In February 1990, Oregon State Police arrested John Sosnovske and Laverne Pavlinac for the vicious rape and murder of 23-year-old Taunja Bennett. Pavlinac had come forth and confessed, implicating her boyfriend and producing physical evidence that linked them to the crime. Authorities closed the case. There was just one problem. They had the wrong people...Keith Hunter Jesperson was a long haul truck driver and the murderer of eight women, including Taunja Bennett. He began a twisted one-man campaign to win the release of Sosnovske and Pavlinca. To the editors of newspapers and on the walls of highway rest stops, Jesperson scribbled out a series of taunting confessions. At the end of each, he drew a happy face, earning for himself the grisly nickname 'The Happy Face Killer'.Based on access to interviews, diaries, court records, and the criminal himself, this is Jesperson's horrific story. Jack Olsen lets the killer tell his story in his own words, offering unprecedented insight into the twisted thought process of a serial murder.This book is based on scores of interviews with the killer and his family.
True crime continues to be one of the bestselling genres on the market and Kieran jack Olsen is a world renowned true crime writer.