Keith Hunter Jesperson, a long-haul trucker turned serial killer, shocked the nation in the 1990s not only with the brutal nature of his crimes but with his cold, calculated confessions. He didn’t just admit to murder—he wrote about it in letters to the media, drew smiley faces as signatures, and recorded chilling video confessions that left even seasoned detectives disturbed.
Here’s a complete, fact-based breakdown of Jesperson’s confessions—what he wrote, said, revealed, and how those closest to him, including his daughter, lived through the horrifying fallout.
The First Letter: A Serial Killer Demands Credit
Between 1994 and 1995, Jesperson began mailing anonymous letters to police, prosecutors, and newspapers, frustrated that someone else was convicted for his crime. His first known letter came after watching two innocent people—Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske—wrongfully take the fall for the murder of Taunja Bennett in 1990.
Jesperson mailed a confession to The Oregonian, stating:
“I killed Taunja Bennett… I beat her to death. I put her body near the river. You have the wrong people.”
He included chilling details—her belt and bra were removed, and she was strangled with a rope. He drew a smiley face at the bottom of the typed page. That signature would later brand him as the “Happy Face Killer.”
These letters weren’t frantic ramblings. They were deliberate, structured, and filled with contempt for the justice system and media that had overlooked his crimes. He wanted credit—not guilt.
Letter to a Prosecutor: “I’ve Killed Again”
Over the next year, Jesperson continued to kill. He targeted vulnerable women—sex workers, hitchhikers, women down on their luck. He often picked them up in his truck, offered them a ride, and killed them.
In a letter to a prosecutor, Jesperson wrote:
“I drive from state to state. I pick them up. I give them a ride. They trust me. Then I kill them.”
He later told investigators that the act of strangulation gave him power. In court, he described it as:
“Watching life leave their eyes.”
These statements were corroborated through court documents and psychological profiles compiled during trial.
Smiley Face Signature: A Mark of Ownership
Each of Jesperson’s confession letters was signed with a hand-drawn smiley face. To him, it symbolized ownership—his crimes, his narrative. He once explained:
“It was easier than signing my name.”
In another letter, he boasted:
“You want a body count? I’ve given you eight. But I’ve done more. You’ll never find them all.”
Although Jesperson claimed as many as 160 victims, only 8 murders have been definitively tied to him.
His Personal Journal: “I Am Pure Evil”
When arrested in 1995 for the murder of Julie Ann Winningham, police found Jesperson’s personal journal. Inside were handwritten confessions, names, dates, and disturbing thoughts.
He referred to himself as:
“A monster inside a trucker’s skin.”
Investigators used the journal as key evidence to connect him to a nationwide string of unsolved homicides.
The Video Confession: Jesperson on Camera
Jesperson’s video confession, recorded by police in Washougal, Washington, is as chilling as his letters.
Speaking with unnerving calmness, he told detectives:
“I didn’t know them. I didn’t have to. They were just… there.”
“Sometimes I killed because I wanted to. I needed to. No one stopped me.”
He smiled during the interview, even joked:
“Guess the smiley face guy finally slipped up, huh?”
Detectives described him as emotionless, eerily composed, and disturbingly casual.
Inside the Mind: Psychology Behind the Confessions
Jesperson displayed hallmark signs of psychopathy:
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Lack of remorse or empathy
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Grandiose sense of self-worth
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Desire for recognition and attention
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Cold, manipulative behavior
He showed no regret, instead explaining how he chose victims that were vulnerable and unlikely to be reported missing. Experts believe his methodical confessions were part of his need to control the narrative.
Victims’ Families: Pain Reopened by Confessions
When Jesperson’s letters and interviews became public, families of his victims experienced a second wave of trauma. For many, the confessions revealed brutal details they had been shielded from.
One mother told a reporter:
“He didn’t even say her name. Just called her ‘the one in Wyoming.’ My daughter wasn’t a number.”
Jesperson’s desire for fame turned their grief into public spectacle.
Melissa Moore: A Daughter’s Reckoning
Melissa Moore, Jesperson’s daughter, was just 15 when her father was arrested. At first, she couldn’t believe it.
In her memoir Shattered Silence, she writes:
“The man who tucked me in at night had murdered women… But then I started remembering things… signs.”
Melissa has since become an advocate for families of violent offenders and hosts the true-crime podcast Happy Face. She often speaks on the intergenerational trauma left behind by her father’s crimes:
“My father confessed to murder with a smile. I live with the weight of that smile every day.”
What We Know is Real — And What Isn’t
Confirmed:
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8 murder victims (names and evidence documented)
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Letters to law enforcement and media
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Smiley-face signature
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Video confession recorded in 1995
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All victims strangled; most were picked up while hitchhiking or working
Not confirmed:
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Jesperson’s claims of 160 victims
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Any ritualistic or “kill kit” claims
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Media embellishments linking him to unrelated crimes
Artifacts and Visual Evidence
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Confession Letter: Typed with grisly details, signed with a hand-drawn smiley face
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Court Sketches: Jesperson in cuffs, often smirking
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Booking Photo: Cold stare, emotionless expression
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Melissa Moore Interviews: Appearances on 20/20, Dr. Oz, and CNN
Where He Is Now
Keith Hunter Jesperson is serving multiple life sentences at Oregon State Penitentiary. He is not eligible for parole. He continues to occasionally correspond with the media from prison.
In Media
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Happy Face Killer (Lifetime, 2014)
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Happy Face (Paramount+, 2024–2025)
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Happy Face Podcast hosted by Melissa Moore
These retellings humanize the victims while exploring the psychological toll on families.
Jesperson didn’t confess because he was sorry—he confessed because he wanted the spotlight. But in doing so, he helped law enforcement bring closure to several families.
His story is not just about murder—it’s about narcissism, trauma, and the human cost of evil.
He was the monster hiding in plain sight—and he wanted you to know it.