331 00:17:29,390 --> 00:17:31,395 NARRATOR: The pace of Jesperson's killing spree 332 00:17:31,470 --> 00:17:34,995 was accelerating, and just two months after the murder 333 00:17:35,070 --> 00:17:38,675 of Angela Surbrize, in March 1995, 334 00:17:38,750 --> 00:17:41,715 a body was discovered in Washington, just 335 00:17:41,790 --> 00:17:43,042 off Highway 14. 336 00:18:01,710 --> 00:18:03,355 MONTY BEUTTNER: I was actually on days off 337 00:18:03,430 --> 00:18:08,395 and it was, I believe, March 11 1995, when I received a call 338 00:18:08,470 --> 00:18:10,795 at home stating that they had received 339 00:18:10,870 --> 00:18:13,835 a report of a body that was found near the county line, 340 00:18:13,910 --> 00:18:15,402 just into Skamania county. 341 00:18:15,477 --> 00:18:17,435 The patrol officers were responding at that time 342 00:18:17,510 --> 00:18:19,162 and they asked that I respond as well. 343 00:18:28,990 --> 00:18:30,302 MONTY BEUTTNER: The only thing really 344 00:18:30,377 --> 00:18:32,435 in that area between the highway and the river 345 00:18:32,510 --> 00:18:34,022 is a set of railroad tracks. 346 00:18:33,764 --> 00:18:36,162 It was all the way at the lower edge of that. 347 00:18:36,237 --> 00:18:39,242 But just over that bank, probably 20 feet down 348 00:18:39,317 --> 00:18:42,642 over the edge from the highway, is where the body was located. 349 00:18:42,717 --> 00:18:46,035 This latest case bared all the hallmarks 350 00:18:46,110 --> 00:18:48,715 of the notorious Happy Face Killer. 351 00:18:48,790 --> 00:18:50,768 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: When we look at the locations in which 352 00:18:50,644 --> 00:18:54,402 Jesperson dumped the bodies, and you look at the other types 353 00:18:54,477 --> 00:18:57,355 of items that you find in that location, it's trash, 354 00:18:57,430 --> 00:18:59,202 it's rubbish, it's discarded things 355 00:18:59,277 --> 00:19:00,642 that people no longer want. 356 00:19:00,717 --> 00:19:04,155 And that is exactly how Jesperson sees his victims. 357 00:19:04,230 --> 00:19:06,642 He's had fun with them, they've served a purpose, 358 00:19:06,717 --> 00:19:09,042 and now he's just going to dispose of them. 359 00:19:10,510 --> 00:19:12,015 MONTY BEUTTNER: It appeared to me 360 00:19:12,090 --> 00:19:15,115 that she had not been there very long, between possibly 361 00:19:15,190 --> 00:19:17,355 24 and 36 hours. 362 00:19:17,430 --> 00:19:20,035 She was laying on her right side and her face 363 00:19:20,110 --> 00:19:21,875 was facing the ground. 364 00:19:21,950 --> 00:19:23,415 I could see evidence that's either 365 00:19:23,491 --> 00:19:27,802 consistent with strangulation or lividity 366 00:19:27,877 --> 00:19:30,275 because she was basically inverted, 367 00:19:30,350 --> 00:19:32,802 her head was lower than the rest of her body. 368 00:19:32,877 --> 00:19:36,515 Once the heart stops, blood will pool at its lowest point. 369 00:19:36,590 --> 00:19:39,595 And in this case, it would have been her upper torso, neck, 370 00:19:39,670 --> 00:19:40,482 and face. 371 00:19:41,757 --> 00:19:43,082 GEOFFREY WANSELL: One of the things 372 00:19:43,157 --> 00:19:47,355 that became a hallmark of Jesperson killing 373 00:19:47,430 --> 00:19:50,995 was he punched his victims repeatedly 374 00:19:51,070 --> 00:19:53,435 in the neck, and face, and in the throat, 375 00:19:53,510 --> 00:19:55,635 thereby eventually killing them. 376 00:19:55,710 --> 00:19:59,322 He was a puncher, beat them literally to death. 377 00:20:00,910 --> 00:20:04,035 NARRATOR: The first task for the investigating team 378 00:20:04,110 --> 00:20:06,275 was identifying the body. 379 00:20:06,350 --> 00:20:07,875 MONTY BEUTTNER: We had no clothing, 380 00:20:07,950 --> 00:20:11,395 we had no personal wallet, no way to identify her. 381 00:20:11,470 --> 00:20:14,195 So one of the things that we do at the medical examiner's 382 00:20:14,270 --> 00:20:17,595 office is we take fingerprints from the victim. 383 00:20:17,670 --> 00:20:19,595 We then run those through the automated fingerprint 384 00:20:19,670 --> 00:20:22,075 identification system, known as AFIS, 385 00:20:22,150 --> 00:20:24,435 and in this case, the victim Julie Winningham, 386 00:20:24,510 --> 00:20:27,035 her fingerprints were in the AFIS system. 387 00:20:27,110 --> 00:20:29,515 NARRATOR: 41-year-old Julie Winningham 388 00:20:29,590 --> 00:20:32,875 had become the latest woman to be killed at the hands 389 00:20:32,950 --> 00:20:34,915 of the Happy Face Killer. 390 00:20:34,990 --> 00:20:36,735 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Jesperson is a man 391 00:20:36,811 --> 00:20:40,195 who feels completely entitled to treat women in this way. 392 00:20:40,270 --> 00:20:42,795 He picks up women in his truck, he thinks, 393 00:20:42,870 --> 00:20:46,235 I have a right to do with these women whatever I want. 394 00:20:46,244 --> 00:20:48,515 Now, he knows that what he's doing is wrong, 395 00:20:48,590 --> 00:20:51,115 but that doesn't stop him because he 396 00:20:51,190 --> 00:20:55,035 feels that he has some God-given right to do this. 397 00:20:55,110 --> 00:20:57,595 GEOFFREY WANSELL: In a sense, they were falling 398 00:20:57,670 --> 00:20:59,515 into the hands of a wolf. 399 00:20:59,590 --> 00:21:03,042 They're hens in the hen coop and Jesperson 400 00:21:03,117 --> 00:21:04,242 is the wolf at the door. 401 00:21:05,824 --> 00:21:07,835 NARRATOR: But Jesperson's world was about to come 402 00:21:07,910 --> 00:21:09,915 crashing down around him. 403 00:21:09,990 --> 00:21:14,155 The 39-year-old serial killer had made a mistake that would 404 00:21:14,230 --> 00:21:16,955 lead the police to his door. 405 00:21:16,964 --> 00:21:18,968 Julie Winningham had become Keith 406 00:21:19,044 --> 00:21:23,635 Jesperson's eighth victim, but she would also be his last. 407 00:21:23,710 --> 00:21:27,682 Julie's son Don Findlay was 24 at the time. 408 00:21:32,430 --> 00:21:36,635 DON FINDLAY: My mom, she was a cheerful free spirit, 409 00:21:36,644 --> 00:21:38,335 caring, and loving. 410 00:21:38,410 --> 00:21:42,795 She was just a traveler and an adventure, and was a free soul. 411 00:21:42,870 --> 00:21:48,395 And didn't understand that when I was young, But as I grew up 412 00:21:48,470 --> 00:21:52,875 I grasped what it was all and why she chose her life the way 413 00:21:52,950 --> 00:21:54,035 she did. 414 00:21:54,110 --> 00:21:56,035 NARRATOR: Julie and Don did not have 415 00:21:56,110 --> 00:21:59,035 a traditional mother-son relationship. 416 00:21:59,110 --> 00:22:02,435 Don was working in California, while Julie moved 417 00:22:02,510 --> 00:22:04,595 between the Pacific Northwest. 418 00:22:04,670 --> 00:22:09,762 DON FINDLAY: There was a time when I came up here in '91. 419 00:22:09,837 --> 00:22:15,235 The last time I physically saw my mom, we drove around, 420 00:22:15,310 --> 00:22:18,635 we talked, we got caught up, and in '95 421 00:22:18,644 --> 00:22:22,995 my mom had called me February 12, which was her birthday. 422 00:22:23,070 --> 00:22:25,835 And my birthday was February 20. 423 00:22:25,910 --> 00:22:31,395 She told me she was up in Idaho with a friend and planning 424 00:22:31,470 --> 00:22:34,122 on coming down to Washington. 425 00:22:35,510 --> 00:22:39,315 NARRATOR: By March, 1995, Julie was spending a lot of time 426 00:22:39,390 --> 00:22:41,715 with some friends in the Portland area, 427 00:22:41,790 --> 00:22:45,402 just on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. 428 00:22:45,477 --> 00:22:46,955 MONTY BEUTTNER: She started hanging 429 00:22:46,964 --> 00:22:49,195 out at some of the truck stops. 430 00:22:49,270 --> 00:22:52,315 Burns Bros, over in Troutdale, had a dance 431 00:22:52,390 --> 00:22:54,235 floor and quite the nightlife. 432 00:22:54,310 --> 00:22:56,435 A lot of people would go over there whether they drove trucks 433 00:22:56,510 --> 00:22:57,722 or not. 434 00:22:57,797 --> 00:22:59,155 And I believe as a country and Western bar. 435 00:22:59,230 --> 00:23:01,675 And they would just hang out and have 436 00:23:01,750 --> 00:23:03,268 drinks with friends over there. 437 00:23:03,044 --> 00:23:05,602 So she got into that circle over there as well. 438 00:23:05,677 --> 00:23:08,155 NARRATOR: After Julie's body was found just 439 00:23:08,230 --> 00:23:11,435 across the river in Washington, her son Don 440 00:23:11,444 --> 00:23:13,682 was given the devastating news. 441 00:23:15,237 --> 00:23:17,275 DON FINDLAY: I was at work, and I received a phone call 442 00:23:17,350 --> 00:23:21,282 from my aunt telling me that they 443 00:23:21,357 --> 00:23:27,835 had found my mom dead on the side of Highway 14, 444 00:23:27,910 --> 00:23:30,882 murdered and raped. 445 00:23:30,957 --> 00:23:32,475 I lost it. 446 00:23:35,550 --> 00:23:43,435 I punched fences, I pulled off the paper towels, 447 00:23:43,510 --> 00:23:45,635 walked down the street and just collapsed 448 00:23:45,710 --> 00:23:46,715 in the middle of the street. 449 00:23:46,724 --> 00:23:49,122 No one around. 450 00:23:49,197 --> 00:23:51,642 The people I knew as friends didn't know what to think. 451 00:23:53,110 --> 00:23:55,835 NARRATOR: Detectives interviewed Julie's friends 452 00:23:55,844 --> 00:23:58,635 and they immediately had a lead. 453 00:23:58,710 --> 00:24:01,442 She had a boyfriend who was a truck driver. 454 00:24:02,710 --> 00:24:04,395 MONTY BEUTTNER: Speaking with Julie's friends, 455 00:24:04,470 --> 00:24:06,315 we were very interested in who this truck 456 00:24:06,390 --> 00:24:07,995 driver was she was with. 457 00:24:08,070 --> 00:24:09,835 Unfortunately her friends really didn't 458 00:24:09,910 --> 00:24:11,435 pay much attention to him. 459 00:24:11,510 --> 00:24:13,835 They noticed that he drove a big blue semi 460 00:24:13,910 --> 00:24:17,315 truck with a sleeper cab, but they weren't sure of his name. 461 00:24:17,390 --> 00:24:20,555 Some of them said his name maybe was Keith, some of them 462 00:24:20,630 --> 00:24:23,002 said his name was Chris. 463 00:24:23,077 --> 00:24:24,122 They were just unsure. 464 00:24:25,924 --> 00:24:27,995 NARRATOR: Just as it seemed the trail was going cold, 465 00:24:28,070 --> 00:24:31,515 investigators got their biggest break yet. 466 00:24:31,590 --> 00:24:33,835 MONTY BEUTTNER: Fortunately, one of Julie's friends 467 00:24:33,910 --> 00:24:36,035 had just bought a car from Julie. 468 00:24:36,110 --> 00:24:38,835 And out of that transaction of buying the car, 469 00:24:38,910 --> 00:24:41,155 Keith was there, and he was asked to sign the bill of sale 470 00:24:41,230 --> 00:24:42,555 as a witness. 471 00:24:42,630 --> 00:24:45,282 So the friend gave us the bill of sale, 472 00:24:45,357 --> 00:24:48,795 and on it as a witness had said Keith Hunter Jesperson. 473 00:24:48,870 --> 00:24:52,235 So that was our first indication of who we were looking for. 474 00:24:52,310 --> 00:24:55,595 NARRATOR: For the first time since his killing spree began, 475 00:24:55,670 --> 00:24:59,355 the name Keith Jesperson was with the detectives. 476 00:24:59,430 --> 00:25:03,915 The 39-year-old had made an uncharacteristic error. 477 00:25:03,924 --> 00:25:08,755 GEOFFREY WANSELL: There's all sorts of footprints that 478 00:25:08,830 --> 00:25:11,995 had been left in the sand that lead you directly 479 00:25:12,070 --> 00:25:14,435 back to Keith Jesperson. 480 00:25:14,510 --> 00:25:17,435 He makes the mistake of killing someone who has got a past, 481 00:25:17,510 --> 00:25:20,475 would have a future, and has got a whole network of friends 482 00:25:20,550 --> 00:25:21,755 to prove it. 483 00:25:21,830 --> 00:25:23,515 It's a gigantic miscalculation. 484 00:25:23,524 --> 00:25:26,755 But the reason he miscalculates is by now he 485 00:25:26,830 --> 00:25:28,195 is simply addicted to killing. 486 00:25:28,270 --> 00:25:29,555 He oversteps the mark. 487 00:25:29,630 --> 00:25:32,315 He goes too far because he can't stop himself. 488 00:25:32,324 --> 00:25:33,515 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: And I think that's 489 00:25:33,590 --> 00:25:36,515 testament to his arrogance at this point 490 00:25:36,590 --> 00:25:39,035 in his serial murders. 491 00:25:39,044 --> 00:25:40,915 He really does think he's untouchable, 492 00:25:40,990 --> 00:25:42,915 but he's not going to get caught. 493 00:25:42,990 --> 00:25:44,835 NARRATOR: Detectives traced Jesperson 494 00:25:44,910 --> 00:25:48,195 via his employers to a job over 1,000 495 00:25:48,270 --> 00:25:51,475 miles away from Washington. 496 00:25:51,550 --> 00:25:53,635 MONTY BEUTTNER: Keith Jesperson was told that when he dropped 497 00:25:53,710 --> 00:25:57,762 off his load in Hurley, that he was to travel to the Las 498 00:25:57,837 --> 00:26:01,035 Cruces, New Mexico, county fairgrounds to pick up 499 00:26:01,110 --> 00:26:02,635 a load of steel at that point. 500 00:26:02,710 --> 00:26:05,402 That was fabricated to the point where we could basically bring 501 00:26:05,477 --> 00:26:08,355 Keith Jesperson to us, and him thinking that it 502 00:26:08,430 --> 00:26:09,775 was another pickup point. 503 00:26:09,850 --> 00:26:12,402 It was actually us waiting for his arrival. 504 00:26:12,477 --> 00:26:15,275 NARRATOR: Monty remembers his first encounter 505 00:26:15,350 --> 00:26:18,035 with the imposing killer. 506 00:26:18,110 --> 00:26:19,995 MONTY BEUTTNER: Keith Jesperson is a very big man. 507 00:26:20,070 --> 00:26:22,155 However, he is somewhat soft spoken, 508 00:26:22,230 --> 00:26:27,915 so it's almost like he's using that to make people 509 00:26:27,924 --> 00:26:29,835 feel comfortable around him. 510 00:26:29,444 --> 00:26:34,635 And my first impression was using the way he was speaking 511 00:26:34,710 --> 00:26:38,515 to us in the soft tones, even though he a very big man, 512 00:26:38,590 --> 00:26:42,475 I could see where he could pick a victim up 513 00:26:42,550 --> 00:26:45,195 and they would feel somewhat safe being with him 514 00:26:45,204 --> 00:26:47,242 until he changed unexpectedly. 515 00:26:47,317 --> 00:26:51,275 So that was my first impression that this man could 516 00:26:51,350 --> 00:26:53,435 easily victimize some women. 517 00:26:53,444 --> 00:26:55,962 NARRATOR: Jesperson claimed that Julie was still 518 00:26:56,037 --> 00:26:58,315 alive when he last saw her. 519 00:26:58,390 --> 00:27:01,235 Without any physical or forensic evidence, 520 00:27:01,310 --> 00:27:04,235 the detectives were powerless to arrest him. 521 00:27:04,310 --> 00:27:06,835 They flew back to Washington to continue 522 00:27:06,910 --> 00:27:11,042 their investigation into the death of Julie Winningham. 523 00:27:12,310 --> 00:27:16,115 DON FINDLAY: I saw my mom for the very last time 524 00:27:16,190 --> 00:27:22,875 in a white room on a silver slab with a white sheet up 525 00:27:22,950 --> 00:27:26,435 to her neck, with a black and blue mark 526 00:27:26,510 --> 00:27:30,555 across her whole face, shrub marks on her cheeks, 527 00:27:30,630 --> 00:27:37,922 and that was the last time I basically saw my mom. 528 00:27:37,997 --> 00:27:39,835 ■ 529 00:27:39,910 --> 00:27:41,635 NARRATOR: No sooner had the detectives 530 00:27:41,710 --> 00:27:44,395 touched down in Washington, Jesperson 531 00:27:44,470 --> 00:27:47,315 had a sudden change of heart. 532 00:27:47,390 --> 00:27:49,395 GEOFFREY WANSELL: Maybe at this point 533 00:27:49,470 --> 00:27:52,835 Jesperson realizes that really the game is up 534 00:27:52,910 --> 00:27:55,035 and there's nothing he can do. 535 00:27:55,044 --> 00:27:59,362 So he confesses to his employer, the truck company, 536 00:27:59,437 --> 00:28:02,915 that he's going to confess to the police. 537 00:28:02,990 --> 00:28:07,195 And he himself leaves a voicemail 538 00:28:07,270 --> 00:28:09,682 for one of the detectives who's come to interview him. 539 00:28:59,310 --> 00:29:03,275 NARRATOR: Detective Rick Buckner spoke to Jesperson on the phone 540 00:29:03,284 --> 00:29:06,482 when the killer reached a truck stop in Arizona. 541 00:29:42,790 --> 00:29:46,515 MONTY BEUTTNER: Julie then was angry because of the car 542 00:29:46,590 --> 00:29:48,595 that she recently sold to the friend 543 00:29:48,670 --> 00:29:53,475 because Keith Jesperson signed it as a witness. 544 00:29:53,550 --> 00:29:55,755 She wanted the car back, and she blamed Keith 545 00:29:55,830 --> 00:29:58,635 because she couldn't get the car back because of the bill sale 546 00:29:58,710 --> 00:30:00,202 that he had witnessed. 547 00:30:00,277 --> 00:30:02,122 Keith said that they got into an argument about that. 548 00:30:27,510 --> 00:30:29,035 MONTY BEUTTNER: He held his hands 549 00:30:29,110 --> 00:30:32,515 around her neck or his fist on her throat and held her down. 550 00:30:32,590 --> 00:30:34,835 At that interview, on the phone interview, 551 00:30:34,910 --> 00:30:36,542 he said as long as five minutes. 552 00:30:36,617 --> 00:30:39,235 And later interviews he thought it was as long as 10 minutes 553 00:30:39,310 --> 00:30:43,395 that he held his fist or hand over her neck, 554 00:30:43,470 --> 00:30:46,082 strangling her until she stopped moving. 555 00:31:02,550 --> 00:31:03,955 MONTY BEUTTNER: So at our request, 556 00:31:04,030 --> 00:31:06,955 Cochise County Sheriff's Office sent deputies out 557 00:31:07,030 --> 00:31:08,595 and they arrested him at the truck stop 558 00:31:08,670 --> 00:31:11,642 where he had made the call to call detective Buckner. 559 00:31:12,877 --> 00:31:15,355 NARRATOR: Keith Jesperson was finally in custody, 560 00:31:15,430 --> 00:31:18,475 but the police we're only just beginning to realize they'd 561 00:31:18,550 --> 00:31:21,635 captured the notorious Happy Face Killer. 562 00:31:21,710 --> 00:31:25,235 In a letter to his brother sent just before his arrest, 563 00:31:25,310 --> 00:31:28,275 Jesperson had outlined his crimes, writing, 564 00:31:28,284 --> 00:31:31,042 I am sorry that I turned out this way. 565 00:31:31,117 --> 00:31:33,995 I've been killing for five years and have killed 566 00:31:34,070 --> 00:31:36,155 eight people, assaulted more. 567 00:31:36,230 --> 00:31:38,595 I guess I haven't learned anything. 568 00:31:38,670 --> 00:31:40,995 MONTY BEUTTNER: By the time that we had knowledge 569 00:31:41,070 --> 00:31:42,488 of those letters, the investigation 570 00:31:42,564 --> 00:31:45,555 of Julie Winningham was in its final stages. 571 00:31:45,630 --> 00:31:48,555 And so at that point in time, the letters 572 00:31:48,630 --> 00:31:51,035 to his brother that was reviewed, the letters 573 00:31:51,044 --> 00:31:52,908 to the Oregonian that we reviewed, 574 00:31:52,984 --> 00:31:56,675 it was it was believed that time that, yes, we indeed 575 00:31:56,750 --> 00:32:00,322 possibly had multiple victims in this case of Keith Jesperson. 576 00:32:01,677 --> 00:32:04,202 NARRATOR: It was time to sit down with Keith Jesperson 577 00:32:04,277 --> 00:32:06,835 and find out exactly what the Happy Face 578 00:32:06,910 --> 00:32:08,642 Killer had to say for himself. 579 00:32:23,877 --> 00:32:27,035 NARRATOR: From the letters and interviews with Jesperson, 580 00:32:27,044 --> 00:32:29,355 detectives learned that he had killed eight women 581 00:32:29,430 --> 00:32:33,435 across the USA, from the very Northwest in Washington, 582 00:32:33,510 --> 00:32:36,635 all the way down to the Southeast in Florida. 583 00:32:36,710 --> 00:32:40,795 Investigators were determined to put names and faces to some 584 00:32:40,870 --> 00:32:43,195 of the unknown women that Jesperson 585 00:32:43,270 --> 00:32:45,595 had claimed to have murdered. 586 00:32:45,670 --> 00:32:47,602 GEOFFREY WANSELL: Gradually, the police 587 00:32:47,677 --> 00:32:51,515 put together a picture of the victims and where they are. 588 00:32:51,524 --> 00:32:53,715 They begin to find, or at least identify, 589 00:32:53,790 --> 00:32:55,795 some of the bodies, which were in five states, 590 00:32:55,870 --> 00:32:57,402 so it's not an easy task. 591 00:32:59,590 --> 00:33:02,915 NARRATOR: In a letter he sent to the Oregonian newspaper 592 00:33:02,990 --> 00:33:05,315 a year before his arrest, Jesperson 593 00:33:05,390 --> 00:33:08,035 had claimed to have killed a woman before dumping 594 00:33:08,110 --> 00:33:10,595 her body in Salem, Oregon. 595 00:33:10,670 --> 00:33:13,275 This alerted Marion County DA Mark 596 00:33:13,350 --> 00:33:15,915 Makler when he heard that the Happy Face 597 00:33:15,990 --> 00:33:17,842 Killer had been apprehended. 598 00:33:19,070 --> 00:33:21,035 MARK MAKLER: His hands were very large. 599 00:33:21,110 --> 00:33:24,075 When I met him and interviewed him and saw him 600 00:33:24,150 --> 00:33:26,555 for the first time in the Clark County jail 601 00:33:26,564 --> 00:33:28,555 in Vancouver, Washington, he had to duck 602 00:33:28,630 --> 00:33:31,275 when he walked through doors because he 603 00:33:31,350 --> 00:33:32,635 had that kind of size. 604 00:33:32,710 --> 00:33:34,462 I mean, he was a big guy. 605 00:33:34,537 --> 00:33:41,035 And he didn't present himself with that size as a monster, 606 00:33:41,110 --> 00:33:44,195 so much as somebody who probably looked 607 00:33:44,270 --> 00:33:50,362 like a big giant friendly guy until enraged, I suppose. 608 00:33:51,797 --> 00:33:55,035 NARRATOR: Mark was able to get a blood sample from Jesperson, 609 00:33:55,044 --> 00:33:58,235 which revealed a DNA match to semen found 610 00:33:58,310 --> 00:34:01,755 on the body of Laurie Pentland, who'd been the killer's 611 00:34:01,764 --> 00:34:04,442 fourth victim in November 1992. 612 00:34:05,710 --> 00:34:07,315 MARK MAKLER: Laurie Pentland was choked to death, 613 00:34:07,390 --> 00:34:12,435 and what we understood was, whether he intended to kill her 614 00:34:12,510 --> 00:34:16,035 or not, whether he intended that she was the next victim 615 00:34:16,110 --> 00:34:17,915 or not, what we understood was that she 616 00:34:17,990 --> 00:34:21,595 was engaged in a sex act with him, in oral sex acts with him. 617 00:34:21,670 --> 00:34:24,435 I think it probably got violent with him a little bit 618 00:34:24,444 --> 00:34:29,035 and she bit him, and he killed her. 619 00:34:29,044 --> 00:34:30,395 That's what we understood. 620 00:34:30,470 --> 00:34:33,355 NARRATOR: Jesperson had employed his usual MO 621 00:34:33,430 --> 00:34:36,562 of squeezing the life out of Laurie Pentland's body. 622 00:34:37,910 --> 00:34:40,315 ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Jesperson killed Laurie by a process 623 00:34:40,390 --> 00:34:42,435 of stop-start strangulation. 624 00:34:42,510 --> 00:34:46,155 So he would throttle her until she almost went unconscious, 625 00:34:46,230 --> 00:34:48,595 and then he would kind of back off 626 00:34:48,670 --> 00:34:50,755 and she would come around again, and then he would 627 00:34:50,830 --> 00:34:53,275 start that process over again. 628 00:34:53,350 --> 00:34:55,235 So I think this is part of the murder 629 00:34:55,310 --> 00:34:57,195 that Jesperson really enjoys. 630 00:34:57,270 --> 00:35:00,315 This holding somebody else's life in his hands. 631 00:35:00,390 --> 00:35:02,395 It's something that he wants to prolong. 632 00:35:02,470 --> 00:35:04,475 It something that he wants to amplify. 633 00:35:04,550 --> 00:35:06,035 So this must have been incredibly 634 00:35:06,110 --> 00:35:07,562 terrifying for his victim. 635 00:35:08,644 --> 00:35:10,035 MARK MAKLER: When a victim is choked, 636 00:35:10,110 --> 00:35:12,355 typically bones in the neck or broken. 637 00:35:12,430 --> 00:35:14,562 Remember, I told you he had massive hands, 638 00:35:14,637 --> 00:35:17,195 so he crushed her neck. 639 00:35:17,270 --> 00:35:20,122 I mean, that's effectively what happened. 640 00:35:21,550 --> 00:35:24,242 NARRATOR: Jesperson was charged with the murder of Laurie 641 00:35:24,317 --> 00:35:27,402 Pentland, and after telling detectives where they would 642 00:35:27,477 --> 00:35:30,475 find her mutilated body, the 40-year-old 643 00:35:30,550 --> 00:35:33,555 was charged with a third murder, that of Angela 644 00:35:33,630 --> 00:35:37,035 Surbrize, the woman he dragged under his truck 645 00:35:37,110 --> 00:35:38,722 in January 1995. 646 00:35:40,190 --> 00:35:43,235 As his confessions continued, he once again 647 00:35:43,244 --> 00:35:46,315 claimed to be responsible for killing Taunja Bennett 648 00:35:46,390 --> 00:35:50,435 in January 1990, a crime for which two people 649 00:35:50,510 --> 00:35:52,322 had already been convicted. 650 00:36:19,910 --> 00:36:21,555 NARRATOR: Jesperson told detectives 651 00:36:21,630 --> 00:36:24,115 that Taunja had come back to his home 652 00:36:24,190 --> 00:36:27,795 after the pair had met in a bar and been for a meal. 653 00:36:27,870 --> 00:36:31,682 They soon began having sex on a mattress on the floor. 654 00:37:17,590 --> 00:37:20,515 NARRATOR: Jesperson described the brutal murder, 655 00:37:20,590 --> 00:37:24,195 the first one he committed in a calm manner. 656 00:37:24,270 --> 00:37:27,642 The Washington detectives contacted their colleagues 657 00:37:27,717 --> 00:37:29,802 across the Oregon State border. 658 00:37:31,390 --> 00:37:34,355 CHRIS PETERSON: One day I got a call from Rick Buckner who 659 00:37:34,430 --> 00:37:36,595 is a Clark County detective. 660 00:37:36,670 --> 00:37:41,555 Rick said we've got an inmate in custody in Clark County 661 00:37:41,630 --> 00:37:47,435 for killing his girlfriend, and he is telling us, 662 00:37:47,510 --> 00:37:50,395 and he's telling his fellow inmates that he murdered 663 00:37:50,470 --> 00:37:51,842 a woman named Taunja Bennett. 664 00:37:53,037 --> 00:37:54,275 MONTY BEUTTNER: Of course, detectives 665 00:37:54,350 --> 00:37:55,075 didn't believe him because we have 666 00:37:55,150 --> 00:37:56,308 two people in prison already. 667 00:37:56,384 --> 00:37:58,102 One of which confessed to it. 668 00:37:57,644 --> 00:38:01,602 However Keith Jesperson asked if we located Taunja Bennett's 669 00:38:01,677 --> 00:38:06,795 purse and ID card, which wasn't located at the location where 670 00:38:06,870 --> 00:38:08,242 her body was. 671 00:38:08,317 --> 00:38:10,515 He indicated that he dumped that at a different location 672 00:38:10,590 --> 00:38:13,275 and he was willing to show us where that was. 673 00:38:13,350 --> 00:38:15,995 NARRATOR: Jesperson described throwing the evidence 674 00:38:16,070 --> 00:38:18,275 into a blackberry field the morning 675 00:38:18,350 --> 00:38:20,042 after he'd murdered Taunja. 676 00:38:39,750 --> 00:38:42,235 CHRIS PETERSON: We took him to the crime scene or the dump 677 00:38:42,244 --> 00:38:47,962 site on the Columbia Gorge and he said that he left her body, 678 00:38:48,037 --> 00:38:49,482 but took the purse with him. 679 00:38:49,557 --> 00:38:54,555 He said, I threw the contents of her purse in this area. 680 00:38:54,564 --> 00:38:58,675 Well, it was a big area and the blackberry were 10 feet high. 681 00:38:58,750 --> 00:39:01,562 NARRATOR: After a thorough search of the vast area 682 00:39:01,637 --> 00:39:04,195 by police and the local scouts, they 683 00:39:04,270 --> 00:39:07,795 failed to find any evidence, but the detectives 684 00:39:07,870 --> 00:39:09,542 refused to give up the ghost. 685 00:39:10,750 --> 00:39:12,635 CHRIS PETERSON: My partner Jim McNally said maybe we 686 00:39:12,710 --> 00:39:14,082 ought to do it one more time. 687 00:39:14,157 --> 00:39:17,555 So the next Saturday we sent the explorer scouts out again 688 00:39:17,630 --> 00:39:22,035 with the police supervisor and they found Taunja's ID card, 689 00:39:22,110 --> 00:39:24,875 an Oregon issued ID card, and it was 690 00:39:24,950 --> 00:39:27,802 as good a condition as it was the day it was thrown there. 691 00:39:29,644 --> 00:39:32,755 Well, only a person who threw it there 692 00:39:32,830 --> 00:39:37,595 could have pinpointed that precise location within, 693 00:39:37,604 --> 00:39:40,475 I guess, 100 yards of where we found it. 694 00:39:40,484 --> 00:39:44,435 So that was the turning point, and that was the point where 695 00:39:44,510 --> 00:39:47,915 I felt we could charge Jesperson with a crime 696 00:39:47,990 --> 00:39:51,115 because we had enough evidence to implicate him in the crime, 697 00:39:51,190 --> 00:39:53,182 and we wanted more than his confession 698 00:39:53,257 --> 00:39:57,042 and the ID card turned out to be that one piece that we needed. 699 00:40:08,950 --> 00:40:12,355 NARRATOR: Just three weeks after the ID card was uncovered, 700 00:40:12,430 --> 00:40:16,475 on the 2nd of November 1995, Keith Jesperson 701 00:40:16,550 --> 00:40:20,682 entered a no contest plea for the murder of Taunja Bennett. 702 00:40:20,757 --> 00:40:23,315 He was given a life sentence. 703 00:40:23,390 --> 00:40:28,202 Less than a month later, Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske 704 00:40:28,277 --> 00:40:29,602 were freed from prison. 705 00:40:31,257 --> 00:40:33,235 CHRIS PETERSON: Jesperson, had he not wanted to talk about it, 706 00:40:33,310 --> 00:40:35,035 would probably never would have been convicted. 707 00:40:35,110 --> 00:40:38,155 There was virtually no forensic evidence 708 00:40:38,230 --> 00:40:40,035 left at the crime scene. 709 00:40:40,110 --> 00:40:43,275 So had Jesperson not come forward, 710 00:40:43,284 --> 00:40:47,002 there's a good chance that the two people went to prison 711 00:40:47,077 --> 00:40:49,115 would still be in prison. 712 00:40:49,190 --> 00:40:52,435 NARRATOR: On the 15th of November 1995, 713 00:40:52,510 --> 00:40:56,035 Jesperson was given another life sentence for the murder 714 00:40:56,110 --> 00:40:57,762 of Laurie Pentland. 715 00:40:57,837 --> 00:41:01,675 And in December, Jesperson was back in court for a third time. 716 00:41:01,750 --> 00:41:05,235 This time, charged with the murder of Julie Winningham, 717 00:41:05,244 --> 00:41:07,795 the girl whose death had led to the downfall 718 00:41:07,870 --> 00:41:09,642 of the Happy Face Killer. 719 00:41:09,717 --> 00:41:12,195 DON FINDLAY: I attended every day, front row. 720 00:41:12,270 --> 00:41:18,755 What he said in court was he had raped my mother, 721 00:41:18,830 --> 00:41:24,635 he had duct tape my mother, stuck his fist down her throat 722 00:41:24,710 --> 00:41:28,315 to make sure she was dead, he kept her 723 00:41:28,390 --> 00:41:33,235 in the cab of his truck for 12 to 24 hours, and drove her up 724 00:41:33,310 --> 00:41:37,122 and threw her off the side of the gorge 725 00:41:37,197 --> 00:41:38,242 like a piece of garbage. 726 00:41:40,710 --> 00:41:44,955 And I had to hear this man say that in court, this monster's 727 00:41:45,030 --> 00:41:46,082 telling me what he did. 728 00:41:47,564 --> 00:41:50,595 NARRATOR: Once again Jesperson was found guilty. 729 00:41:50,670 --> 00:41:53,275 His third life sentence. 730 00:41:53,350 --> 00:41:55,475 He was sentenced to two consecutive life 731 00:41:55,550 --> 00:41:59,075 terms in Oregon, and a consecutive life 732 00:41:59,084 --> 00:42:00,395 term in Washington. 733 00:42:00,470 --> 00:42:03,275 Effectively three lives, back to back to back. 734 00:42:03,350 --> 00:42:06,362 So he's going to die in prison. 735 00:42:07,830 --> 00:42:11,995 DON FINDLAY: He took a kind, caring, loving, 736 00:42:12,070 --> 00:42:16,435 free spirited mother, aunt, sister, 737 00:42:16,510 --> 00:42:23,595 daughter, soul from this planet for his enjoyment. 738 00:42:23,670 --> 00:42:32,395 And the impact it's left is almost unreal. 739 00:42:32,470 --> 00:42:37,762 But I had to face it because it was my mom, nobody else's mom. 740 00:42:39,564 --> 00:42:44,035 NARRATOR: In 1998, Jesperson was found guilty once more 741 00:42:44,110 --> 00:42:46,635 for the murder of Angela Surbrize. 742 00:42:46,710 --> 00:42:51,235 And in 2007 and 2010, he was convicted 743 00:42:51,310 --> 00:42:57,235 of two murders in California between 1992 and 1993. 744 00:42:57,310 --> 00:43:02,235 In total, the outspoken killer has been convicted six times. 745 00:43:02,244 --> 00:43:04,515 He remains in prison in Oregon. 746 00:43:04,590 --> 00:43:06,155 CHRIS PETERSON: I have arrested a lot of people 747 00:43:06,230 --> 00:43:08,835 for a lot of crimes and a fair number of murders, 748 00:43:08,910 --> 00:43:11,515 and this is the only one that I ever 749 00:43:11,590 --> 00:43:13,355 arrested that seemed to be awful pleased 750 00:43:13,430 --> 00:43:15,042 with his accomplishments. 751 00:43:16,317 --> 00:43:18,075 MONTY BEUTTNER: Keith Jesperson is a very evil person. 752 00:43:18,150 --> 00:43:20,075 He looks for people's weaknesses, 753 00:43:20,150 --> 00:43:21,835 he looks for women's weaknesses, and then 754 00:43:21,910 --> 00:43:25,555 exploits those to get everything he can possibly get from them, 755 00:43:25,630 --> 00:43:28,875 and then he kills them and discards them when he's done. 756 00:43:28,950 --> 00:43:30,642 He is the epitome of evil. 757 00:43:32,630 --> 00:43:35,275 NARRATOR: Jesperson was an imposing figure 758 00:43:35,350 --> 00:43:37,802 who used his huge fists to either 759 00:43:37,877 --> 00:43:42,395 beat his victims to death, or strangle the life out of them. 760 00:43:42,470 --> 00:43:45,435 For five years he managed to evade justice, 761 00:43:45,510 --> 00:43:48,435 until the same hands he used to kill, 762 00:43:48,444 --> 00:43:52,395 signed a document that led detectives right to his door, 763 00:43:52,470 --> 00:43:55,435 wiping the smile off the happy face of Keith 764 00:43:55,510 --> 00:43:58,962 Jesperson, one of the world's most evil killers. 765 00:43:59,037 --> 00:44:02,442 [music playing]