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[Keith Hunter Jesperson
on phone]
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Welcome to Very Scary People.
I'm Donnie Wahlberg.
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Julie Winningham's
family and friends would describe her
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as kind, warm,
and free-spirited.
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So when the 41-year-old's body
was found off a remote road
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in the Columbia River Gorge,
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her loved ones
couldn't imagine who would want to kill her.
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But as police start
investigating her murder,
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they discover more bodies
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and a shocking link
to a letter
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sent to The Oregonian
newspaper a year before.
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Here's part two
of the Happy Face Killer.
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[Casey Jordan]
January 22nd, 1990,
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police would receive a call
of a female body
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that had been spotted
down the incline
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at the Columbia River Gorge.
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Her body was found
partially unclothed, um,
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her pants had been
pulled down, her top was up.
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The woman had a rope
around her neck.
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She had been strangled.
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She'd been strangled.
She'd been beaten badly.
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[Michelle L. White]
They wanted to identify her.
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So I had to think of something
to identify her.
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All I could think of
is she had very flat feet
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and she had a mole
on her hand.
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[Jordan] She confirmed
that it was indeed her sister,
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Taunja Bennett.
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[Joey Jackson]
Laverne Pavlinac confessed that she was there
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when her boyfriend
John Sosnovske killed Taunja Bennett.
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Both Laverne Pavlinac
and John Sosnovske
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are charged with the murder
of 23-year-old Taunja Bennett.
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[Monty Buettner]
The Oregonian received a letter from
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a person that they deemed
the Happy Face Killer.
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And the reason they deem
that is it was marked with a happy face.
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The letters detailed five, um,
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homicides that they claimed
responsibility for, including Taunja Bennett.
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[Jeff Gianola]
Was he playing some kind of cat and mouse game?
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It was pretty obvious
this wasn't a hoax.
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[Jesperson on recording]
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In 1994, the Internet
was just starting
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to become a big thing.
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And, uh, newspapers,
like The Oregonian,
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had the resources
to turn reporters,
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like Phil Stanford,
loose on important stories.
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And he found a lot
of facts that pointed
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toward the letter
being an authentic confession letter.
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[Alafair Burke]
Law enforcement did investigate the letters,
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trying to identify
who the author might be.
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and to line up those, uh,
claimed homicides
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with actual cases.
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Um, they did pull fingerprints
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and DNA from the letters,
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but there was nothing
in the database to match them to.
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Unfortunately, these letters
didn't really open
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any new avenues
of investigation,
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'cause there was
no indication of who was writing the letters.
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There was no way to prove
who had authored them.
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[Jackson] Even though
they have the six-page letter, which speaks specifically
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about the 1990 murder
of Taunja Bennett,
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authorities don't
re-open the case
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because they believe
they have the right people in prison,
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John Sosnovske
and Laverne Pavlinac.
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I was actually surprised
after the series ran
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that there wasn't an uproar
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from the Multnomah County,
uh, District Attorney's office
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or the Sheriff's Office.
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There was nothing.
They didn't re-open an investigation.
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They just did nothing
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and life went on.
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It was a year later,
as I recall...
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...that a woman was murdered.
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March 11th, 1995,
was a Saturday.
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Um, I was on days off,
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and so, I received a call
about 4:00 PM
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that a, uh, passerby
had stopped along, uh, Highway 14,
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um, to urinate off the side
of the road where he couldn't be seen.
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Highway 14 basically travels
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east and west through
the Columbia River Gorge.
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As he was doing that,
he noticed what he initially thought was a mannequin.
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But as he looked at it
a little closer, a little harder
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from where he stood,
he saw fingernail polish
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and those kind of things
that indicated
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it may not be a mannequin,
it may be human remains.
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As I approached the scene,
I'm looking for any signs of her clothing.
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I'm looking for signs
of any identification,
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I'm looking for signs
of maybe a purse or a wallet,
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and I found none in the area.
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Um, it was just a nude woman
with, with no clothing there,
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no, um, forms
of identification.
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What we did
is load her into, um,
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a transport vehicle
and took her to the Clark County Coroner's Office.
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The medical examiner
concludes that this woman
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died of manual strangulation.
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Once we knew that
it was caused by another, being a homicide,
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now we need to identify
who this person is.
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[Jordan] They lift
her fingerprints
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and match them
to a set in the system.
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[Buettner] Those fingerprints
were put into the, uh, national database,
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um, where we were able
to determine her identity
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as Julie Winningham.
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Julie was my mother
and I was her only son.
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She was truly a kind-hearted,
free-spirited...
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Loved to travel.
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She just wasn't
a negative soul.
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She was loving and caring,
she didn't do people wrong.
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[Gianola]
The Taunja Bennett murder happened in 1990
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and her body is dumped
in the Columbia River Gorge.
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Five years later, in 1995,
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Julie Winningham's body
is found
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in the Columbia River Gorge
on the Washington side.
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Nobody knows yet
that those two murders
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are connected
to the same person.
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[Jesperson on recording]
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[Buettner] Once we identified
who she is,
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then our next step is to
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talk to Julie's friends
and family to figure out
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who she was last with,
when she was last seen.
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[Jordan]
According to detectives,
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friends of Julie Winningham
confirmed
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that she had been seen
with a very large man,
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and that these two
had become very close.
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This man was
a long haul truck driver, drove a big blue truck.
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[Buettner] One of the people
we spoke with, a friend of Julie's,
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was Bonnie Valenstein.
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She actually described
that she had
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bought a car from Julie
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a few weeks prior
to her disappearance.
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There was this large man,
actually signed it as a witness.
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And so we're thinking,
"Okay, we're gonna have a signature.
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This is too easy.
It can't be that easy.
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It's not gonna pan out
as we hope."
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However, when she showed us
the bill of sale,
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the signature
was pretty clear.
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But in addition to that,
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the signer had actually
printed his name, Keith Hunter Jesperson.
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And that's the first time
that we had that information,
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as far as who this
truck driver was.
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[Jordan] Detectives are able
to track down the truck of Keith Jesperson
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to a company
in Spokane, Washington.
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And they do confirm
that Keith Jesperson is a truck driver for them.
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And in fact, he's on
a long haul right now.
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He's driving a truck
down the California coast
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to go to Las Cruces,
New Mexico.
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And he is scheduled
to arrive in two days.
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Police get on a flight
to Las Cruces
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and are there waiting for him
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when the truck pulls in
with its delivery.
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[Buettner] At that stage,
all we knew is that
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this guy's a very large man,
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and that if he resists,
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it's going to be a struggle
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to get him into custody
and restrained.
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And so, um,
we had to prepare for the worst.
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But once he came to the gate,
the officer was there,
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uh, explained,
"Just park your truck here. Follow me on foot."
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And as we approached him
and identified ourselves as detectives,
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he just didn't seem
to be bothered by it.
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Didn't seem to be threatened
in any way.
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Um, he was very, uh, calm,
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um, was very cooperative,
wanted to help us.
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Even not knowing
what the investigation was for,
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he still was willing
to talk to us.
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It wasn't until we actually
got into the interview room
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that we told him,
"We're actually from the state of Washington
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and we're
investigating the death of Julie Winningham."
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[Jordan]
He's incredibly talkative,
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but he only wants
to talk about
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how great Keith Jesperson is.
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He's friendly,
he's cooperative,
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but he denies any knowledge
of what happened
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to Julie Winningham.
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[Buettner]
As we interviewed him, he had described that
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they had actually met
two years before.
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Had a romantic relationship
at that point in time,
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that, uh, Julie had actually
accompanied him
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on several runs,
uh, driving truck.
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They went down to California,
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they went
to Yakima, Washington.
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[on recording]
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[Don Findlay]
From my understanding, my mother had met Keith
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three years prior to '95,
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because she knew
other truck drivers
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and hung out
at the truck stops, and...
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So, somehow,
she reconnected with Keith
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and they spent about
three weeks in town together.
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[Buettner] Keith described
that about the first week
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in March '95,
that he'd again saw her,
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uh, at a truck stop,
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and that they struck up
a conversation again,
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kinda started the relationship
over again.
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At this stage, he described
that it was kinda one-sided,
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that he really
didn't care for her, is how he described it,
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that he felt that
she was actually only with him
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because he was
buying her things.
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But that she was willing
to have sex with him.
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[Findlay] She was beautiful,
kind-hearted,
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but at the same time,
she was a very weak soul.
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00:12:18,965 --> 00:12:21,235
Even though she was
a free-spirited soul.
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00:12:22,413 --> 00:12:25,213
So I think that's
what drew him in.
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Because he's such
a negative person.
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I don't know.
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But that's what I think
drew him in.
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Detectives felt that
Keith Jesperson
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was hiding information
about Julie,
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00:12:37,827 --> 00:12:40,787
but didn't have
enough evidence to arrest him.
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00:12:40,827 --> 00:12:43,547
Though Detective Buettner
gave Jesperson his card,
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00:12:43,586 --> 00:12:46,066
telling him to call him
if he has anything further to say.
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[Jorden] When those detectives
return home
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from New Mexico on March 24th,
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00:12:57,896 --> 00:13:00,996
they receive a message
from Keith Jesperson.
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00:13:01,034 --> 00:13:02,664
He says,
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00:13:02,689 --> 00:13:05,929
"This is Keith
Hunter Jesperson."
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00:13:05,965 --> 00:13:08,095
[Jesperson on recording]
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00:13:22,379 --> 00:13:24,659
[Buettner] Jesperson
admitted that
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00:13:24,689 --> 00:13:26,789
he was waiting
in his truck for Julie.
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00:13:26,827 --> 00:13:29,517
Julie showed up,
had some pizza,
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00:13:29,551 --> 00:13:31,591
they had consensual sex.
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00:13:31,620 --> 00:13:34,070
They then were talking about
some other things.
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00:13:34,103 --> 00:13:36,763
Jesperson said he wanted
to have sex again.
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00:13:36,793 --> 00:13:38,763
Julie told him,
"Well, I don't want to."
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00:13:38,793 --> 00:13:41,663
And then Jesperson said,
"Well, what if I do it anyway?"
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00:13:41,689 --> 00:13:43,829
She told him,
"Well, then, that would be rape.
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00:13:43,862 --> 00:13:45,972
And I would have
to report that."
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00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:47,660
That angered Jesperson.
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00:13:47,689 --> 00:13:49,519
And at that point,
he said he strangled her.
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00:13:50,827 --> 00:13:53,787
[on recording]
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00:14:15,034 --> 00:14:17,904
Everything he told us
confirmed that he had indeed
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00:14:17,931 --> 00:14:20,071
killed Julie Winningham
by strangling her,
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00:14:20,103 --> 00:14:22,863
and then dumped her body
in Skamania County in the Columbia Gorge.
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00:14:22,896 --> 00:14:25,826
And within, uh,
a short amount of time,
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00:14:25,862 --> 00:14:28,722
Keith Jesperson was taken
into custody for the murder of Julie Winningham.
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00:14:41,137 --> 00:14:44,377
[Jordan]
Keith Hunter Jesperson was born in 1955
233
00:14:44,413 --> 00:14:47,723
to his father Leslie
and mother Gladys Jesperson
234
00:14:47,758 --> 00:14:51,548
in the little rural town
of Chilliwack, British Columbia.
235
00:14:51,586 --> 00:14:53,446
He was the middle
of five children,
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00:14:53,482 --> 00:14:56,622
with two brothers
and two sisters.
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00:14:56,655 --> 00:15:00,275
Keith was considered
the slowest of the Jesperson children.
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00:15:00,310 --> 00:15:03,100
They say he often dawdled,
239
00:15:03,137 --> 00:15:06,137
and would like to spend
a lot of time by himself,
240
00:15:06,172 --> 00:15:07,902
isolating himself.
241
00:15:07,931 --> 00:15:11,381
He was sort of
the black sheep of the family.
242
00:15:11,413 --> 00:15:15,003
[Janine Beghtol]
His father was pretty abusive, is what I understand,
243
00:15:15,034 --> 00:15:17,004
towards Keith only.
244
00:15:17,896 --> 00:15:20,476
And his father was a drinker
245
00:15:20,517 --> 00:15:24,097
and that Keith got
the blunt of it.
246
00:15:24,137 --> 00:15:26,307
[on recording]
247
00:15:33,689 --> 00:15:37,519
[Jordan] Keith's father
made his children work every single day.
248
00:15:37,551 --> 00:15:41,101
And if the children
made any sign of laziness,
249
00:15:41,137 --> 00:15:42,897
he would beat them
with a leather belt.
250
00:15:44,344 --> 00:15:47,624
[Robert Schug]
He reports physical abuse coming from his dad,
251
00:15:47,655 --> 00:15:50,785
and how his father often
252
00:15:50,827 --> 00:15:54,657
made him feel like
an inconvenience.
253
00:15:54,689 --> 00:15:58,479
Like someone
just to be tolerated.
254
00:15:58,517 --> 00:16:02,207
[Jordan] In spite of all this,
Keith would insist that his father Leslie
255
00:16:02,241 --> 00:16:04,721
was one of the best dads
a kid could have.
256
00:16:04,758 --> 00:16:07,448
[Schug] His dad was well known
in the community.
257
00:16:07,482 --> 00:16:10,762
He probably had his father
up on a pedestal,
258
00:16:10,793 --> 00:16:12,833
which makes it
even more challenging
259
00:16:12,862 --> 00:16:14,862
when you're trying
to be recognized,
260
00:16:14,896 --> 00:16:18,896
when Dad is almost
a superhero.
261
00:16:18,931 --> 00:16:21,931
The relationship
with his mother, distant emotionally.
262
00:16:22,793 --> 00:16:24,933
It shouldn't
be a surprise that
263
00:16:24,965 --> 00:16:27,715
an individual
who has very little,
264
00:16:27,758 --> 00:16:29,718
if not any
emotional connection with his mother...
265
00:16:31,103 --> 00:16:34,243
...ends up being able
to perpetrate violence against women.
266
00:16:39,448 --> 00:16:43,998
The family moves
to the small town in Washington called Selah.
267
00:16:44,034 --> 00:16:46,344
Keith just seemed to me,
268
00:16:46,379 --> 00:16:48,719
um, an ex-classmate
269
00:16:48,758 --> 00:16:51,788
that I feel like I never knew.
270
00:16:53,137 --> 00:16:54,897
I first met Keith
271
00:16:54,931 --> 00:16:57,481
as a freshman in high school.
272
00:16:57,517 --> 00:16:59,927
I'm only 4'9",
273
00:16:59,965 --> 00:17:03,275
and Keith is, like, 6'7".
274
00:17:03,310 --> 00:17:05,480
So, he towered me.
275
00:17:05,517 --> 00:17:07,897
[Jorden] Keith didn't do
very well in school.
276
00:17:07,931 --> 00:17:11,141
He was very large
and uncoordinated,
277
00:17:11,172 --> 00:17:13,762
and the other kids
made fun of him and even bullied him.
278
00:17:15,137 --> 00:17:18,927
[Beghtol] Keith tried
really hard to try to fit in.
279
00:17:18,965 --> 00:17:21,165
He was trying
to get attention at school
280
00:17:21,206 --> 00:17:23,236
'cause he wasn't
getting it at home.
281
00:17:23,275 --> 00:17:26,825
Course, we never did
to his face, but unfortunately,
282
00:17:26,862 --> 00:17:29,972
because of his size,
we would call him Baby Huey.
283
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:31,900
It was a cartoon character
284
00:17:31,931 --> 00:17:35,101
back in the late
'60s and '70s.
285
00:17:36,827 --> 00:17:40,407
[Schug] Keith grew up
experiencing physical abuse from his parents,
286
00:17:40,448 --> 00:17:42,338
experiencing bullying
from his peers.
287
00:17:42,379 --> 00:17:44,899
And what we know
about that is,
288
00:17:44,931 --> 00:17:46,831
somebody who is victimized
289
00:17:47,620 --> 00:17:50,100
learns the role of the victim,
290
00:17:50,137 --> 00:17:52,617
but also, potentially,
291
00:17:52,655 --> 00:17:54,065
the role of the abuser.
292
00:17:56,965 --> 00:18:00,475
In his teens,
Keith Jesperson didn't have a lot of luck with girls,
293
00:18:00,517 --> 00:18:03,827
but when he was
20 years old in 1975,
294
00:18:03,862 --> 00:18:06,032
he married 18-year-old
Rose Pernick,
295
00:18:06,068 --> 00:18:08,308
and together
they had three children.
296
00:18:09,241 --> 00:18:10,831
Say hi, Grandpa.
297
00:18:10,862 --> 00:18:13,032
[Leslie Jesperson]
Hi, sweetheart. I see your new boots.
298
00:18:13,068 --> 00:18:15,138
-See?
-[Leslie] Holy smoke.
299
00:18:15,172 --> 00:18:17,662
You have new boots!
300
00:18:17,689 --> 00:18:20,619
[Schug] They built
a marriage that worked,
301
00:18:20,655 --> 00:18:22,305
at least fundamentally,
302
00:18:22,344 --> 00:18:26,664
in terms of Keith
supporting his family by working,
303
00:18:26,689 --> 00:18:30,549
and her maintaining the home
and raising the children.
304
00:18:30,586 --> 00:18:32,516
Now what do I do
to get it going?[laughs]
305
00:18:35,206 --> 00:18:37,996
[laughing] I don't know
if I like this!
306
00:18:38,034 --> 00:18:39,864
-Keith!
-[Jesperson] Keep your feet up.
307
00:18:39,896 --> 00:18:41,996
[Rose Pernick laughing]
308
00:18:42,034 --> 00:18:44,214
Keith was just
the traditional dad.
309
00:18:44,241 --> 00:18:46,691
He did the work,
his wife Rose stayed at home.
310
00:18:46,724 --> 00:18:50,004
And the kids in the household
seemed very normal.
311
00:18:51,689 --> 00:18:52,689
[Jesperson] Eat it.
312
00:18:54,034 --> 00:18:56,144
-[Jesperson] Mmm!
-[Pernick laughing]
313
00:18:57,413 --> 00:19:00,593
[on recording]
314
00:19:05,172 --> 00:19:08,902
[Schug] Keith was able
to make a good living as a long haul truck driver.
315
00:19:08,931 --> 00:19:10,691
But he's off driving
around the country
316
00:19:10,724 --> 00:19:12,414
for weeks at a time sometimes.
317
00:19:12,448 --> 00:19:15,378
And, uh, he's physically
and emotionally away
318
00:19:15,413 --> 00:19:19,033
from his wife,
away from his children.
319
00:19:20,068 --> 00:19:21,548
[Jordan] According to Keith,
320
00:19:21,586 --> 00:19:24,586
he and Rose had
the normal kind of sexual relationship
321
00:19:24,620 --> 00:19:26,280
in their marriage
in the early years.
322
00:19:26,310 --> 00:19:27,790
But then things grew stale.
323
00:19:28,931 --> 00:19:31,171
Once he became
a long haul trucker,
324
00:19:31,206 --> 00:19:34,406
it was kind of easy
to pick up girls at the truck stops,
325
00:19:34,448 --> 00:19:35,968
and he was seeing girls
on the side.
326
00:19:37,379 --> 00:19:39,929
[on recording]
327
00:19:56,586 --> 00:19:59,616
[Schug] Keith's marriage
completely falls apart.
328
00:19:59,655 --> 00:20:02,825
He loses his job,
they lose the house,
329
00:20:02,862 --> 00:20:06,032
he ends up starting to date
another woman.
330
00:20:06,068 --> 00:20:08,238
And then he and Rose
get divorced.
331
00:20:08,275 --> 00:20:12,305
And so, financially,
he's really sliding quickly.
332
00:20:12,344 --> 00:20:15,314
He has to go out
on the roads to work more,
333
00:20:15,344 --> 00:20:19,314
which further isolates him
from his children.
334
00:20:19,344 --> 00:20:22,764
[Gianola] When you started
to peel off the layers of his life,
335
00:20:22,793 --> 00:20:25,933
then you came
to find out later
336
00:20:25,965 --> 00:20:29,825
from his daughter
and from other people, some disturbing elements.
337
00:20:31,344 --> 00:20:34,454
[Casey] According to
Keith Jesperson's daughter, Melissa,
338
00:20:34,482 --> 00:20:36,902
when they were living
in Washington state and she was about
339
00:20:36,931 --> 00:20:40,311
five years old, their cat
had a litter of kittens in the basement.
340
00:20:40,344 --> 00:20:44,074
And Keith took these
kittens and hung them by their tails
341
00:20:44,103 --> 00:20:45,973
from the clothesline.
342
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,480
Later, Melissa reports
she found all of the kittens dead in the backyard.
343
00:20:49,517 --> 00:20:53,657
I was six years old
when I saw my dad kill my kittens
344
00:20:53,689 --> 00:20:56,789
that I had found,
and that's when it hit me
345
00:20:56,827 --> 00:21:00,617
that something's very dark
and different about my dad.
346
00:21:00,655 --> 00:21:03,515
[Casey] Melissa reports
that when she was 13,
347
00:21:03,551 --> 00:21:08,381
her father told her
that he could kill a woman and get away with it.
348
00:21:08,413 --> 00:21:11,833
He told her that he had
literally killed a woman and cut the buttons
349
00:21:11,862 --> 00:21:15,382
off her clothing to get
rid of any possibility of fingerprints
350
00:21:15,413 --> 00:21:17,213
on those buttons.
351
00:21:17,241 --> 00:21:19,931
And that he would wear
cycling shoes to make sure he didn't leave any
352
00:21:19,965 --> 00:21:20,995
footprints in the mud.
353
00:21:38,586 --> 00:21:40,996
Welcome back to
Very Scary People.
354
00:21:41,034 --> 00:21:43,764
Keith Hunter Jesperson
confesses to murdering
355
00:21:43,793 --> 00:21:45,593
his girlfriend
Julie Winningham
356
00:21:45,620 --> 00:21:48,860
and dumping her body
in the Columbia River Gorge.
357
00:21:48,896 --> 00:21:50,966
Seems like a cut and dry case,
358
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,140
until detectives hear
from Keith's brother Brad.
359
00:21:54,172 --> 00:21:57,592
He tells them he has
a letter they need to see immediately.
360
00:22:02,689 --> 00:22:06,999
So, this is the letter
that Keith Jesperson wrote to his brother, Brad,
361
00:22:07,034 --> 00:22:09,454
on March 24th, 1995.
362
00:22:09,482 --> 00:22:13,102
This is when he's being
questioned about Julie Winningham's murder,
363
00:22:13,137 --> 00:22:14,927
he says, "Hi, Brad...
364
00:22:14,965 --> 00:22:16,515
[continues reading]
365
00:22:36,206 --> 00:22:39,336
He's arrested for
the Julie Winningham murder.
366
00:22:39,379 --> 00:22:42,719
At that point, he makes
a phone call to his brother, Brad, and says...
367
00:22:42,758 --> 00:22:45,068
"Destroy the letter."
368
00:22:45,103 --> 00:22:47,173
So, on one hand he's saying,
"I wanna be caught,
369
00:22:48,034 --> 00:22:49,004
but not really."
370
00:22:49,931 --> 00:22:52,621
He had told Keith
that he had destroyed it,
371
00:22:52,655 --> 00:22:54,405
but, in fact, he didn't
destroy it,
372
00:22:54,448 --> 00:22:57,098
and he provided our
officers with the letter.
373
00:22:57,137 --> 00:23:01,547
In the letter, he talks
about how he had killed multiple women by that point.
374
00:23:01,586 --> 00:23:04,406
And so, that was our
first concrete information
375
00:23:04,448 --> 00:23:06,858
of our worst nightmare
that there are more victims
376
00:23:06,896 --> 00:23:08,826
that Keith Jesperson
had murdered.
377
00:23:10,758 --> 00:23:12,758
This is an unbelievable
development.
378
00:23:12,793 --> 00:23:16,383
Detectives believed that they
had a person who killed his girlfriend.
379
00:23:16,413 --> 00:23:19,903
Never did they think
that they had a serial killer on their hands.
380
00:23:21,793 --> 00:23:26,213
It's terrifying information
because now we know of multiple victims,
381
00:23:26,241 --> 00:23:27,721
we don't know where.
382
00:23:27,758 --> 00:23:30,688
We don't know how to
possibly track these victims down,
383
00:23:30,724 --> 00:23:32,174
how to identify 'em,
384
00:23:32,206 --> 00:23:35,336
how to verify that, maybe,
a victim in another State
385
00:23:35,379 --> 00:23:38,029
whose body was recovered,
that was the beginning of the hard work
386
00:23:38,068 --> 00:23:40,238
in that investigation.
387
00:23:40,275 --> 00:23:44,995
So, in 1995, the way
to communicate with other agencies
388
00:23:45,034 --> 00:23:47,174
was to send out
what we referred to as a teletype,
389
00:23:47,206 --> 00:23:49,926
basically it was a message
sent out through a computer
390
00:23:49,965 --> 00:23:51,895
that goes to all law
enforcement agencies,
391
00:23:51,931 --> 00:23:56,591
that we have somebody
that's admitting to killing multiple women,
392
00:23:57,862 --> 00:23:59,862
that he is a long haul
truck driver.
393
00:24:01,310 --> 00:24:05,280
Up to this point, we know
that his method of murder was strangulation.
394
00:24:05,310 --> 00:24:06,620
It may or may not be similar.
395
00:24:08,103 --> 00:24:12,073
That he is known
to dump his victims off the side of the road,
396
00:24:12,103 --> 00:24:14,383
along major highways.
397
00:24:14,413 --> 00:24:18,593
Please contact us if you have
anything, um, that you are aware of,
398
00:24:18,620 --> 00:24:20,480
that you have not solved
up to this point.
399
00:24:21,586 --> 00:24:23,546
[Jeff] As he's confessing
to these crimes,
400
00:24:23,586 --> 00:24:27,136
they're realizing
only a killer would know this information.
401
00:24:27,172 --> 00:24:30,832
Now they're questioning
the Taunja Bennett murder
402
00:24:30,862 --> 00:24:34,972
saying there's a good
chance he did do this
403
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,140
and that two innocent people
are in jail.
404
00:24:39,689 --> 00:24:41,969
[Chris] My role in
the Jesperson case started
405
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,620
after he got arrested
for killing
406
00:24:43,655 --> 00:24:47,235
his girlfriend
in Clark County, Washington.
407
00:24:47,275 --> 00:24:49,305
We got a call from
a detective over there who said,
408
00:24:49,344 --> 00:24:54,244
"We've got a person
in custody on one of our homicides.
409
00:24:54,275 --> 00:24:57,655
And the word is that
he has committed some other murders,
410
00:24:57,689 --> 00:25:02,719
and very specifically,
he's... the word is that he killed a female
411
00:25:02,758 --> 00:25:05,408
in Multnomah county
named Taunja Bennett.
412
00:25:05,448 --> 00:25:08,448
And that he's aware
of the fact that some people were in prison
413
00:25:08,482 --> 00:25:09,382
for that murder."
414
00:25:10,310 --> 00:25:11,450
[Det. Chris]
415
00:25:17,689 --> 00:25:19,279
[Keith]
416
00:25:19,310 --> 00:25:22,310
The first time I met
Keith Jesperson,
417
00:25:22,344 --> 00:25:27,034
I was a little bit surprised
because he came across as the farm boy next door.
418
00:25:27,068 --> 00:25:28,998
He didn't use a lot
of swear words,
419
00:25:29,034 --> 00:25:30,724
he didn't act like
a tough guy.
420
00:25:30,758 --> 00:25:32,928
he wasn't covered with
jailhouse tattoos,
421
00:25:32,965 --> 00:25:34,995
and he was very friendly
with me.
422
00:25:35,034 --> 00:25:38,004
He appeared to enjoy
talking to me.
423
00:25:38,034 --> 00:25:40,794
He wasn't running from me
in terms of what he was saying.
424
00:25:41,655 --> 00:25:43,165
I interviewed him four times.
425
00:25:44,241 --> 00:25:46,721
But the initial interview
was very simple,
426
00:25:46,758 --> 00:25:49,338
and he told me that
he had killed Taunja Bennett
427
00:25:49,379 --> 00:25:51,309
in 1990.
428
00:26:16,068 --> 00:26:19,588
He said that he'd gone
to the BNI Tavern, he'd lived on a home nearby.
429
00:26:19,620 --> 00:26:24,520
He'd gone to the BNI Tavern
and he saw Taunja Bennett in there,
430
00:26:24,551 --> 00:26:26,211
and there was some
interaction.
431
00:26:49,103 --> 00:26:52,623
And then
he left the BNI for a while,
432
00:26:52,655 --> 00:26:54,925
and he came back,
and Taunja was there.
433
00:26:54,965 --> 00:27:00,995
And there was a conversation
about getting something to eat at a nearby restaurant.
434
00:27:01,034 --> 00:27:03,624
But he explains to her
he has to run home
435
00:27:03,655 --> 00:27:05,405
because he doesn't
have any money with him.
436
00:27:05,448 --> 00:27:08,098
So, she goes with him
to his home,
437
00:27:08,137 --> 00:27:11,307
and while they're there,
they never end up going to dinner,
438
00:27:11,344 --> 00:27:14,524
but they do end up having sex.
439
00:27:14,551 --> 00:27:17,001
[Chris] He said that she
agreed to have sex with him
440
00:27:17,034 --> 00:27:19,624
on a mattress
in the living room.
441
00:27:19,655 --> 00:27:22,995
And that happened,
according to Jesperson.
442
00:27:23,034 --> 00:27:27,834
And at some point,
she said something that offended Jesperson,
443
00:27:27,862 --> 00:27:31,102
and he said he decided
he was gonna kill her.
444
00:28:12,034 --> 00:28:14,864
[Chris] He apparently
strangled her.
445
00:28:14,896 --> 00:28:17,096
And left her in his home,
446
00:28:17,137 --> 00:28:21,307
where he was living with
another woman who was also out of town,
447
00:28:21,344 --> 00:28:23,244
she was a truck driver.
448
00:28:23,275 --> 00:28:26,715
He went back to
the BNI Tavern because he wanted to establish
449
00:28:26,758 --> 00:28:31,308
an alibi about where
he was all afternoon and evening.
450
00:28:44,068 --> 00:28:47,898
He became very concerned
about the potential for forensic evidence,
451
00:28:47,931 --> 00:28:52,211
and was afraid that his
fingerprints might be on the zipper tab.
452
00:28:52,241 --> 00:28:56,761
So he cut the fly
out of her jeans so he could take the fingerprint with him.
453
00:28:56,793 --> 00:28:59,523
Then he went back
to the home where he's killed Taunja,
454
00:28:59,551 --> 00:29:03,591
and picked her up,
and took her out to the dump site
455
00:29:03,620 --> 00:29:05,760
which was in
the Columbia River Gorge.
456
00:29:16,206 --> 00:29:19,136
I'm told, the moment
at which law enforcement really did believe
457
00:29:19,172 --> 00:29:22,312
that Keith Jesperson
was involved in Taunja Bennett's murder...
458
00:29:22,344 --> 00:29:25,344
was he took them
out to the Columbia Gorge.
459
00:29:26,724 --> 00:29:30,974
Taunja Bennett's mother
had said that she left with a purse,
460
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,520
and her Walkman,
and they had never found her purse.
461
00:29:35,034 --> 00:29:38,794
And when Jesperson
confessed to killing Bennett,
462
00:29:38,827 --> 00:29:42,307
he described her purse
and said that he tossed it.
463
00:29:42,344 --> 00:29:45,524
And he pointed to an area
in the gorge and he said,
464
00:29:45,551 --> 00:29:47,001
"That's where I left
her purse."
465
00:29:48,379 --> 00:29:50,969
So0 the police brought out
Explorer scouts,
466
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,030
who are, you know students
who want to be police officers,
467
00:29:53,068 --> 00:29:54,588
and gave them
hacksaws and said,
468
00:29:54,620 --> 00:29:55,900
"Were looking for a purse."
469
00:29:57,344 --> 00:29:59,764
And they were
about to call it in and one of the kids said,
470
00:29:59,793 --> 00:30:01,833
"I've got a purse."
471
00:30:01,862 --> 00:30:04,552
It had Taunja Bennett's
ID card in it still.
472
00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:24,100
There was a search warrant
that would allow, uh, the detectives to actually
473
00:30:24,137 --> 00:30:26,967
have Jesperson write down
some things
474
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:28,660
that they tell him
to write down.
475
00:30:28,689 --> 00:30:32,339
And with that paper,
and as well as any letters that he
476
00:30:32,379 --> 00:30:33,899
is suspected of writing,
477
00:30:33,931 --> 00:30:37,001
it goes to
a handwriting expert who does a comparison.
478
00:30:38,068 --> 00:30:40,098
And the letter
to The Oregonian
479
00:30:40,137 --> 00:30:42,657
and the letter to Brad
were verified by the expert
480
00:30:42,689 --> 00:30:45,449
as being written and authored
by Keith Jesperson.
481
00:30:46,551 --> 00:30:47,551
"The Happy Face Killer."
482
00:30:49,517 --> 00:30:52,067
They were also able to get DNA
483
00:30:52,103 --> 00:30:55,213
from one of the letters,
"The Happy Face Killer" letters,
484
00:30:55,241 --> 00:30:58,551
that they were able
to match to Keith Jesperson's DNA.
485
00:30:58,586 --> 00:31:00,996
So, at that point it was
very clear that
486
00:31:01,034 --> 00:31:03,594
he had written the letters.
487
00:31:03,620 --> 00:31:07,760
It all started to come out
and it all started to mirror
488
00:31:07,793 --> 00:31:11,523
what he had written
to The Oregonian the year before,
489
00:31:11,551 --> 00:31:15,381
what he had written
on the bathroom walls.
490
00:31:15,413 --> 00:31:19,523
It all came crashing down
on Keith Jesperson.
491
00:31:22,206 --> 00:31:23,926
[Monty] When things
started to quiet down,
492
00:31:23,965 --> 00:31:25,925
he would spark interest again
493
00:31:25,965 --> 00:31:28,235
by bringing up things
that he'd done.
494
00:31:28,275 --> 00:31:32,275
He would write letters
to media outlets and want to be interviewed.
495
00:31:32,310 --> 00:31:35,210
And saying,
"Hey, I'm confessing to these crimes
496
00:31:35,241 --> 00:31:36,551
and nobody is listening
to me."
497
00:31:48,241 --> 00:31:52,031
He reaches out to KATU
Television Station
498
00:31:52,068 --> 00:31:56,788
and has a conversation
with our reporter Bob Heye.
499
00:31:56,827 --> 00:31:59,927
In that conversation,
he is repeatedly asked,
500
00:31:59,965 --> 00:32:01,445
"Are you
the Happy Face Killer?"
501
00:32:06,724 --> 00:32:10,284
Each time, Keith Jesperson
says, "Yes, I am."
502
00:32:10,310 --> 00:32:13,660
Bob Heye also asks him,
"Why did you do it?"
503
00:32:13,689 --> 00:32:16,759
And he can't explain it,
he says, "I don't know."
504
00:32:21,310 --> 00:32:22,790
[Keith laughs]
505
00:32:35,862 --> 00:32:37,342
Why would he do this?
506
00:32:37,379 --> 00:32:40,409
Well, Jesperson says
that he was courting the media
507
00:32:40,448 --> 00:32:42,168
because two people
508
00:32:42,206 --> 00:32:44,276
were wrongfully imprisoned
in jail,
509
00:32:44,310 --> 00:32:45,760
and he needed the media's help
510
00:32:45,793 --> 00:32:47,483
to get the evidence out there,
511
00:32:47,517 --> 00:32:49,967
so that these two people
could be freed
512
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,450
because he was indeed
the Happy Face Killer.
513
00:32:52,482 --> 00:32:55,832
And the question remains,
did he really feel bad about these two people
514
00:32:55,862 --> 00:32:59,692
who are imprisoned,
or is he just dancing with the media
515
00:32:59,724 --> 00:33:03,004
because he wants
the limelight to be focused on him?
516
00:33:04,931 --> 00:33:09,411
[Jeff] Now, the focus turns
to Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske
517
00:33:09,448 --> 00:33:11,548
who're sitting in prison.
518
00:33:11,586 --> 00:33:13,206
[Joey] Remember
Laverne Pavlinac,
519
00:33:13,241 --> 00:33:15,101
she confessed
that she was there
520
00:33:15,137 --> 00:33:19,027
when her boyfriend
John Sosnovske killed Taunja Bennett.
521
00:33:19,068 --> 00:33:21,338
Though she recanted
her confession at trial,
522
00:33:21,379 --> 00:33:24,689
she was convicted,
and they had both been in prison for four years.
523
00:33:26,758 --> 00:33:29,068
[Jeff] It was almost
unbelievable.
524
00:33:29,103 --> 00:33:33,073
You have a serial killer
confessing to a crime that two people
525
00:33:33,103 --> 00:33:36,033
are sitting in jail for
right now.
526
00:33:36,068 --> 00:33:38,098
[Alafair] You have a case
where you have
527
00:33:38,137 --> 00:33:43,997
three people
all taking responsibility for a crime.
528
00:33:44,034 --> 00:33:47,594
No one seemed to have
coerced or lead their confessions,
529
00:33:47,620 --> 00:33:51,240
they all seem to have
information that only the killer would know.
530
00:33:52,586 --> 00:33:55,136
You normally have zero people
claiming responsibility.
531
00:33:57,068 --> 00:34:00,548
I would say one of my
greatest nightmares in taking a job
532
00:34:00,586 --> 00:34:02,716
as a Deputy District Attorney
533
00:34:02,758 --> 00:34:05,208
is the idea of convicting
an innocent person.
534
00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:12,030
[Alafair] There was also
the possibility that Jesperson could have been involved,
535
00:34:12,068 --> 00:34:15,898
but he could've done it
with Laverne and John.
536
00:34:15,931 --> 00:34:18,721
You've really
got to be confident you're getting it right
537
00:34:18,758 --> 00:34:20,618
before you let two people
who have been convicted
538
00:34:20,655 --> 00:34:22,275
of murder out.
539
00:34:22,310 --> 00:34:24,280
I could see
the district attorneys
540
00:34:24,310 --> 00:34:27,790
who had prosecuted
Laverne and John.
541
00:34:27,827 --> 00:34:31,477
I could see them struggling
with "how did this happen?"
542
00:34:31,517 --> 00:34:35,927
It's every prosecutor's
worst nightmare is that you convict an innocent person.
543
00:34:35,965 --> 00:34:38,305
And here, they didn't even
do anything wrong.
544
00:34:38,344 --> 00:34:41,034
They were kind of
asking themselves, "Should we have known?
545
00:34:41,068 --> 00:34:42,758
Were there warning signs
here?"
546
00:34:42,793 --> 00:34:44,213
And they couldn't
really find any.
547
00:34:45,793 --> 00:34:49,483
I just think, there was
in some sense,
548
00:34:49,517 --> 00:34:53,377
just the overriding concern
549
00:34:53,413 --> 00:34:57,903
that we have got to get
Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske out,
550
00:34:57,931 --> 00:35:02,901
because the more I learned,
the more I believed they were not responsible,
551
00:35:02,931 --> 00:35:05,661
and that's an injustice
that has to be corrected.
552
00:35:15,793 --> 00:35:20,313
[Judge Keith] My immediate
thought when I heard that we have two people in jail,
553
00:35:20,344 --> 00:35:25,104
on long sentences,
Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske,
554
00:35:25,137 --> 00:35:30,407
and at the very least,
we don't have proof beyond a reasonable doubt anymore,
555
00:35:31,689 --> 00:35:33,549
and we've got to act
to get them out.
556
00:35:35,103 --> 00:35:37,313
[Alafair] It's actually
a lot harder to get
557
00:35:37,344 --> 00:35:39,834
an innocent person
out of custody than you would think.
558
00:35:39,862 --> 00:35:42,592
This was a case where
the district attorney's office
559
00:35:42,620 --> 00:35:45,240
was agreeing
to vacate the convictions,
560
00:35:45,275 --> 00:35:47,095
but you still need
a legal basis for it.
561
00:35:47,137 --> 00:35:49,547
It took months to investigate
562
00:35:49,586 --> 00:35:52,826
to the point
that law enforcement became convinced
563
00:35:52,862 --> 00:35:56,832
that Laverne and John
were completely uninvolved in this.
564
00:36:00,275 --> 00:36:03,995
[Jeff] Laverne Pavlinac
and John Sosnovske are released from jail.
565
00:36:05,793 --> 00:36:06,723
Hi!
566
00:36:08,241 --> 00:36:09,621
-You look nice.
-[cries]
567
00:36:09,655 --> 00:36:12,025
[Gianola] Laverne Pavlinac
was a troubled woman
568
00:36:12,068 --> 00:36:14,138
when you look back
at her past.
569
00:36:14,172 --> 00:36:18,482
I mean, to falsely confess
to the rape and murder of a young woman
570
00:36:18,517 --> 00:36:20,337
so she could get out
of what she called
571
00:36:20,379 --> 00:36:23,309
an abusive relationship
with her boyfriend.
572
00:36:25,724 --> 00:36:29,724
That false confession
completely derailed
573
00:36:30,724 --> 00:36:31,904
the investigation.
574
00:36:49,896 --> 00:36:54,336
I can only think that
you'd have to be really desperate to do something
575
00:36:54,379 --> 00:36:59,029
this outlandish.
576
00:36:59,068 --> 00:37:02,718
In putting yourself even
in peril and implicating yourself in some
577
00:37:02,758 --> 00:37:05,308
very grotesque activity
and violent activity.
578
00:37:05,344 --> 00:37:09,974
And she did claim many times
that John Sosnovske was abusive with her.
579
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:39,550
She lost her liberty
for years because of it, and this guy got away with it.
580
00:37:39,586 --> 00:37:41,586
The real killer
got away with it for years.
581
00:37:44,344 --> 00:37:49,284
[Jeff] You have to ask
yourself, how many other women died
582
00:37:49,310 --> 00:37:51,900
because of that false
confession.
583
00:37:51,931 --> 00:37:54,761
[Casey] You would think
that Keith Jesperson's confession,
584
00:37:54,793 --> 00:37:59,623
those letters to the media,
to the courthouse, the letter to his brother,
585
00:37:59,655 --> 00:38:01,335
in which he confesses
to these murders,
586
00:38:01,379 --> 00:38:03,689
you would think
that would be enough for police to go forward,
587
00:38:03,724 --> 00:38:05,624
but they run forensic
evidence.
588
00:38:05,655 --> 00:38:07,475
They need
to make absolutely sure
589
00:38:07,517 --> 00:38:09,967
that Keith Jesperson
is not also giving them
590
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:13,760
a false confession
just for the media exposure.
591
00:38:13,793 --> 00:38:16,663
They match the handwriting
with a handwriting analyst,
592
00:38:16,689 --> 00:38:20,279
they check the fingerprints
and the saliva on the envelopes
593
00:38:20,310 --> 00:38:21,660
in which the letters
were sent,
594
00:38:21,689 --> 00:38:25,829
and yes, it all matches
Keith Jesperson.
595
00:38:25,862 --> 00:38:31,142
[Monty] Eventually
we were able to tie Jesperson to eight victims.
596
00:38:31,172 --> 00:38:34,972
At the time,
some of the victims were unidentified by the agency.
597
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:37,790
In one particular case,
they didn't even know they had a victim.
598
00:38:41,172 --> 00:38:44,972
Keith Jesperson is a classic
power control serial killer,
599
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,830
and it is the most common
type of serial killer,
600
00:38:47,862 --> 00:38:50,282
people who feel
stripped of their power
601
00:38:50,310 --> 00:38:51,860
and very often
their masculinity.
602
00:38:52,965 --> 00:38:56,855
They need to have a sense
of playing God.
603
00:38:56,896 --> 00:39:01,306
And nothing is more typical
of a power control killer than strangulation.
604
00:39:01,344 --> 00:39:03,864
Why? He's not trying
to kill her.
605
00:39:03,896 --> 00:39:06,336
He's trying to have power
over her.
606
00:39:06,379 --> 00:39:11,549
He wants to be admired
by how he was so successful at being "Happy Face Killer,"
607
00:39:11,586 --> 00:39:15,166
a serial killer,
and killing all these women.
608
00:39:15,206 --> 00:39:19,406
Keith Jesperson
was very good about remembering all the details
609
00:39:19,448 --> 00:39:22,828
about how he killed someone,
where he left the body,
610
00:39:22,862 --> 00:39:26,762
But he often got their names
wrong or mixed up their names,
611
00:39:26,793 --> 00:39:28,593
and I thought
that was chilling.
612
00:39:50,827 --> 00:39:53,237
[Jeff] These people
were daughters,
613
00:39:53,275 --> 00:39:57,405
in some cases mothers,
and that can never be forgotten
614
00:39:57,448 --> 00:40:01,658
because that points
to just how heinous these crimes were,
615
00:40:01,689 --> 00:40:07,309
and that a monster
is finally put away for these crimes.
616
00:40:07,344 --> 00:40:11,074
[Michelle] I can't even put
into words how you feel about
617
00:40:11,103 --> 00:40:12,413
somebody that killed
your sister.
618
00:40:13,241 --> 00:40:16,211
She was just a kind person
619
00:40:16,241 --> 00:40:19,171
that always was kind
to everybody.
620
00:40:19,206 --> 00:40:20,516
She paid attention
to everybody,
621
00:40:20,551 --> 00:40:22,031
wanted to be
everybody's friend.
622
00:40:23,931 --> 00:40:25,171
It's hard...
623
00:40:25,862 --> 00:40:27,172
'cause she's not here no more.
624
00:40:30,310 --> 00:40:35,520
[Don] My mom wasn't just
a transient or whatever the media
625
00:40:35,551 --> 00:40:36,551
has made her out to be,
626
00:40:36,586 --> 00:40:39,826
she was a kind, loving soul,
627
00:40:39,862 --> 00:40:45,242
and... tried to stay positive
and didn't want to hurt anybody.
628
00:40:45,275 --> 00:40:49,375
She just wanted to be peaceful
and do her journey.
629
00:40:50,413 --> 00:40:51,723
We lost a good person.
630
00:40:55,689 --> 00:40:59,339
[Monty] Keith Jesperson
is very proud of the crimes that he's committed.
631
00:40:59,379 --> 00:41:00,999
He likes that recognition.
632
00:41:01,034 --> 00:41:03,934
He wants to be a serial killer
because he wants to be able
633
00:41:03,965 --> 00:41:07,545
to be well known
amongst everybody
634
00:41:07,586 --> 00:41:10,236
as being
a notorious serial killer.
635
00:41:10,275 --> 00:41:14,275
Without that, Keith Jesperson
would be a nobody.
636
00:41:14,310 --> 00:41:16,000
[Keith in interview]
I am the Happy Face Killer.
637
00:41:16,034 --> 00:41:18,384
-[man] There's no doubt?
-There is no doubt in my mind.
638
00:41:18,413 --> 00:41:19,723
[Keith laughs]
639
00:41:21,482 --> 00:41:26,662
Keith Jesperson has been
linked to eight murders between 1990 to 1995.
640
00:41:26,689 --> 00:41:29,029
He's serving multiple
consecutive life sentences
641
00:41:29,068 --> 00:41:31,238
in the Oregon State
Penitentiary,
642
00:41:31,275 --> 00:41:33,965
without the possibility
of parole.
643
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:38,450
On April 13th 2022,
one of his Jane Doe victims was identified
644
00:41:38,482 --> 00:41:40,242
as Patricia Skiple.
645
00:41:40,275 --> 00:41:42,785
She is believed to be
his fifth victim.
646
00:41:42,827 --> 00:41:44,447
Her identification
was made possible
647
00:41:44,482 --> 00:41:47,032
by advancements
in DNA technology.
648
00:41:47,068 --> 00:41:48,618
Skiple's family is grateful
649
00:41:48,655 --> 00:41:50,925
she finally has her name back.
650
00:41:50,965 --> 00:41:54,445
Two other victims,
one in California and one in Florida,
651
00:41:54,482 --> 00:41:56,452
are still on unidentified.
652
00:41:56,482 --> 00:41:58,932
I'm Donnie Wahlberg.
Thanks for watching.
653
00:41:58,965 --> 00:41:59,785
Good night.
654
00:41:59,835 --> 00:42:04,385
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