What if you found out the man who raised you was a monster? For one woman that quickly became her reality when it was revealed her father was the Happy Face Killer
Happy Face is Paramount+ new true crime drama series that follows the story of Mellissa Moore, the daughter of the infamous happy face killer, based on her podcast and book.
The new series is the true experience of Melissa G. Moore’s personal and professional life as she comes to terms with her father’s horrific crimes.
The show’s focus will remain on Melissa’s journey however it also depicts her interactions with her father, Keith Hunter Jesperson.
From a young age, she was petrified of her father – even before he admitted to murdering the women. She witnessed his violence first-hand, including brutally torturing kittens, later finding their dead bodies after traumatising them for years.
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After spending most of her life concealing her father’s identity, Melissa’s world got flipped upside down, when her boss received a chilling phone call, from her father claiming he wanted to reveal he was responsible for another murder, but only to her. Melissa doubted him at first and assumed he was lying to get through to her, but a producer convinced her to visit him.
Keith’s life before he became known as the Happy Face Killer looked normal. A long haul truck driver and family man however behind the scenes his life wasn’t as ordinary as it appeared and beneath his facade he had dark secrets – that would eventually be known across the world.
His disturbing behaviour started at a young age when he showed violence when he began torturing and killing animals, further developing to him nearly killing two of his bullies in separate incidents, attempting to drown one and beat the other until he was unconscious.
When he was 20, he began his career as a long-haul trucker. He married Rose Hucke and together they had three children – Melissa, Carrie and Jason.
His first confirmed murder was 23 year old Taunja Bennet at a Portland Ore Bar. He then brought her to his house, where he raped, strangled and beat her, before dumping her body near Columbia Gorge.
“Comments were made and different things and an altercation happened, and I struck her. I actually had hit her in the face and for some reason I just kept hitting her in the face and because of that I feared going to prison, for slugging her in the face and causing her bodily injury, and so I killed her,” he revealed in a 2010 phone interview.
For a while, it appeared he was close to getting away with the murder, when two people falsely confessed to being involved with the murder but years later, the idea of other people taking credits for his crimes infuriated him and he wrote his first anonymous letter in a Montana bus terminal on a bathroom wall admitting he murdered Bennett, adding a smiley face as his signature.
The smiley face eventually became his chilling trademark, earning him the nickname Happy face killer.
Keith’s last victim was his girlfriend, Julie Winningham when Police discovered her body on March 11 1995. When searching through her property, the Police found a receipt with his smiley face trademark on it and later questioned him about her death, which he eventually confessed.
Shortly after, his brother turned in a letter to the police, where he confessed to a total of eight murders.
“I am sorry that I turned out this way. I have been a killer for five years and have killed eight people. Assaulted more,” Jesperson wrote.
“Seems like my luck has run out. I will never be able to enjoy life on the outside again.”
He is currently servicing four life sentences, with no chance for parole however if he hadn’t been caught, he may of been killing forever.
After his arrest, Melissa’s mother wouldn’t speak about him or his crimes, which left her with no choice to read about her father’s case at their library and for most of her life after she tried to escape her father’s horrific crimes.
Years later, his story is a disturbing reminder of how serial killers hide in plain sight. His story continues to haunt those who he left behind – especially his daughter, Melissa, who for years tried to distance herself for his crimes.
Now the show is bringing her story to the screen, with Annaleigh Ashford portraying Melissa and Dennis Quaid taking on the role of her father.
This series not only explores the horrors of the crimes, but also dives into looking deeper at the question – can you ever escape the shadow of your past?
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