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Jesperson claims she was a sex worker who climbed into his truck, even though he told her he wasnt interested in her services, according to the two-hour Oxygen special. Victims of the Smiley Face Killer | Photo Credits: Oxygen The Team of Men that Came Up With the Theory. Search dogs scoured the downtown area where Homan was last seen alive. What Is the Smiley Face Killers Theory? She changed her story again, this time to say she too was involved in Bennett's death. Jesperson signed each letter with a smiley face. "He went off into the woods with her," Pavlinac told investigators. Keith Hunter Jesperson, The Sad Story of the Happy Face Killer Stories about . In November 1992, Jesperson had an encounter with sex worker Laurie Anne Pentland at a truck stop. Often Keith would dream of becoming an RCMP officer, the power of a position like that appealed to him, but his dream was dashed in 1990 after an injury prevented him from qualifying. "Her persistence in this manipulation resulted in her own conviction.". She would pop in and pop out, and over the years, She was that type of person.". He left her remains in Nebraska, though Subrize was likely killed in Wyoming. PHOTO: Justice for Mason/Facebook. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior. Largely considered an urban legend, the Smiley Face Killer, like the Manchester Pusher, murdered his victims by drowning. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. After moving to Selah, Washington, United States, he had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Jesperson was linked to murdering six other women, some of which remain unknown to this day: an unidentified woman who Jesperson said was named "Claudia" in August 1992 near Blythe, California; Cynthia Lynn Rose in September 1992 in Turlock, California; Lori Ann Pentland in November 1992 in Salem, Oregon; an unidentified woman who Jesperson said was named "Carla" in June 1993 in Santa Nella, California; an unidentified woman who Jesperson said was named "Suzanne" in September 1994 in Crestview, Florida; and Angela Subrize in January 1995 in Laramie County, Wyoming. After he strangled them, he dumped the dead bodies on the side of the road. His death was ruled an accidental drowning, andthe autopsy report noted"acute alcohol intoxication was a major contributing factor.". Skiples remains were found on the side of. On January 21, 1990, after taking her to his rental place, plans to have sex went awry and he beat her senseless, he told Phelps. His friends went up to their room and never saw Welzien again. I'llgo to the pen. But when investigators were unable to match the purse and denim piece to Bennett, they confronted Pavlinac about fabricating evidence. I'll hurt your family.'". [5] This continued as he got older. The night of his disappearance, Geib made several calls from his cell phone. Jesperson claims Rose was a sex worker who entered his truck at a truck stop while he slept. But it was all a lie. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an early age which included torturing animals and attacking other children. He has said he strangled her because she wouldn't let him sleep. A smiley face was paintedon a wall of the bar under a deck. Could some of them be connected to a serial killer or group of killers? Jesperson is serving four life sentences without possibility of parole in Oregon. Jesperson met 21-year-old Bennett in a bar in Portland, Oregon. By Joseph Diaz, Scott Engel, Emily Wynn, Jenner Smith, and Lauren Effron November 4, 2021, 3:32 AM 1:24 Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske are seen here in this 1985 family photo. Here's what the evidence says. Before serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, known by his nickname "Happy Face Killer," turned himself in, authorities believed they had solved the murder of his first victim Taunja Bennett. Some time later, at a public pool, Jesperson attempted to drown the boy by holding his head under the water until a lifeguard pulled him away.[6]. He confessed to killing her and subsequently admitted to seven other murders. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Jesperson's first known victim was Taunja Bennett on 21 January 1990, near Portland, Oregon, United States. Oddly,Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the wateras if he had gone for a swim. The Smiley Face Killers. Today's episode is part 1 of our coverage of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson. Homan did not arrive for a golf outing the next day. Laverne Pavlinac convinced investigators she and John Sosnovske had killed Taunja Bennett, when they hadn't. About two weeks after he went missing,Booth's body was foundfacedown in a creek behind the bar. She was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison with a 10-year minimum served. April 19, 2022, 7:31 PM PDT. The body of Julie Winningham, 41, of Camas, Washington, was found alongside a Washington State road in 1995. Jesperson attempted suicide but ended up confessing to Winningham's murder. Her body disintegrated against the hot asphalt as he drove. Her body was found after his arrest. Victim 1: Taunja Bennett. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Geib's body was found three weeks later in a lake that had previously been searched. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Homan and his friend somehow got separated during their walk home, and his friend ended up at the ER detox with a head injury after being picked up by police. Investigators installed a hidden recording device in their home hoping to catch Sosnovske making incriminating statements. Jesperson worked as a truck driver to support the family. Santa. She threatened to call the police, and he strangled her. 2. Six days after his disappearance,Hurley's body was foundin the Charles River, close to where he asked Mahoney to pick him up. One of Welzien's friends, Nick Young, stayed behind. Jespersons heinous crimes as well as shocking twists in the case including a couple who took the blame for one of his homicides are covered in bracing detail in the Oxygen special Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, now streaming. [8], In November 2008, Jesperson's daughter, Melissa G. Moore, appeared on Dr. Phil to talk about her father. I knew it had to be around there someplace. "I [had] seen all these tracks and all this and that. The purse had not been found at the crime scene, and its location was considered information only the killer would know. Between 1990 and 1995, eight women died at the hands of Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the Happy Face Killer. An Oregon mother was identified Tuesday as a victim of "the Happy Face Killer" nearly four decades after her body was found on the side of a . Officials did not implicate the band member in Homan's death. If you need help or need help supporting someone else, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. Based on Pavlinac's statements, and that Sosnovke failed a polygraph test, authorities arrested Sosnovke on murder charges. In 1990, Taunja Bennett was found dead near a scenic overlook at the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. First, she told investigators that she knew Sosnovske did it because she saw Bennett's body, said Ingram. According to Jesperson, after he killed his fifth victim in 1993 he managed to stave off murderous urges for more than a year by committing arson while on the road as a trucker. After Jesperson was in custody, he provided the location of Bennett's purse, which only the killer would know. His blood-alcohol concentrationwas only 0.08 percent. When contacted by sheriffs detectives, he said he had gagged her with duct tape, raped her in the sleeping cab of his rig and strangled her,, To learn more about this case, watch Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, streaming now on. A stealth serial killer who wants to trick everyone against him will change-up his playbook with small tweaks to put a wrench in the profiler's and forensic scientist's game. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Join Melissa Moore, host of Happy Face Season 1, as she helps Becky unravel the strange tale of her family, searching for answers to decades-old mysteries that remain unanswered in the modern day. [10] Jesperson soon realized that this job afforded him the opportunity to kill without being suspected. The day of his disappearance, Homan had been celebrating Oktoberfest with his friends. Pieces of his artwork have been seen on "murderabilia" sites. NR Jul 18th, 2021 Documentary. "I don't think she was in love with him. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department announced. But in the process, she also falsely implicated herself. "I sometimes now wonder, if he was freed now, if he was released, would he kill again? Eight murders were eventually linked to Jesperson, whos serving multiple concurrent sentences in Oregon State Penitentiary. After the body of his first victim, Taunja Bennett, was found, media attention surrounded Laverne Pavlinac, a woman who falsely confessed to having killed Bennett with the help of her abusive boyfriend, John Sosnovske. "Just so many bad things that happened in her life that I think, I don't know, it caused her to kinda snap or something," McAlpine said. In. Jesperson was born on 6 April 1955, to Leslie (Les) and Gladys Jesperson in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada,[1] the middle child with two brothers and two sisters. [2] Jesperson's father was a domineering alcoholic; according to Jesperson, his paternal grandfather was prone to violence. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Victim 5: California Jane Doe. At her trial, Pavlinac recanted her confession, but the jury found her guilty. Laverne Pavlinac and John Sosnovske are seen here in this 1985 family photo. His victims, who were often raped and strangled, included short-term acquaintances, sex workers and a girlfriend. Hundreds of college-aged men have died in accidental or undetermined drownings. FILE - Accused murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson, dubbed the Happy Face Killer, right, listens to his attorney . Others say there is no killer. He duct-taped her mouth and hands before raping and strangling her. Watch the full story on "20/20" THIS FRIDAY at 9 p.m. that, using genetic genealogy, they were able to identify a body found in 1993 as Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon. While in custody, Jesperson began revealing details of his killings and making claims of many others, most of which he later recanted. According to police reports, one dog later hit on an an SUV owned by a local band member, who had played a show at the bar the night of Homan's disappearance, but the K9 alert was inconclusive. I wanted to get those two people out of prison," he said in 1995, referring to Pavlinac and Sosnovske. Victim 1:Taunja Bennett. He could not find Welzien and reported him missing around 1 p.m. After extensive searches, Welzien's body was found 77 days later on March 17. Victim 7: Angela Subrize, 21. Possible Smiley Face killers victim Mason Cox. The man said "99 Nashua Street, and Hurley said his cell phone battery was going dead. To learn more about this case, watch Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer, streaming now on Oxygen. On April 23 in Hamburg and the following weekend in Dusseldorf, the bodies of young men were retrieved from waterways. Daun Slagle is the sole survivor of the "Happy Face Killer." She is the only person to survive an attack by the infamous serial killer. The victims were predominately white, male, athletic ("3.5 and above star athletes," according to Gannon), and young from 17 to early 20s. went missing from Chicago, Illinois, after a night of celebrating Y2K with his friends. Local police theorized the men simply got too drunk, fell into the water and drowned, but Gannon, Donovan, Duarte and Gilbertson investigated their deaths as the work of an organized group of serial killers dubbed "The Smiley Face Killers." Despite the distance between them, some detectives think that drownings are actually the work of a serial killer or group of serial killers. [1] Keith Hunter Jesperson (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the early 1990s. At some of the sites where the victims' bodies were found, smiley face graffiti had been left behind. "To come clean get it all over, the record straight. Julie Winningham is seen here in this undated photo. His brother gave this letter to law enforcement. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Gannon and Gilbertson also notedthe body appeared to have been staged three sticks were strategically placed around his body, and there were shoe and drag marks in the soil. He introduced himself to Bennett at a bar and invited her to a house he was renting. , who survived a violent encounter with Jesperson when she was 21. Jesperson got away easily so long as he was killing women he did not know, but his impulsivity got the best of him, and eventually, he murdered someone he did knowhis own girlfriend. He would often get into trouble for behaving badly, sometimes violently, and would be severely punished by his father. The body of a woman found near Gilroy, California was this week identified as Patricia Skiple, a victim of the Happy Face Killer. In these supposed "Smiley Face" serial killings, popular, high-achieving, athletic young men (i.e. She had changed her story so many times that investigators said they wondered if she was telling the truth. She'sgiveher the shirt off her back," McAlpine said. Her body was discovered behind the Blueberry Hill Cafe in Turlock, California. The Insane Details of the Smiley Face Killers Theory; The Most Recent Alleged Smiley Face Killers' Victims Highlight How Long This Theory Has . I will be writing about that more in the future so stay tuned. , 24, disappeared on January 19, 2008 from a bar in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania. ABC News/YouTube By Jean Mendoza / June 8, 2021 9:24 am EST Keith Hunter Jesperson is a serial killer who claimed the lives of eight women between 1990 and 1995. You can find episodes of Serial Killers and all other Spotify originals from podcast for free on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. He never made it home. He is serving three consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. On January 21, 1990, after taking her to his rental place, plans to have sex went awry and he beat her senseless, he told Phelps. In later years, Jesperson also sent anonymous letters to The Oregonian newspaper about what had become his multiple murders. Investigators have revealed the name of a heretofore unidentified victim of the Happy Face Killer, nearly 30 years after her murder. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. As a child, he was cruel to animals he killed cats and snakes and, under the guise of hunting, inflicted pain on creatures like deer, rabbits, and coyotes. She was killed in Washington state on March 10, 1995, and her body was discovered the next day. I don't," Sosnovke is heard saying on the tape. The Lonely Hearts Killer, was a truly frightening and twisted serial murderer in the late 1950s. ". [6] Although Jesperson was not successful with girls in high school, having never even attended a school dance or his prom, he did enter into a relationship after high school. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He strapped the woman beneath his big rig,. Her daughters are still trying to understand why their mother did what she did, and why she didn't see another way to end the relationship. Hurley walked outside while Mahoney drove to the stadium to pick him up. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. Jesperson claims he killed her after she tried to double charge him for sex, according to Snapped Notorious: The Happy Face Killer.. Pavlinac's son also died shortly after due to medical reasons. And she [said], 'Well, they told me I had to tell you thisbecauseif I told you then they would believe me,'" Carpenter said. During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous confessions signed with a smiley face. Halfway through the game, Hurley called hisfiance, ClaireMahoney, pictured above, and said he wanted to leave. That this never happened. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. Over the past 20 years, hundreds of college-aged men across the US have died as the result of undetermined or accidental drownings. Skiples remains were found on the side of California State Route 152 in the Gilroy area about 80 miles southeast of San Francisco in June 1993, in an area known as Pacheco Pass. After getting in an argument with Bennett, he strangled her to death with his hands and disposed of her body. [20], On 7 January 1996, more than five years after their conviction, Pavlinac and Sosnovske were released from prison after Jesperson and his attorney offered his confession with convincing evidence of his guilt. The message was signed with a smiley face. He showed signs of psychopathic behavior from an. The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department announced on Tuesday that, using genetic genealogy, they were able to identify a body found in 1993 as Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon. [6] He graduated from high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it. Remains found in Merced County, California on June 3, 1993, belonged to a Jesperson victim he has said was called "Cindy." The Happy Face Killer Raven Gender Male Birth Date April 6, 1955 (age 67) Place of Birth Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada Occupation Truck driver Pathology Serial Killer Serial Rapist Modus Operandi Strangulation Type Disorganized No. Her actual identity is unknown, but "Susanna" which Jesperson has stated may have been her name was confirmed to be one of his victims because he knew about the tie wraps found around her throat. On Monday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff . serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, with whom they corresponded during the fall semester. A television movie, Happy Face Killer, starring David Arquette as Jesperson, aired in 2014. Jespersons second victim, known only as Claudia, was found murdered on August 30, 1992 in Blythe, California. In 1990, shortly after his marriage ended, Keith Jesperson, a long-haul trucker from Selah, Washington, began killing women. of Victims 8-185 killed 5 attempted Span of crimes 1995/1966-March 10, 1995 (confirmed) Criminal Charges In November 1995, a judge released Pavlinac and Sosnovske from prison. Dr. Laura Pettler, along with her partner in crime-fighting, Melissa Moore, are taking a deep dive into murder cases in the upcoming podcast, "Life After Happy Face." "Life After Happy Face" is a follow-up to Moore's "The Happy Face Killer" podcast, which followed the case of Keith Jesperson, a serial killer who wreaked havoc in the Pacific Northwest during the 1990s. Judge Paul Lipscomb of the Circuit Court of Oregon agreed to vacate Sosnovske's sentence after ruling his no-contest plea violated his constitutional rights because it had not been voluntary since he was facing the death penalty. Jesperson, also called the "Happy Face Killer", who is serving two life sentences in Oregon in connection with guilty pleas to two murders. These convictions meant Jesperson was unlikely to ever face charges for his crime. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. All drowned after getting intoxicated. Angela Surbrize was the name of Jesperson's second-to-last victim. Most were strangers and some were sex workers. All calls are toll-free and confidential. Jesperson married Rose Hucke on August 2, 1975. In 2006, the serial killer submitted a letter to the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office admitting to sexually assaulting and killing an unknown female subject along a dirt turnout on Highway 152, the department wrote in its release, and a year later he pled guilty to killing her. On January 1, 2000, Northern Illinois University junior Brian Welzien went missing from Chicago, Illinois, after a night of celebrating Y2K with his friends. Her body disintegrated against the hot asphalt as he drove. Her body was found after his arrest. While he has claimed to have killed as many as 160 people, only eight murders have been confirmed. Jesperson was born on April 6, 1955, in British Columbia, Canada. According to Gannon and Gilbertson, Homan had various injuries on his head, hands and arms, and they theorized that a mark on his forehead may have been a footprint that was the result of Homan being held down. The oldest child, Melissa, was ten years old. [3], Treated like an outcast and a black sheep by his own family and teased by other children for his large size at a young age, Jesperson was a lonely child who showed a propensity for torturing and killing animals. Remembering the first known victim of Happy Face serial killer. In March 2018, she was featured in an episode, titled "Put on a Happy Face", of the Investigation Discovery true crime series Evil Lives Here. However, a part of him wanted to claim credit, so he wrote about murdering Bennett in a bus terminal bathroom. After a night of barhopping, Homan headed home at around 10 p.m. with a friend. According to former detective Kevin Gannon and Dr. Lee Gilbertson, Geib's head and shoulders were sticking out of the water. "Madonna, that's what she listened to all day," White said. The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department. Pavlinac remarried, but her second husband died a few years later. Happy Face stands out because of Moore 's intimate tie to the criminal in question. [22] She was also featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show,[23] the Lifetime Movies network series Monster in My Family,[24][25] and a 20/20 special on ABC. Courtesy of Kathy Geib, was 22 years old when he went missing during the early hours of June 12, 2005, at a bonfire party in an orchard close to his home in Casnovia, Michigan. He told investigatorshe could not remember anythingthat happened that night. Jesperson claims she was a sex worker who climbed into his truck, even though he told her he wasnt interested in her services, according to the two-hour, , 26. John Ingram, who worked on the case. And they were laughing," Pavlinac told investigators. I have been a killer for five years and have killed eight people." On January 25, 2017 around 11:30 p.m., James was walking back to his apartment after a night out drinking with friends and co-workers. Victim 4:Laurie Ann Pentland, 26. [4] Because of this, Jesperson was a shy child, content to play by himself much of the time. His last known victim was a woman he dated, which led to his capture and, During his depraved spree, Jesperson taunted authorities with anonymous. She then described how she watched Sosnovske have sex with Bennett while he directed her to hold a rope around her neck, and that she believed she pulled the rope too tight, killing Bennett. GILROY (CBS SF/AP) A victim of the Happy Face Killer has been identified nearly 30 years after her body was left near a rural Gilroy highway . At age 35, standing 6feet 7inches (2.01m) and weighing approximately 255 pounds (116kg),[9] Jesperson began working toward the goal of joining the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), but an injury suffered while training ended this endeavor. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! They'd mostly all been college-aged, popular, and athletic. When contacted by sheriffs detectives, he said he had gagged her with duct tape, raped her in the sleeping cab of his rig and strangled her, reported the Spokesman-Review. Surveillance footage captured Booth entering the bar where the celebration took place, but there is no video evidence of him leaving. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Patricia Skiple of Colton, Oregon, had been known only as "Blue Pacheco" for the color of her clothing until genetic genealogy was used to identify her last week, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said. A Navy veteran, 24-year-old William Hurley went missing after leaving a Bruins hockey game in Boston,Massachusetts. California 'Happy Face Killer' victim identified after 29 years By Associated Press 8:06am Apr 20, 2022 A victim of the Happy Face Killer has been identified nearly 30 years after her body was left near a California highway, authorities said this week. Pavlinac seemed to know intimate details about the case. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. While he has claimed to have killed many more people, officials can only confirm that Jesperson killed eight women between 1990 and 1995 in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska and Wyoming. [7] He had watched and laughed as the kittens clawed each other to escape, then he killed them. The "Smiley Face Killer" may or may not be a killer or group of killers who've murdered at least three dozen drunken white college-aged males, dumped their bodies in waterways, and taunted police by drawing a smiley face near the crime scene. A few days before his arrest, he wrote a letter to his brother in which he confessed to having killed eight people over the course of five years. Sometimes they even brag about it. His death was ruled an undetermined drowning. Punched her, slapped her. The team believes the serial killers are highly sophisticated and communicate with each other on the dark web. "I consider this the most dangerous domestic terrorist group in the United States today," said Gannon. A "witchy" smiley face left at a murder site of the supposed "Smiley Face Serial Killer" seems to represent Charlie Manson. "He says, 'Because I choked her' I said, 'I think weneed to take her to a hospital. He had given police officers the location of the victim's purse. The Pittsburgh police theorized James fell into the river while crossing a bridge near the city center and drowned. Hurley walked outside while Mahoney drove to the stadium to pick him up. [10][14], Jesperson was arrested on 30 March 1995 for the murder of Julie Winningham. This included beatings, sometimes with a belt in front of others, and in one case he received an electric shock. Pavlinac told investigators during her last recorded statement on Feb. 26, 1990. 45 colleged-aged males across a 20-year span. Jesperson killed his next victim in June 1993 in Santa Nella, California. I'm thinking, 'My God, she is actually involved in this,'" Ingram said. Jesperson met her in a bar in January 1995 and agreed to give her a ride before eventually killing her. He split from his wife in 1990 after 15 years of . However, Jesperson.css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;} later said he actually killed another woman and did not recognize Wilcox's photo. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee. After he raped and strangled her, Jesperson dumped her body near the Columbia River Gorge, outside Portland. The first victim was found in 1997. Jesperson eventually settled in Selah, Washington with his wife and three children. ", This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 19:00. Gannon, Duarte, Donovan and Gilbertson claim an organized group of serial killers would drug unsuspecting victims at a bar or party then abduct, hold and torture the victims before finally killing and dumping the bodies in water. The Smiley Face Killer. In one six-page letter to The Oregonian newspaper, the serial killer revealed . Moore, Melissa G. & M. Bridget Cook (2009). 'Happy Face Killer' case tapes reveal the lengths woman went to frame boyfriend Meanwhile, the real killer carried out a series of murders over five years. Some of his victims, as seen in this timeline, have never been identified. Jesperson claimed this still-unidentified woman as his fifth victim but told Phelps that he cant recall anything about her. And that's how I remember her," said Melissa Gavin, her longtime friend. On January 25, 2017 around 11:30 p.m., James was walking back to his apartment after a night out drinking with friends and co-workers. He tries to paint the victim as someone who needed to be killed, Phelps, whose nearly decade-long relationship with the killer gives him insight into Jespersons mind, told producers.