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Border crisis: Whats happening at the US-Mexico border? He has to sell the goddamn car. A full body orgasm at the L.A. Phil? I was given a ride home with the dead female in the back. I understand that, so Im skeptical.. Per Murderpedia, the first message Jesperson wrote to make his crimes public was found on a restroom wall at a truck stop in Oregon. A Canadian-born long-haul truck driver and divorced father of three, Jesperson carried out his killings over the course of five years until he turned himself in to authorities in 1995. In both, an informant reported overhearing Sosnovske bragging about killing Taunja Bennett. They would have to look into this. How can you absolutely know what the truth is? By 6 p.m., the examiner concluded he had direct knowledge of or was responsible for the murder of Taunja Bennett. No, no, Sosnovske cried. It was Det. Over the years, Mike Schrunks staff had earned uncommonly high regard in Portland. True to form, Pavlinac revised. Far more express understanding--Pavlinac and Sosnovske, after all, looked awfully guilty not just to the prosecutors, but to a jury and judge. Jim was 14. She also said she was able to point to the location of Bennett's body based on where the brush had been cleared away. Jesperson, he saw, had told his attorney everything right from the start. Days later, on February 5, the police received a call from Laverne wherein she claimed to have overheard John boast about killing Taunja. Hed always wanted to hang big fake dice from her hand. If Jesperson is telling the truth, he declared, heres where the purse is.. I beat her to death, raped her and loved it. Pavlinac had become obsessed with details of the crime during interrogation by police. He was living with a girlfriend, Roberta Ellis, but she was out of town driving a long-haul truck. Watch the full story on "20/20" THIS FRIDAY at 9 p.m. Was she making all this up to get rid of Sosnovske? ABCs 20/20: Happy Face Killer chronicles Taunjas gruesome death and portrays how the entire country was left shocked once Lavernes confession turned out to be false. Only occasionally does someone--as Wendell Birkland did recently--suggest that this isnt an isolated case, Laverne is not the only innocent person convicted by people of goodwill.. They visited Pavlinac that morning, Ingram explained, right after the state crime lab advised them about the fake evidence. If McIntyre harbored any doubts, they evaporated the next morning, when Corson and Ingram drove Pavlinac out to the Columbia Gorge. He was divorced, with two children. Both grumbled when McIntyre spoke to them. Pavlinac and Sosnovske's arrests for the murder thoroughly angered Keith Jesperson. She told her daughter the same exact story. He hadnt had ample time to review them, he said. His dad, a Pirates fanatic, let him and a buddy use his two bleacher tickets while he sat out in the parking lot, listening to the radio. When she recanted, Pavlinac said she falsely confessed because she was stuck in a volatile relationship with Sosnovske, desperately seeking a way out and wanting him in prison. Duo Finally Freed in Murder That They Didn'T Commit Instead, Judge Libscomb looked up from the documents. It was unusual for he and Schrunk to talk directly like this; usually they missed each other, usually they left messages. Theyd never revealed publicly that the fly area of Taunjas jeans had been cut out. These people came in believing one thing, did a complete 180, and werent afraid to say so. His people arent cowboys; his people dont charge up.. "Now, I'm thinking, 'She's confessed she's pointed out the dump site, she's confessed to us on tape. Hed heard good things, but hed also been told McIntyre was hardheaded. . Nothing had convinced him theyd made a mistake. What comes next after Texas school shooting? She was older, candid, very convincing. Mac, I know its screwy, Ingram told McIntyre when he finished his account. In November 1995, Jesperson pleaded no contest to murdering Bennett. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Just this morning, Ingram told McIntyre, theyd visited that roommate. I will say this about McIntyre and Schrunk, they were very dogged, said Phelan. Still, McIntyre couldnt help wonder: Why didnt Sosnovske just say What are you talking about, I wasnt there? First he doesnt know Taunja, then he flunks a polygraph, then he says he does know Taunja. . I'm thinking, 'My God, she is actually involved in this,'" Ingram said. Just minutes later, right in front of us. Ingram leaned toward McIntyre. Her plan was detailed, yet simple. He knew nothing about these anonymous letters, but he knew all he wanted about the Taunja Bennett murder. Sosnovske was threatening her whole family. It doesnt make sense, the defense team argued. Additionally, the show and reports mention Johns passing, but the exact date and reason behind it are still unclear. McIntyre was not in a good mood. Yet thats what he felt obliged to do. We need to report this, John.' 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. She would pop in and pop out, and over the years, She was that type of person.". Jesperson was linked to murdering six other women, some of which remain unknown to this day: an unidentified woman who Jesperson said was named "Claudia" in August 1992 near Blythe, California; Cynthia Lynn Rose in September 1992 in Turlock, California; Lori Ann Pentland in November 1992 in Salem, Oregon; an unidentified woman who Jesperson said was named "Carla" in June 1993 in Santa Nella, California; an unidentified woman who Jesperson said was named "Suzanne" in September 1994 in Crestview, Florida; and Angela Subrize in January 1995 in Laramie County, Wyoming. If nine jurors were inclined to put a grandmother on death row, what would they do with an abusive drunk? Maybe she can take us out of this. Then on May 5 theyd discovered a letter Jesperson had written to his brother on the day he was arrested. In late March, detectives had arrested Keith Jesperson, a long-haul trucker whom Winningham had been dating. After Wendell Birkland finished his elaborate seven-hour closing argument, McIntyre punched the button on his tape recorder, and once more replayed her words. Just days later, she made the first anonymous call. As she walked, she spoke over her shoulder. Hes a news hound; he loves the attention. Then his pager flashed and beeped. Hed spoken that day with certitude. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989. Sosnovskes conviction was set aside for violation of his civil rights. Nonetheless, upon leaving the sheriffs office, McIntyre drove with Det. If I killed her, I didnt mean to . McIntyre reviewed all they had. Most of all Laverne Pavlinacs confession. Julie Winningham is seen here in this undated photo. He knew that now. She was found dead just one day later, beside the Old Columbia River Highway in Portland, Oregon. After years of alleged abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, 58-year-old grandma Laverne Pavlinac had decided enough was enough. Through the parole officer, detectives discovered that the anonymous caller was likely to be John's 58-year-old girlfriend, Laverne Pavlinac. on our list, Other She found him standing outside JBs, in an adjacent truckstop parking lot, Taunja Bennetts body on the ground beside him. . In various contacts with reporters beginning in mid-September 1995, Jesperson so incessantly claimed he was the Happy Face Killer that a judge ordered him to stop talking. Not a great deal is known about Bennett's background, but the 23-year-old was first reported missing on 21st January 1990. Were going after a serial killer. Pavlinac had made the whole thing up. . What was going on here? Whered you put her?, The detectives shifted in discomfort. It is difficult to turn yourself in for murder, Jesperson told him. By then, it was clear theyd been pursuing nothing but a divorced couples bitter dispute. Mike Schrunk, as a result, no longer was just asking questions. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Phelan looked back and forth at these two prosecutors. Then, on Aug. 17, McIntyre received a state crime lab report that commanded his attention. Her conduct has been an affront to our entire criminal justice system. The cost to taxpayers has been enormous, the cost to Sosnovske incalculable. Yet to continue to imprison a factually innocent person would violate Oregons constitutional guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment. I just said it, this is close enough," she said. It wasnt, their adversaries allowed, that these prosecutors were dishonorable. She urged them to sit down; she made them a fresh pot of coffee. Four days later, Pavlinac led the detectives to the trunk of her car. I was doing what I was told. She made a pot of coffee, talked about her family. Ingram was right, Pavlinacs story did still fit the facts. Likewise, following conviction and sentencing, the prosecutor loses nearly all power to cause any verdict to be set aside.. Sometimes you end up on the wrong side., Barry Siegel is a Times national correspondent. His battles with the church arent over, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, U.N. envoy says Sudans warring sides agree to negotiate, Yellen says U.S. could hit debt ceiling as soon as June 1, U.S. says 20,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war since December, Speaker Kevin McCarthy addresses Knesset amid fraught U.S.-Israel ties, First Republic: Cheap, interest-only jumbo mortgages to Silicon Valleys elite fueled the banks failure. She talked of him being violent during sex and having a thing about knotting rope. Why else? She changed her story again, this time to say she too was involved in Bennett's death. Whoever wrote them is claiming credit for several murders. She was convicted anyway and sentenced to life in prison after jurors heard her taped confession. Some were even accurate. Punched her, slapped her. During intercourse, she said something insulting to him about getting it over with. Just like his ex-wife used to say. The last thing he needed was this call. Everyone was joining hands, everyone was singing let these people go. Sosnovske would later plead no contest to the murder charge. Report an error or add more information about this case. Well, there was a case where a woman named Laverne Pavlinac claimed she and her boyfriend, John Sosnovske, murdered another woman named Taunja Bennet in 1990. Good Piece printed in pencil. Once he tried prosecuting, he found he enjoyed it. But maybe Pavlinac and Sosnovske were also. What are these letters about?. Something about a guy whos confessing to a case we already have a conviction on. It wasnt, though. On Oct. 7, they searched the Sandy River area where Jesperson said hed scattered Bennetts purse contents. Please enable scripts and reload this page. News of Taunja's brutal death made local news, and 57-year-old Laverne Pavlinac read about its details. Why did she confess? Case tapes reveal woman's incriminating confession to involvement in I didnt plan to kill her . No, no, she insisted. I am a good person at times? he wrote. As she started to fall asleep that night, Jesperson told her that while she was gone, hed met a girl at the B&I; Tavern, brought her home, then killed her. Ive been through cases where cops make mistakes. On Oct. 14, 1995, after checking with McIntyre, Peterson ordered the Explorer Scouts back out to Sandy River. How could she possibly not be telling the truth?. She went on to say that all three were in Johns car when he suddenly punched Taunja unconscious. Before long, her claims began to implicate herself in the murder as well. It was clear: He had information only Taunja Bennetts killer could know. Did she want them to leave? Thats how she figured it out; thats how she knew. As reported by the New York Daily News, Laverne Pavlinac confessed to the murder of Taunja Bennett in January 1990. First they would hack away the blackberry bushes. You listen to those words and that emotion, he told the jurors, and you will look at Laverne Pavlinac and see the face of a murderer.. He was 40. Holding a trident, she stood bent over, with one hand cupped. Investigators installed a hidden recording device in their home hoping to catch Sosnovske making incriminating statements. I didnt murder anybody in 1990, he said. He wont be happy until I am replacing that man in Oregon State Penitentiary., Jesperson wanted the noted criminal defense attorney Gerry Spence to represent him. Yes, she overheard him at JBs Lounge, mouthing off to a man she didnt know. He talked of unbuttoning Bennetts shirt, yet shed been wearing a sweater. "I wanted to get those two people out of prison". McIntyre felt certain now: Jesperson was full of bull. She told investigators she had gone to the bar to meet Sosnovke, but Bennett was alive when she picked them up and both got in the car with her. She started offering the detectives whatever she thought they wanted, whatever would make them believe her. Schrunks office differs from most, it was said. Phelan was already there, waiting in a back conference room. That, in fact, was the widespread judgment about the entire Multnomah County district attorneys office. When the killer came forward, Sosnovske was released from prison; his conviction overturned. New '20/20' Explores How 'Happy Face Killer' Got Away with - People She did well at identifying the place where the body had been found, but failed to accurately identify places where personal items belonging to Bennett had been located. Where, for so long, hed been absolutely convinced he put the right people in jail, he now felt puzzled. November 4, 2021 Examined Impact x Nightline The Murders Before the Marathon The Ivana Trump Story: The First Wife Aggravated murder with a life sentence, 30 years minimum. Before serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, known by his nickname "Happy Face Killer," turned himself in, authorities believed they had solved the murder of his first victim Taunja Bennett. According to 20/20, Laverne Pavlinac passed away in March 2003 due to heart failure. On the other hand, John wanted to escape the death penalty and hence pleaded no contest to the charges, which saw him also being sentenced to life in prison. Phelan wouldnt do anything against his clients best interests. People glowering at you. In January 1991, a jury had convicted Laverne Pavlinac of felony homicide; two months later, her boyfriend, John Sosnovske, had pleaded no contest to the same charge. Ingram and Corson needed to meet with him, as soon as possible. As McIntyre knew, Schrunks aversion to overreaching prosecutors derived from firsthand experience. That was telling: How could she know what shape to cut? But there are conditions.. Pavlinac died in 2003, while Sosnovske died in 2013. Its an imperfect system. . I thought, 'Oh my God, it felt like I put my mother in jail.'". Thus, believing her statement to be correct, officers immediately arrested John. I had been worried about this for a long time. . Except for three on the panel, Pavlinac could have ended up on death row. Not unlike his own deal, he thought. Daily News reports 57-year-old Laverne Pavlinac confessed she and her boyfriend, 39-year-old John Sosnovske, kidnapped, attacked, and killed Pavlinac before dumping her body along the highway. Pavlinac strategically phoned the local force with details of a concerning 'conversation'. They never came up with anything, though. Laverne insisted that she tried her best to move away, but most of her efforts were unsuccessful. He was late, he was busy. For the good part of a month, prosecutors and defense attorneys, scrambling to find a solution, wandered through a legal Twilight Zone. After Keith Jesperson on Nov. 2 pleaded no contest to the murder of Taunja Bennett, drawing a life sentence, Oregon officially had two separate parties in jail for the same homicide--put there under two entirely different theories about the crime. Pavlinac had confessed to helping kill Bennett in 1990, then recanted, testifying that she had lied in an attempt to escape her abusive relationship with Sosnovske. On Jan. 10, 1990, shed again called county probation about his drinking. ., When the tape ended, McIntyre rose and pointed at Pavlinac. Were not reopening an old case. On the line, Ingram sounded baffled. They still could convict Pavlinac. Police determined these were planted. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? Sosnovskes roommate called us recently, complaining about his heavy drinking. Jesperson, also called the "Happy Face Killer", who is serving two life sentences in Oregon in connection with guilty pleas to two murders. McIntyre seethed and paced about. The emotion in Pavlinacs taped confession--that was just too genuine to be faked. I dont know what those letters are about, he told his boss. He was not skeptical about the Bennett murder case, though. The detectives looked at each other, then turned on their tape recorder. He preferred to savor triumphs, not second-guess them. This discovery at the Sandy River put Jesperson in, he told himself. . Their investigation almost hinted at Johns innocence when Laverne decided to bring another twist to her story. McIntyre looked back and forth at the two investigators, trying to judge their words. After hed retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel, hed directed public works projects for the Department of Commerce. The real killer, however, was still a free man. Truth, so elusive during an investigation, becomes fixed by a jurys verdict. Had the detectives manipulated Sosnovske with their hypothetical questions? We have the wrong people in jail, he told Schrunk. Could a journalist have fed information to Jesperson? Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Listening to Ingram, McIntyre settled into a seat, fighting a vague dread. Then they all rolled to the Salem courthouse. Although the judge vacated Johns sentence, the show mentions that he refused to overturn Lavernes conviction claiming that she had abused the system and obstructed justice which allowed the real killer to roam free. Do you believe that by pulling that rope tight that you caused the death of Taunja Ann Bennett?, Yeah, Pavlinac said. The states memo, he explained, while troubling, is not conclusive in establishing either the guilt of Keith Jesperson or the innocence of Pavlinac and Sosnovske . . You cant drop a case, he figured, just because someone writes on a bathroom wall. I have been taking it out on different people . "Her persistence in this manipulation resulted in her own conviction.". He then wrote a confession on the wall of a truck stop he was passing through, but to no avail. We have to do something, or we look like idiots. Pavlinac later changed her story, however, and said that the two of them had met Bennett at a Portland bar and that Sosnovske forced her to help him rape Bennett and dispose of the body. He also sketched a smiling face atop his first page. Now it was another prosecutors problem. I'll go to death row.'". You could tell where people had been in and out, the vehicles and everything else, limbs broke. They found Taunja Bennetts Oregon ID card., No, Im not. McIntyre waited for the pen to come out, waited for the release order to be signed. In February 1987 shed called county probation to report he was drinking. She knew because shed helped him dispose of the body. He convinced Taunja to go home with him, and that was where he committed horrific acts before dumping Bennett's body after killing her. Hardheaded, volatile, a pit bull, but honorable and conscientious--that was McIntyres professional reputation. In 1990, Laverne Pavlinac had reached her breaking point. At home, he had carpools to drive, soccer games to coach. Im sorry I turned out this way. Laverne Pavlinac - National Registry of Exonerations Who Killed Her. On Sept. 25, Phelan met in the district attorneys office with McIntyre and his second chair, Keith Meisenheimer. The first search just hadnt been done to his liking. McIntyre called his boss. She took other things from the search warrant. In 1995, Bennett's real killer revealed himself to the authorities. But in the process, she also falsely implicated herself. It was still true. The search warrant had listed those items; thats where shed gotten the idea. Pavlinac and Sosnovske were sentenced to life in prison, with both parties knowing full well they were innocent. Hed quickly switched to an English major, figuring hed go to law school and become a criminal defense attorney. She had reason to know. I think youve got the wrong people.. They werent afraid to backtrack, to look, to see if they had the right people in prison. By that time, Pavlinac replied, I didnt care if I lived or died.. As they passed where Taunjas body was found, Pavlinac pointed to almost exactly the precise spot. Getting a ride home with a dead body in the back seat? It wasnt Multnomah Countys case. Phelan agreed so quickly, it startled McIntyre. There just was no other way. She even said we could search the house, but we thought we should get a search warrant.. "I'm told to place her into a holding cell I say, 'OK, Laverne, now you need to go into that room right there,' She turned around and she looked at me and she gave me a hug. In January of 1991 she was convicted of felony murder by a jury in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Shed found a purse there that didnt belong to her. Laverne used those details as well as what she could gather from the news and concocted a story. Once you make that decision, you cant entertain the possibility of being wrong. He wanted newspapers to print his letters in full. How A False Confession Led To The 'Happy Face Killer' Name And it was a reminder that in our heads, we might have shame about something and no one really cares.". It didnt faze him, though. Riley, the detectives soon learned, was clean as a whistle. Jims favorite story about him concerned the seventh game of the 1971 World Series, Pittsburgh at Baltimore. Others involved practical limitations--it was hard to imagine Sosnovske, a frail drunk with bad knees, carrying a dead body down a steep embankment. Sosnovske commanded Pavlinac to drive to the Vista House monument, overlooking the gorge. He described Bennetts underwear and shirt incorrectly. In 1990, when authorities were trying to solve Bennett's murder, Pavlinac came forward with a story implicating her boyfriend at the time, Sosnovske, in the crime. Hes seen police reports, he wants 60 Minutes, he wants Gerry Spence. He sat down on his bed and picked up a phone. Saying he took this girl into the gorge and strangled her. After Pavlinac confessed to investigators, her daughter said she got a call from the detectives asking her to come to her mother's house right away. In January 1991, a jury had convicted Laverne Pavlinac of felony homicide; two months later, her boyfriend, John Sosnovske, had pleaded no contest to the same charge. Little by little, they admit more. Nor did the state crime lab; fingerprints lifted off the Happy Face letters didnt match any existing records. I'llgo to the pen. According to Pavlinacs account, the murder happened at the Burns Brother Truckstop, which is in Washington County, not Multnomah. Before him, a jumble of letters and documents spilled across his desk. This is just another case, he insisted. Both were convicted of the crime but were released five . He didnt mind such job requirements; he felt suited for his position. As the initial investigation was relatively slow, the police decided to make the details of the case public, hoping for a tip or lead. For various reasons, his ex-wife couldnt function correctly; all involved in the settlement conference had recommended he take the kids. A relative, or a friend of a friend. Sometimes he thought he should have been a Jesuit. The informant turned out to be Sosnovske's girlfriend, 58 year old Laverne Pavlinac. For the most accurate data, please search on the Detailed View page. Corson finally interrupted. Jim McIntyre winced, for hed heard this song before. Once more, a person seemingly had details only the killer could know. In late March 1991, Sosnovske, looking bewildered, pleaded no contest to a charge of felony murder. He still felt that way a week after Pavlinacs trial, when authorities discovered a second message scrawled on a restroom wall in Umatilla, Ore. Killed Tanya Bennett in Portland, this one read. At the trial, McIntyre had gone up against Wendell Birkland, one of Oregons top criminal defense attorneys. He had dozens of other matters pressing; a senior prosecutor with three small kids had no time to squander. Tell me Mac, Schrunks voice was asking. 10 Laverne Pavlinac Breaking up with someone can be tough, but there aren't too many people that feel the need to falsely confess to a murder to get out of a relationship. They sat down across from each other. Evidence Clears Two. The Law Doesn't. - The New York Times Judge Paul Lipscomb of the Circuit Court of Oregon agreed to vacate Sosnovske's sentence after ruling his no-contest plea violated his constitutional rights because it had not been voluntary since he was facing the death penalty. Not only did they have an airtight eyewitness, not only was Sosnovske already in jail--he was in another countys jail. McIntyre grew animated. Much doubt still remains. Besides, under our rule of law, a jury verdict . She recanted her confession and said that she had made it up to escape from Sosnovske. Peterson to the site on the Sandy River where Jesperson said he threw Bennetts purse. I feel like its my fault . Once more, a person was claiming to have killed Taunja Bennett. That took precedence for McIntyre. Before the return of a jurys verdict, a district attorney has almost complete discretion over how and whether to prosecute a criminal case. McIntyre, reeling, had to admit: Here was the key, here was evidence that put Jesperson in while taking Pavlinac and Sosnovske out. No longer was this a case for the Multnomah County district attorney. Sometimes Jesperson got details right, often he did not. Who was this guy Jesperson? He ordered McIntyre to give him daily briefings; he appealed for results; he told reporters, I dont want our office to do wrong. She'd been brutally beaten and sexually assaulted before the culprit strangled her to death. She made it all up, she said, to escape Sosnovske. By late afternoon, Corson and Ingram were rolling to the lumber mill where Sosnovske worked as a sawyer.