‘Happy Face Killer' wants Bryan Kohberger as potential cellmate to solve ‘security issues'
'His best hope is to be transfered (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 in a note to Keith Rovere, a former prison minister and podcaster who shared it with Fox News Digital.
Advertisement
'This prison gets inmates from other states in order to protect them from the drama.'
Jesperson, a former truck driver, killed at least eight women in the 1990s and picked up the nickname for his habit of drawing smiley faces on letters to the media and investigators. He's also known to trade letters with other high-profile killers and has claimed to have committed dozens more murders, although authorities don't believe him.
'I will write to the Idaho Department of Corrections to tell them to consider sending Kohberger here to save them the high-risk security issues in protecting him in Idaho,' Jesperson wrote in another note.
5 Keith Jesperson (above), the Happy Face serial killer, wants Bryan Kohberger to spend the rest of his life in the same Oregon prison he's stuck in, claiming it will be safer for the Idaho student murderer.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement
Rovere, host of 'The Lighter Side of True Crime,' told Fox News Digital that Kohberger may have a hard time fitting in at any prison because he lacks two key qualities, 'street smarts and prison smarts.'
Kohberger's social awkwardness came up repeatedly in his court battles and in the media before a surprise plea deal earlier this month. He avoided the death penalty and will serve life in prison with no chance of parole for the murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The Idaho students' killer is expected to spend at least a few weeks in isolation before details of his long-term housing at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna are finalized.
5 'His best hope is to be transfered (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 (pictured) wrote in a note to Keith Rovere, a former prison minister and podcaster.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement
Jesperson is serving multiple life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, about 475 miles from Kuna. And there's a precedent for his claim. Oregon is part of a group of western states that have an agreement to house prisoners across state lines if there are concerns about safety, special housing needs or overcrowding. Idaho, however, is not part of the pact.
Authorities in the state have given no public indication they were even considering such a move.
'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 Correction.
5 Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing on July 23, 2025 in Boise, Idaho.
Getty Images
Advertisement
Leading up to the trial, a doctor for the defense diagnosed Kohberger with autism, and his lawyers described quirky personality traits, a staring problem, 'atypical eye contact, including an intense gaze' and his difficulty carrying on normal conversations. He sat rigidly in court for most of his hearings and stared at the victims' relatives as they delivered impact statements this week, occasionally raising a smirk, a half nod or swiveling in his seat only slightly.
While asserting that Kohberger has a 'high baseline intelligence,' his lawyers wrote to the court that he 'exhibits slow verbal processing and weaknesses in certain areas of executive functioning, including cognitive flexibility and organizational approach.'
Here's the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:
'In the 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 wrote. 'Most likely, Idaho will put him in protective custody like [Jeffrey] Dahmer. But we all know how that ended.'
Dahmer was a cannibalistic serial killer and rapist who targeted men and boys between 1978 and 1991. In 1994, a fellow inmate named Christopher Scarver beat him to death in a Wisconsin prison. Dahmer was 34 years old when he died. Kohberger is 30.
5 Dahmer was a cannibalistic serial killer and rapist who targeted men and boys between 1978 and 1991.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Scarver told the New York Post in 2015 that he was disgusted by the serial killer and believes guards left them unattended together just to give him an opportunity to kill Dahmer with a metal bar from a weight room.
The IDOC said earlier this week that Kohberger would be screened and evaluated before authorities would determine appropriate housing and security measures.
Advertisement
'Once in IDOC custody, the person goes through a Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) process to evaluate their needs and determine appropriate housing placement; this process takes 7-14 days,' a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 'We wait until a person completes RDU to determine their classification, housing placement and privileges.'
5 Kohberger avoided the death penalty and will serve life in prison with no chance of parole for the murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
KYLE GREEN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock
Kohberger has a high profile. His crime shocked the country and much of the world due to the brutality and randomness and the weeks-long search for a suspect who primarily got caught because he left only one piece of evidence, a knife sheath with his DNA on alongside Mogen's body.
Advertisement
He had no known connection to the victims, a group of young friends who had done him no wrong. And he's shown no remorse — or any emotion whatsoever — in 2½ years of court appearances.
Inmates who have killed women and children are often singled out behind bars, insiders tell Fox News Digital. Three of the four Idaho victims were also asleep during the attack, making it even more cowardly. And Kohberger's social awkwardness is expected to rub other prisoners the wrong way.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Fox News
Mamdani blasted by GOP opponent for 'sanctimonious hypocrisy' on police stance: 'Absolute insanity'
EXCLUSIVE: Republican Curtis Sliwa, who is running for mayor of New York City, blasted socialist opponent Zohran Mamdani for what he says is hypocrisy when it comes to the armed security Mamdani has enjoyed in recent weeks. "It is very interesting that as he returns from Uganda today he's being picked up by the NYPD armed police officers who provide him security 24 hours a day," Sliwa told Fox News Digital Wednesday. "So, in typical political fashion, that's why I don't trust any politicians. 'Do as I say, but not as I do.' He's protected by the armed NYPD, but he wants social workers for everyone else." Mamdani has been heavily criticized for his previous calls to defund the police during the 2020 George Floyd riots, saying that "nature is healing" in response to a police officer crying in his car and labeling the NYPD as "racist." Mamdani has also suggested sending mental health workers to crime calls while he is being protected by the New York Police Department as he runs for mayor. The New York Post reported that while Mamdani was at his family compound in Uganda to celebrate his wedding, the property was protected by heavily armed security. "I could have had a police detail. I said, 'No, we need them to protect people in the streets,'" Sliwa told Fox News Digital. "I was offered it again as a major party candidate, the Republican candidate, and unlike Zohran Mamdani, who couldn't wait to take armed security police officers from the NYPD, again I said I'm in the subways, I'm on the streets. Let the police go out there and protect the people. "And isn't it ironic, while arriving from Uganda, while he was there, he was protected by armed commandos bearing AK-47-loaded weapons with masks on. So, again, the sanctimonious hypocrite, 'Do as I say, but not as I do.' If social workers would have responded to that madman entering the facilities of that Park Avenue building, they would have been cut down in a hail of bullets. And he probably would have said, 'Well, maybe we need a few alterations. We need to sort of reconvert.' This is absolute insanity." Sliwa also criticized Mamdani for his previous pledge to disband the New York Police Department's Strategic Response Group (SRG), which was a unit that responded to the midtown shooting earlier this week that resulted in four deaths before the shooter turned a gun on himself. "That was based on the fact that they also are assigned to whenever the pro-Palestinian demonstrations go out, and they're singing, 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' and they are promoting jihad," Sliwa said, pointing to Mamdani's many anti-Israel positions that have become a key issue both on the campaign trail and for elected Democrats nationwide. "Zohran Mamdani will let them take over the city. Let's face it, they'll probably be part of his administration," Sliwa said. "Curtis Sliwa will stop them in their tracks. They can legally demonstrate, but they have to have a permit. They have to remain in a designated area, and they cannot violate the rights of other citizens who may disagree with them. We don't want them to be attacked, but we certainly don't want other people to be attacked either." Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment. Mamdani answered questions about his past comments in opposition to the police during a news conference Wednesday, where he attempted to distance himself from his calls to defund the police. "Looking at the crisis of retention that we have in the city today, to try and pin it upon tweets from five years ago, as opposed to the conditions of this moment, is to ignore what officers themselves are saying," Mamdani said as he praised the NYPD officer who was killed in the recent midtown shooting. The 33-year-old socialist said multiple times that his past tweets were "clearly out of step" with the current landscape and claimed they were made out of "frustration" over the death of George Floyd. Mamdani also defended his NYPD security detail, saying, "My life is sadly not the one that it was. There are far more threats, and with that comes precautions that I wish I didn't have to take. Though they are also precautions that I am immensely grateful for, especially in the example of the NYPD detail that I have here in New York City."
Fox News
8 hours ago
- Fox News
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre's family says Trump 'should never consider giving Maxwell any leniency'
The family of Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre is urging President Donald Trump not to consider "any leniency" for Ghislaine Maxwell as she seeks a way out of prison for her role in the disgraced financier's crimes. While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump revealed Epstein "stole" Giuffre while she was working at his Florida estate decades ago. "I think she worked at the spa," Trump said as he departed Scotland, referring to Giuffre. "He stole her, and by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever." The revelation further peeled back the curtain on the narrative surrounding Epstein's years of sexual abuse towards underage girls before his suicide in 2019, especially for Giuffre's family, who have spent decades looking for answers. "It makes us ask if [Trump] was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend Jeffrey 'likes women on the younger side, no doubt about it,'" Giuffre's two brothers and her sisters-in-law told The Atlantic. "We and the public are asking for answers; survivors deserve this." For years, Giuffre remained one of the key voices in holding those within Epstein's web accountable before she died by suicide in her Western Australia home in April. Giuffre first came forward publicly with her allegations after an initial investigation into Epstein resulted in a controversial sweetheart deal that ended with the disgraced money manager receiving an 18-month Florida jail sentence. "Virginia cooperated with the authorities," her family said. "She endured death threats, threats against the lives of her children and family, financial ruin, and her physical and mental well-being were destroyed. She never backed down; she hoped that her strength would inspire other survivors to find the courage to come forward." Civil litigation brought by Giuffre alleged she was recruited by Maxwell while working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000. Her family told the outlet what was supposed to be a fun summer job ended with Giuffre being sex-trafficked. Trump has previously said he was not involved in Epstein's sex crimes. He and Epstein reportedly fell out of touch in 2004 – two years before Epstein's initial arrest – after Trump outbid Epstein on a coastal Florida estate, according to The Palm Beach Post. The president also added this week that he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after he was caught poaching employees from Trump's staff – including Giuffre. "He took people," Trump said. "I said, 'Don't do that anymore,' you know, they work for me. And he took beyond that. He took some others. And once he did that, that was the end of him." "President Trump was directly responding to a question posed by a reporter about Ms. Guiffre – he did not bring her up," the White House said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club for being a creep to his female employees." Giuffre's family – Sky and Amanda Roberts, and Danny and Lannette Wilson – told The Atlantic they are still "reeling" from her suicide and are worried about Maxwell's bid for immunity in exchange for information. "The government and the President should never consider giving Ghislaine Maxwell any leniency," Giuffre's family wrote. Last week, Maxwell took center stage after she met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to answer questions surrounding the case. Days earlier, she was slapped with a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee asking her to testify on Aug. 11. Her attorney has since said she will only testify if granted immunity, which the panel rejected. "If our sister could speak today, she would be most angered by the fact that the government is listening to a known perjurer, a woman who repeatedly lied under oath and will continue to do so as long as it benefits her position," Giuffre's family told The Atlantic, referring to Maxwell. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in procuring underage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse. She has recently appealed to Trump to pardon her sentence – a possibility the president has previously said is within his right to consider, but he has not been asked to do so yet. However, a senior administration official told Fox News Digital that "no leniency is being given or discussed. That's just false. The President himself has said that clemency for Maxwell is not something he is even thinking about at this time." Maxwell's attorney and Giuffre's family did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Maxwell's legal team is also asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal of her 2021 conviction – a decision the court is set to discuss in a private conference on Sept. 29. In light of the recent conversations toying with the possibility of Maxwell receiving an incentive in exchange for her testimony, Giuffre's family is imploring officials to not take the bait, while asking the Trump administration to maintain its promises of accountability and transparency. "The government and the President should never consider giving Ghislaine Maxwell any leniency," Giuffre's family said. "Maxwell destroyed many young lives, and she was convicted for only a fraction of the crimes she actually committed."
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Fox News
Schiff decries Bove's confirmation as ‘corruption' despite DOJ referral into his own mortgage dealings
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., blasted Republicans for confirming President Donald Trump's former defense attorney Emil Bove as a federal judge Tuesday after the senator himself was referred to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution amid allegations of mortgage fraud. The Senate voted to confirm Bove to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in a 50–49 vote Tuesday, amid a challenging confirmation process involving allegations from three whistleblowers who alleged Bove disregarded court orders surrounding Trump's mass deportation agenda and misled lawmakers during his confirmation hearing. "Republicans just voted to confirm Emil Bove. Despite whistleblowers confirming he urged them to ignore court orders," Schiff said in a Tuesday X post. "Despite it being clear he lied to the Judiciary Committee. And despite the danger he poses to the rule of law. The corruption of the bench continues." No Democrats voted to back Bove. They were joined by Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday on the Senate floor he backed Bove and said that Bove had faced "unfair accusations and abuse." After representing Trump in his criminal prosecutions, Bove joined Trump's Justice Department to serve as the principal associate deputy attorney general. Meanwhile, Schiff has come under scrutiny for his own alleged misconduct and was referred to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution stemming from a mortgage document controversy. The director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in May, outlining Schiff's alleged misconduct over his homes in both Maryland and California. FHFA Director William Pulte wrote in the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital Monday, that Schiff "falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, impacting payments from 2003–2019 for a Potomac, Maryland-based property." It's unclear whether the Justice Department has launched any actions against Schiff yet, and the Justice Department declined to provide comment to Fox News Digital. Schiff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, Trump has railed against Schiff for years — and did so again in July, claiming he would love to see Schiff "brought to justice." "I have always suspected Shifty Adam Schiff was a scam artist," Trump posted to Truth Social on July 15. "And now I learn that Fannie Mae's Financial Crimes Division have concluded that Adam Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud." In response, Schiff said that Trump's claims amounted to a "baseless attempt at political retribution." "Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason," Schiff said in a July 15 X post. "So in a way, I guess this is a bit of a letdown. And this baseless attempt at political retribution won't stop me from holding him accountable. Not by a long shot."
