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Express Tribune
22-03-2025
- Express Tribune
Happy Face: Moment Keith Jesperson almost confided in daughter Melissa Moore revealed in new account
Melissa G. Moore, the daughter of notorious serial killer Keith Jesperson, has opened up about a chilling encounter with her father during a breakfast in 1995, just before his arrest. Moore was 15 at the time and recalls her father nearly confessing his double life as a serial killer. In an account to Fox News Digital,she recollected, during their meal Jesperson told Moore he had something to reveal, saying, "But you'll tell the authorities." Moore initially thought he was referring to rumors about being fired for theft, but the conversation quickly turned uneasy. Jesperson became evasive, and Moore, feeling sick, went to the bathroom to compose herself. This moment marked one of the final interactions before Jesperson's arrest, which occurred shortly after Moore's 16th birthday. Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer" for drawing smiley faces in letters to the media, was arrested in 1995 and confessed to killing eight women across several states. Moore, who was unaware of his crimes, learned of his arrest when her mother informed her and her siblings that their father was charged with murder. The news spread quickly, and Moore faced shame and isolation from her peers, which deeply affected her sense of identity. Moore's story is now the subject of Happy Face, a true-crime drama on Paramount+ starring Dennis Quaid as her father. Moore, who previously authored the memoir Shattered Silence, shared her experiences to shed light on the complex relationships between family members of perpetrators. The show highlights the trauma families face and the lack of support for them. Jesperson, now 69, remains imprisoned, serving multiple life sentences without parole. Moore continues to grapple with the impact of her father's actions but has found strength through her work supporting other families affected by similar tragedies.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Happy Face' serial killer nearly confessed brutal murders to teen daughter: ‘You'll tell the authorities'
Melissa G. Moore was having breakfast with her father, Keith Jesperson, at a diner when he almost exposed his secret double life. The high school student, who was gearing up to get her driver's license, was gushing about getting her freedom. She was also excited to spend time with her father, a trucker who, at that point, was divorced from Moore's mother. "I was on the verge of turning 16," Moore recalled to Fox News Digital. "He made an unannounced visit and asked my siblings and me if we wanted to go have breakfast with him before school started. My siblings had other commitments, so they couldn't join us. … We talked about what would be my first car. I remember he said he would buy me a Pontiac, and I debated with him. Investigators Find Relatives Of 'Happy Face' Serial Killer's Last Unknown Victim In Mission To Identify Her "Then the topic started to turn to the next time I would see him," Moore shared. "He was looking forward to seeing us during the summer break. But the way he spoke, it sounded like it was wishful thinking. … Then he started to say, 'I need to tell you something, but you'll tell the authorities.' It stopped me. "At first, I thought, 'It must be the rumors my mother had told me about, that he had been fired for stealing from his employer.' Did he steal? I kept pressing it, saying, 'You could tell me.' He's like, 'No, no, I can't tell you.' I started to feel sick to my stomach. I went to the bathroom, and when I returned, our food was there. He was ready to change the subject. Read On The Fox News App "Looking back on that conversation, I feel he knew that his crimes were catching up to him." SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter Moore was 15 when Jesperson, a prolific serial killer infamous for drawing smiley faces in letters to the media and prosecutors, was captured. The case is now the subject of a Paramount+ true-crime drama, "Happy Face," starring Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid. Moore previously shared her story in the bestselling memoir, "Shattered Silence" and the 2018 "Happy Face" podcast. "I'm proud of this series because I think the family members of victims will feel seen, and so will family members of perpetrators," she explained. "I've never seen anything quite like this. When you watch a show about a serial killer, they don't show the complex nature of the relationships that they have with their own family." Moore described her childhood as "pretty normal" in rural Washington. Her father, who stood at a towering 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, worked as a long-haul truck driver. Her mother stayed at home with the couple's three children. "I grew up in the countryside where we had the freedom to roam," said Moore. "When my dad would come home from his long-haul truck drives, he was very doting. He was very loving." WATCH: HAPPY FACE SERIAL KILLER ADMITS TO MURDERING AN EIGHTH VICTIM IN INTERVIEW WITH FLORIDA OFFICIALS "He used to love riding his bike, and he always wanted us kids with him," she shared. "He was a very hands-on father. He would read us bedtime stories. He would play games with us. He would hang out with us as much as possible." But there were signs that her home life wasn't so idyllic. Moore said that when she was 5 years old, she witnessed "animal abuse on our property." "My dad would kill animals for sport," she explained. "He would kill cats. He would kill dogs. That was something that, as a young person … you just feel that's not right. But it wasn't something that was really discussed. It was just Keith being Keith. It's not that we accepted it, but nobody really wanted to acknowledge it." WATCH: 'HAPPY FACE' STAR DENNIS QUAID REFLECTS ON PLAYING REAL-LIFE SERIAL KILLER KEITH HUNTER JESPERSON Jesperson was arrested in 1995 on suspicion of killing his girlfriend in Washington state. He eventually confessed to killing eight women between 1990 and 1995 in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska and Wyoming. The victims, who included his girlfriend, acquaintances and sex workers, were sexually assaulted and strangled. He was arrested just before Moore's birthday. "I found out through my mom," said Moore. "In the series, it's depicted accurately. I came home from school, and my mother called us siblings together. She had something she needed to tell us. She informed all of us that our dad was in jail and that he was charged with murder. She didn't give any more details. WATCH: 'HAPPY FACE' STARS JAMES WOLK AND TAMERA TOMAKILI ON WORKING WITH DENNIS QUAID IN SERIAL KILLER SERIES "As an adult looking back, I imagine that … she probably didn't feel comfortable discussing those details with us." News quickly spread in Moore's hometown. Her friends described seeing Jesperson on TV while watching the news, wearing an orange jumpsuit and chained up. He was called the "Happy Face Killer." "I was mortified about going to school and deeply ashamed," said Moore. "Whenever I turned on the TV, there was my father's face, flashing across. My friends told me that their parents had seen the news, and they didn't want them to hang out with me. "I internalized it," Moore admitted. "I took it like maybe there was something wrong with me. Maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. It was the beginning of this deep descent into struggling with my own identity. I internalized his crimes in a way that it wrapped up with my own identity. "It's taken me years to reconcile with that," the 47-year-old added. Today, Jesperson, 69, is serving several life sentences without the possibility of parole. "He has never explained why," said Moore. "I am still curious why he chose the life that he did and chose to commit these crimes. I believe he felt a deep insecurity within himself and wanted to have control. I would say it was about power and control. … It made this perfect monster." Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X In the show, viewers will see a letter from Jesperson mailed to Moore. She said the scene was accurate. "He's written to me from day one since he entered jail, and [those letters] go unanswered," she said. "I don't write him back. I've collected them, and I've given all the letters over to [executive producer] Jennifer Cacicio. She used the letters for dialogue in the series. "Sadly, her house was among those lost in the California fires. Those letters were burned. They're gone." Today, Moore has a family of her own. In sharing her story, Moore was able to create a network of more than 300 people who are related to killers, speaking with them on the phone and in person for support, People magazine reported. She previously told BBC News that that project gave her "life meaning and direction." "I'm not proud of who my dad is, but I no longer feel the need to hide," said Moore. "I'm no longer attributing his crimes to who I am as a person. And I'm not alone in dealing with these unique issues. … There is no support group for family members of perpetrators. There isn't really a support group for families of victims. We're left to ourselves to find other people like us. … They don't need to be alone in navigating this." Speaking out has also helped Moore come to terms with her painful past. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub "My father gave me my greatest sorrow, which is the trauma of growing up with him as a dad," she said. "I would say the series does a really good job of showing this deep desire within me to have the father who no longer exists, the father of my childhood. He's no longer here. Maybe he never really existed."Original article source: 'Happy Face' serial killer nearly confessed brutal murders to teen daughter: 'You'll tell the authorities'
Fox News
22-03-2025
- Fox News
‘Happy Face' serial killer nearly confessed brutal murders to teen daughter: ‘You'll tell the authorities'
Melissa G. Moore was having breakfast with her father, Keith Jesperson, at a diner when he almost exposed his secret double life. The high school student, who was gearing up to get her driver's license, was gushing about getting her freedom. She was also excited to spend time with her father, a trucker who, at that point, was divorced from Moore's mother. "I was on the verge of turning 16," Moore recalled to Fox News Digital. "He made an unannounced visit and asked my siblings and me if we wanted to go have breakfast with him before school started. My siblings had other commitments, so they couldn't join us. … We talked about what would be my first car. I remember he said he would buy me a Pontiac, and I debated with him. "Then the topic started to turn to the next time I would see him," Moore shared. "He was looking forward to seeing us during the summer break. But the way he spoke, it sounded like it was wishful thinking. … Then he started to say, 'I need to tell you something, but you'll tell the authorities.' It stopped me. "At first, I thought, 'It must be the rumors my mother had told me about, that he had been fired for stealing from his employer.' Did he steal? I kept pressing it, saying, 'You could tell me.' He's like, 'No, no, I can't tell you.' I started to feel sick to my stomach. I went to the bathroom, and when I returned, our food was there. He was ready to change the subject. "Looking back on that conversation, I feel he knew that his crimes were catching up to him." SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER Moore was 15 when Jesperson, a prolific serial killer infamous for drawing smiley faces in letters to the media and prosecutors, was captured. The case is now the subject of a Paramount+ true-crime drama, "Happy Face," starring Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid. Moore previously shared her story in the bestselling memoir, "Shattered Silence" and the 2018 "Happy Face" podcast. "I'm proud of this series because I think the family members of victims will feel seen, and so will family members of perpetrators," she explained. "I've never seen anything quite like this. When you watch a show about a serial killer, they don't show the complex nature of the relationships that they have with their own family." Moore described her childhood as "pretty normal" in rural Washington. Her father, who stood at a towering 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, worked as a long-haul truck driver. Her mother stayed at home with the couple's three children. "I grew up in the countryside where we had the freedom to roam," said Moore. "When my dad would come home from his long-haul truck drives, he was very doting. He was very loving." WATCH: HAPPY FACE SERIAL KILLER ADMITS TO MURDERING AN EIGHTH VICTIM IN INTERVIEW WITH FLORIDA OFFICIALS "He used to love riding his bike, and he always wanted us kids with him," she shared. "He was a very hands-on father. He would read us bedtime stories. He would play games with us. He would hang out with us as much as possible." But there were signs that her home life wasn't so idyllic. Moore said that when she was 5 years old, she witnessed "animal abuse on our property." "My dad would kill animals for sport," she explained. "He would kill cats. He would kill dogs. That was something that, as a young person … you just feel that's not right. But it wasn't something that was really discussed. It was just Keith being Keith. It's not that we accepted it, but nobody really wanted to acknowledge it." WATCH: 'HAPPY FACE' STAR DENNIS QUAID REFLECTS ON PLAYING REAL-LIFE SERIAL KILLER KEITH HUNTER JESPERSON Jesperson was arrested in 1995 on suspicion of killing his girlfriend in Washington state. He eventually confessed to killing eight women between 1990 and 1995 in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska and Wyoming. The victims, who included his girlfriend, acquaintances and sex workers, were sexually assaulted and strangled. He was arrested just before Moore's birthday. "I found out through my mom," said Moore. "In the series, it's depicted accurately. I came home from school, and my mother called us siblings together. She had something she needed to tell us. She informed all of us that our dad was in jail and that he was charged with murder. She didn't give any more details. WATCH: 'HAPPY FACE' STARS JAMES WOLK AND TAMERA TOMAKILI ON WORKING WITH DENNIS QUAID IN SERIAL KILLER SERIES "As an adult looking back, I imagine that … she probably didn't feel comfortable discussing those details with us." News quickly spread in Moore's hometown. Her friends described seeing Jesperson on TV while watching the news, wearing an orange jumpsuit and chained up. He was called the "Happy Face Killer." "I was mortified about going to school and deeply ashamed," said Moore. "Whenever I turned on the TV, there was my father's face, flashing across. My friends told me that their parents had seen the news, and they didn't want them to hang out with me. "I internalized it," Moore admitted. "I took it like maybe there was something wrong with me. Maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. It was the beginning of this deep descent into struggling with my own identity. I internalized his crimes in a way that it wrapped up with my own identity. "It's taken me years to reconcile with that," the 47-year-old added. Today, Jesperson, 69, is serving several life sentences without the possibility of parole. "He has never explained why," said Moore. "I am still curious why he chose the life that he did and chose to commit these crimes. I believe he felt a deep insecurity within himself and wanted to have control. I would say it was about power and control. … It made this perfect monster." In the show, viewers will see a letter from Jesperson mailed to Moore. She said the scene was accurate. "He's written to me from day one since he entered jail, and [those letters] go unanswered," she said. "I don't write him back. I've collected them, and I've given all the letters over to [executive producer] Jennifer Cacicio. She used the letters for dialogue in the series. "Sadly, her house was among those lost in the California fires. Those letters were burned. They're gone." Today, Moore has a family of her own. In sharing her story, Moore was able to create a network of more than 300 people who are related to killers, speaking with them on the phone and in person for support, People magazine reported. She previously told BBC News that that project gave her "life meaning and direction." "I'm not proud of who my dad is, but I no longer feel the need to hide," said Moore. "I'm no longer attributing his crimes to who I am as a person. And I'm not alone in dealing with these unique issues. … There is no support group for family members of perpetrators. There isn't really a support group for families of victims. We're left to ourselves to find other people like us. … They don't need to be alone in navigating this." Speaking out has also helped Moore come to terms with her painful past. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB "My father gave me my greatest sorrow, which is the trauma of growing up with him as a dad," she said. "I would say the series does a really good job of showing this deep desire within me to have the father who no longer exists, the father of my childhood. He's no longer here. Maybe he never really existed."
Asharq Al-Awsat
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
‘Happy Face' Looks at Ripple Effects of True Crime
The new Paramount+ series "Happy Face" has all the elements of a gripping true-crime yarn: A serial killer, his estranged daughter, a race to get an innocent man off death row. But perhaps the most intriguing part? How it examines the warping nature of true crime itself. "I was less interested in the specific psychology of a serial killer or glorifying the murders or seeing violence against women on screen," says Jennifer Cacicio, executive producer and showrunner. "I just feel like we've seen that. I was very interested in making a true crime show told through a different lens." "Happy Face," which begins airing Thursday, is inspired by the true story of Melissa Moore, whose father was a prolific serial killer infamous for drawing smiley faces on letters to the media and prosecutors. She was just 15 when he was captured. Decades later, as an adult with her own children, she finds herself drawn back into his orbit as she sets out to save an innocent man for a crime her father committed. She also has to tell her daughter the truth about her grandfather. Starring Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid, "Happy Face" is told from a female point of view and looks at how a shameful secret can echo through generations. It's also about the push and pull of infamy, with horrendous crimes somehow remaining an alluring draw. "There's a lot of crime dramas out there that I think are very male-centric. It's either about the cops are the cool guys or the criminals are the cool guys, and it's all about kicking in doors. I've written on those shows and they're fun and they serve a purpose. And I think that I really wanted to try something different," Cacicio says. "What is it like for the rest of the family when there's this shameful secret and this series of crimes and these acts of violence and what are the ripple effects on everybody involved?" Ashford, who earned a Tony Award nomination playing a serial killer on Broadway in "Sweeney Todd," plays Moore with tenderness and anger, saying she was interested in exploring generational trauma. "It's one of the worst nightmares," she says. "The worst nightmare of all is having a family member be a victim. And then the second worst nightmare is having a family member be the perpetrator. So what would you do if you're a parent or your sibling or your spouse or your child committed an atrocity?" Moore previously shared her story in the bestselling memoir, "Shattered Silence" and the 2018 "Happy Face" podcast, reaching out to her father's victims and advocating for other family members of killers. Cacicio was one of a number of writers interested in telling her story for TV. Cacicio approached Moore with this pitch: "If you want someone who's a straight-up journalist, who's just going to tell exactly the story of the podcast, you should let someone else do it," she told her. "There's also an opportunity for it to be a bigger story that's asking some questions about true crime." Cacicio and Moore, it turned out had plenty in common. They were the same age, and both the oldest of three kids. Both had close relationships with their fathers, who hid other lives — Moore's was a killer and Cacicio served time in prison for drug dealing. "Obviously, the crimes are different, the circumstances are different. But I think, in my family, it was something we didn't talk about and it was something I didn't want my friends to know," says Cacicio. "A lot of it was really personal to me. And I think that's what made her trust me — that I really understood the feelings, even if I didn't necessarily understand the specific circumstances." Quaid plays Moore's father, but unlike other roles he's taken that involve a living person, he had no intention of meeting the prisoner. He didn't want to glorify the killer but also "Happy Face" isn't that kind of show. "This is told from Melissa's point of view, and I think it's actually truer than his point of view, because I think she knows him much better than he knows himself," he says. "I think he shows emotions like a little boy who's trying to talk himself out of a whipping." Cacicio says it's time we took a look at the explosion in popularity of true crime, in which women are often the victims but women are also the chief consumers. "Are we obsessed with these stories because we're trying to protect ourselves in case the worst happens?" she asks. "I read somewhere that it's an act of normalizing your own experiences, because usually it's whatever you're watching is worse than what's happened to you. So it kind of like makes you feel better about your own traumas."
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Happy Face' looks at ripple effects of true crime
NEW YORK (AP) — The new Paramount+ series 'Happy Face' has all the elements of a gripping true-crime yarn: A serial killer, his estranged daughter, a race to get an innocent man off death row. But perhaps the most intriguing part? How it examines the warping nature of true crime itself. 'I was less interested in the specific psychology of a serial killer or glorifying the murders or seeing violence against women on screen," says Jennifer Cacicio, executive producer and showrunner. "I just feel like we've seen that. I was very interested in making a true-crime show told through a different lens.' 'Happy Face,' which begins airing Thursday, is inspired by the true story of Melissa Moore, whose father was a prolific serial killer infamous for drawing smiley faces on letters to the media and prosecutors. She was just 15 when he was captured. Decades later, as an adult with her own children, she finds herself drawn back into his orbit as she sets out to save an innocent man for a crime her father committed. She also has to tell her daughter the truth about her grandfather. A female point of view Starring Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid, 'Happy Face' is told from a female point of view and looks at how a shameful secret can echo through generations. It's also about the push and pull of infamy, with horrendous crimes somehow remaining an alluring draw. 'There's a lot of crime dramas out there that I think are very male-centric. It's either about the cops are the cool guys or the criminals are the cool guys, and it's all about kicking in doors. I've written on those shows and they're fun and they serve a purpose. And I think that I really wanted to try something different,' Cacicio says. 'What is it like for the rest of the family when there's this shameful secret and this series of crimes and these acts of violence and what are the ripple effects on everybody involved?' Ashford, who earned a Tony Award nomination playing a serial killer on Broadway in 'Sweeney Todd,' plays Moore with tenderness and anger, saying she was interested in exploring generational trauma. 'It's one of the worst nightmares,' she says. 'The worst nightmare of all is having a family member be a victim. And then the second worst nightmare is having a family member be the perpetrator. So what would you do if you're a parent or your sibling or your spouse or your child committed an atrocity?' The TV pitch for 'Happy Face' Moore previously shared her story in the bestselling memoir, 'Shattered Silence' and the 2018 "Happy Face" podcast, reaching out to her father's victims and advocating for other family members of killers. Cacicio was one of a number of writers interested in telling her story for TV. Cacicio approached Moore with this pitch: 'If you want someone who's a straight-up journalist, who's just going to tell exactly the story of the podcast, you should let someone else do it,' she told her. 'There's also an opportunity for it to be a bigger story that's asking some questions about true crime.' Cacicio and Moore, it turned out had plenty in common. They were the same age, and both the oldest of three kids. Both had close relationships with their fathers, who hid other lives — Moore's was a killer and Cacicio served time in prison for drug dealing. 'Obviously, the crimes are different, the circumstances are different. But I think, in my family, it was something we didn't talk about and it was something I didn't want my friends to know,' says Cacicio. 'A lot of it was really personal to me. And I think that's what made her trust me — that I really understood the feelings, even if I didn't necessarily understand the specific circumstances.' Quaid plays Moore's father, but unlike other roles he's taken that involve a living person, he had no intention of meeting the prisoner. He didn't want to glorify the killer but also 'Happy Face' isn't that kind of show. 'This is told from Melissa's point of view, and I think it's actually truer than his point of view, because I think she knows him much better than he knows himself,' he says. 'I think he shows emotions like a little boy who's trying to talk himself out of a whipping.' Cacicio says it's time we took a look at the explosion in popularity of true crime, in which women are often the victims but women are also the chief consumers. 'Are we obsessed with these stories because we're trying to protect ourselves in case the worst happens?' she asks. 'I read somewhere that it's an act of normalizing your own experiences, because usually it's whatever you're watching is worse than what's happened to you. So it kind of like makes you feel better about your own traumas.'
