‘Happy Face Killer' wants Bryan Kohberger as potential cellmate
America's 'Happy Face Killer' Keith Jesperson says he wants to be prison bunkmates with Bryan Kohberger, who was sentenced this week to life without parole for murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022.
Jesperson, incarcerated for life for killing at least eight women between January 1990 and March 1995, wrote in a letter to a podcaster and former prison minister Keith Rovere, who shared the note with Fox News.
A transfer to the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Jesperson said, might save the cold-blooded killer's life.
'His best hope is to be transferred (sic) to here, the max prison in Oregon, to be away from those who want to make a name for themselves by killing him,' Jesperson wrote, the New York Post reports.
'This prison gets inmates from other states in order to protect them from the drama.'
Keith Jesperson, Keith Jesperson (above), the Happy Face serial killer, killed at least eight women. Picture: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
Bryan Kohberger was sentenced this week to life without parole for murdering four students. Picture: Kyle Green/Press Pool/WSJ
Kohberger, who managed to avoid the death penalty for the brutal murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, is expected to be housed at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna.
Jesperson, whose victims were discovered in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska, and Wyoming, warns that Kohberger could become a target if placed in the prison's general population.
'He will be singled out right away to be made a target for those who see him as weak for the crimes of that kind of murder,' Jesperson said in his letter.
'Most likely, Idaho will put him in protective custody like [Jeffrey] Dahmer. But we all know how that ended.'
University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves (second from left, bottom) and Madison Mogen (second from left, top), Ethan Chapin (centre) and Xana Kernodle (second from right) were stabbed to death in their beds as they slept. Picture: ZUMA Press Wire/ZUMA Press Wire
Bryan Kohberger, is expected to be housed at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna. Picture: Monroe County Correctional Facility / AFP
In 1994, Dahmer, who practised necrophilia and cannibalism before he was convicted of killing seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991, was beaten to death by another inmate at the Columbia Correctional Facility in Portage, Wisconsin.
At trial, Kohberger's defence pointed to social awkwardness and autism, with his lawyers writing to the court that their client 'exhibits slow verbal processing and weaknesses in certain areas of executive functioning, including cognitive flexibility and organisational approach.
Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted of killing seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Picture: Supplied
The Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) stated that Kohberger, like all inmates, will undergo a potentially two-week Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) process to assess his needs and determine an appropriate housing placement, an IDOC spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Authorities in Oregon have not publicly indicated if they'll consider housing the two convicted murderers as roommates.
'The safety and security of staff and the population are a priority in everything IDOC does, including placement,' said Blake Lopez, public information officer for the Idaho Department of Corrections.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission.
Originally published as 'Happy Face Killer' wants Bryan Kohberger as potential cellmate to solve 'security issues'
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Daily Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
‘Happy Face Killer' wants Bryan Kohberger as potential cellmate
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. America's 'Happy Face Killer' Keith Jesperson says he wants to be prison bunkmates with Bryan Kohberger, who was sentenced this week to life without parole for murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022. Jesperson, incarcerated for life for killing at least eight women between January 1990 and March 1995, wrote in a letter to a podcaster and former prison minister Keith Rovere, who shared the note with Fox News. A transfer to the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Jesperson said, might save the cold-blooded killer's life. 'His best hope is to be transferred (sic) to here, the max prison in Oregon, to be away from those who want to make a name for themselves by killing him,' Jesperson wrote, the New York Post reports. 'This prison gets inmates from other states in order to protect them from the drama.' Keith Jesperson, Keith Jesperson (above), the Happy Face serial killer, killed at least eight women. Picture: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Bryan Kohberger was sentenced this week to life without parole for murdering four students. Picture: Kyle Green/Press Pool/WSJ Kohberger, who managed to avoid the death penalty for the brutal murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, is expected to be housed at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna. Jesperson, whose victims were discovered in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska, and Wyoming, warns that Kohberger could become a target if placed in the prison's general population. 'He will be singled out right away to be made a target for those who see him as weak for the crimes of that kind of murder,' Jesperson said in his letter. 'Most likely, Idaho will put him in protective custody like [Jeffrey] Dahmer. But we all know how that ended.' University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves (second from left, bottom) and Madison Mogen (second from left, top), Ethan Chapin (centre) and Xana Kernodle (second from right) were stabbed to death in their beds as they slept. Picture: ZUMA Press Wire/ZUMA Press Wire Bryan Kohberger, is expected to be housed at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna. Picture: Monroe County Correctional Facility / AFP In 1994, Dahmer, who practised necrophilia and cannibalism before he was convicted of killing seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991, was beaten to death by another inmate at the Columbia Correctional Facility in Portage, Wisconsin. At trial, Kohberger's defence pointed to social awkwardness and autism, with his lawyers writing to the court that their client 'exhibits slow verbal processing and weaknesses in certain areas of executive functioning, including cognitive flexibility and organisational approach. Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted of killing seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Picture: Supplied The Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) stated that Kohberger, like all inmates, will undergo a potentially two-week Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) process to assess his needs and determine an appropriate housing placement, an IDOC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Authorities in Oregon have not publicly indicated if they'll consider housing the two convicted murderers as roommates. 'The safety and security of staff and the population are a priority in everything IDOC does, including placement,' said Blake Lopez, public information officer for the Idaho Department of Corrections. This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission. Originally published as 'Happy Face Killer' wants Bryan Kohberger as potential cellmate to solve 'security issues'
News.com.au
20 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Happy Face Killer' wants Bryan Kohberger as potential cellmate to solve ‘security issues'
America's 'Happy Face Killer' Keith Jesperson says he wants to be prison bunkmates with Bryan Kohberger, who was sentenced this week to life without parole for murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022. Jesperson, incarcerated for life for killing at least eight women between January 1990 and March 1995, wrote in a letter to a podcaster and former prison minister Keith Rovere, who shared the note with Fox News. A transfer to the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Jesperson said, might save the cold-blooded killer's life. 'His best hope is to be transferred (sic) to here, the max prison in Oregon, to be away from those who want to make a name for themselves by killing him,' Jesperson wrote, the New York Post reports. 'This prison gets inmates from other states in order to protect them from the drama.' Kohberger, who managed to avoid the death penalty for the brutal murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, is expected to be housed at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna. Jesperson, whose victims were discovered in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, Nebraska, and Wyoming, warns that Kohberger could become a target if placed in the prison's general population. 'He will be singled out right away to be made a target for those who see him as weak for the crimes of that kind of murder,' Jesperson said in his letter. 'Most likely, Idaho will put him in protective custody like [Jeffrey] Dahmer. But we all know how that ended.' In 1994, Dahmer, who practised necrophilia and cannibalism before he was convicted of killing seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991, was beaten to death by another inmate at the Columbia Correctional Facility in Portage, Wisconsin. At trial, Kohberger's defence pointed to social awkwardness and autism, with his lawyers writing to the court that their client 'exhibits slow verbal processing and weaknesses in certain areas of executive functioning, including cognitive flexibility and organisational approach. The Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) stated that Kohberger, like all inmates, will undergo a potentially two-week Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) process to assess his needs and determine an appropriate housing placement, an IDOC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Authorities in Oregon have not publicly indicated if they'll consider housing the two convicted murderers as roommates. 'The safety and security of staff and the population are a priority in everything IDOC does, including placement,' said Blake Lopez, public information officer for the Idaho Department of Corrections.
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Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. The display put on by a cold-case killer confronted with evidence of his horrific crimes is perhaps best described as 'squirming'. Eugene Gligor's police interview, 23 years after he murdered Leslie Preer in her home in the US state of Maryland, resurfaced this week. First published by The Washington Post, 24-minute interrogation shows Gligor pretending to be shocked when told his DNA was found at scene of the grisly murder. In the recording, filmed in June last year, Gligor is told: 'Well honey, your DNA was in the crime scene.' Having escaped scrutiny for the murder that took place in 2001, Gligor replies: 'I don't remember. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.' He says he is 'confused' and 'at a loss', adding 'I don't have any recollection of being involved with any of this'. 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DNA breakthrough that solved cold-case In the days after the murder, police took as much evidence as they could, which included processing the scene for fingerprints, swabbing suspected blood samples, taking photographs, and vacuuming the foyer area for hairs and other artefacts. DNA evidence was also able to be extracted from underneath Leslie's fingernails — a sign she tried to fight off her attacker — and was matched an unknown male suspect. However, due to limited technology at the time, they were unable to match it to anyone. Detectives spoke to a handful of potential suspects, including Leslie's husband, Carl. However, DNA soon ruled him out. With no other leads, the case went cold. Despite the odds, Lauren said she had always held out hope that one day her mum's killer would be brought to justice. Finally, earlier this month, this dream seemed like it might become a reality. Back in 2022, hard-working cold case investigators sought to use genetic genealogical analysis in a bid to close in on who murdered Leslie. The technique is relatively new, and involves taking an unknown suspect's DNA from a crime scene and comparing it to millions of DNA samples that customers have submitted to ancestor research companies. This can help detectives potentially track down family-tree connections to the perpetrator's DNA, hugely narrowing down the suspect pool. In this case, genetic genealogical analysis was able to yield one common surname: Gligor. While it did not mean much at first, this clue would end up the vital clue needed to find Leslie's alleged murderer. On June 4, 2024, police uncovered an old tip off submitted back in 2002 about someone called Eugene Gligor. The caller, who is understood to be a neighbour, had been suspicious of him and decided to share their thoughts with detectives. While it did not amount to much at the time, it ended up being the smoking gun that lead police to Eugene. Eugene Grigo pleaded guilty to murder in May and faces 30 years in prison. The only thing detectives needed was a sample of his DNA to see if it was a match for that left at the crime scene. And so the hunt began. Plain-clothed detectives tracked him down at Dulles International Airport, where they waited and watched as he finished off a bottle of water and disposed of the plastic bottle in a nearby bin. After he walked away, they pounced. With the fresh evidence in their clutches, forensic labs were able to extract his DNA from saliva left on the bottle. It was a match. Gligor was charged with first-degree murder. The crime that tore a family apart Leslie Preer worked at a popular advertising firm in Chevy Chase called Specialities Inc., and was a beloved employee, known for her dedication and punctuality. 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He faces up to 30 years in prison. — with Jasmine Kazlauskas Originally published as Footage emerges of cold-case killer Eugene Gligor's police interview
