(NewsNation) — Bryan Kohberger has an unexpected ally in the form of serial killer Keith Jesperson, also known as the “Happy Face Killer.”
Jesperson shared on “The Lighter Side of True Crime” that he thinks Kohberger’s best option would be to move to the Oregon State Penitentiary, where Jesperson himself is serving a life sentence. Kohberger is currently in Idaho’s maximum-security prison, serving four life terms.
“Kohberger’s ideal move is to relocate to Oregon and serve his time there,” Jesperson mentioned to the podcast. “… It would be a suitable environment for him to settle into.”
Jesperson believes Kohberger’s crimes and his reported quirks will make Kohberger a target, and perhaps worse.
“He will encounter challenges, don’t get me wrong,” Jesperson admitted about Kohberger adapting to Oregon. “However, the difficulties he might face in Idaho could be harsher.”
Bryan Kohberger transfer ‘unlikely’: Keith Rovere
Keith Rovere, the host of “The Lighter Side of True Crime with Keith Rovere,” appeared on “Banfield” on Wednesday to talk about his conversation with Jesperson.
While noting prison transfers “happen more than you think,” he said it would be “very difficult” for Kohberger to be moved.
Rovere revealed to NewsNation that he believes Jesperson has already sent a letter to Idaho’s supermax facility and plans to write to Kohberger, following his habit of reaching out to infamous criminals like Charles Manson and Rex Heuermann.
Kohberger is “going to have a hard time” in prison for killing women in the fashion he did, according to Rovere.
“His intense stare is unwavering, even during the victim impact statements. It’s a fixed gaze that could present issues,” Rovere added.
Who is the ‘Happy Face Killer’?
Jesperson was convicted of killing eight women, earning his nickname by drawing smiling faces on many of his letters to the media and authorities before being arrested in 1995.
He claimed he killed as many as 160 people while working as a trucker, but only eight victims were confirmed.
Although Jesperson committed his killings in the 1990s, some of his victims have only recently been identified. A woman he called “Carla” or “Cindy,” who was killed in 1993, was identified as Patricia Skiple in 2022, and a woman he referred to only as “Suzanne,” killed in 1994, was identified as Suzanne L. Kjellenberg in 2023.
Jesperson is known to write to various public figures and has sent notes and art to NewsNation’s own Ashleigh Banfield and Laura Ingle.
Bryan Kohberger’s new home
Kohberger was transferred from the Ada County Jail to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution after receiving four life sentences for fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in 2022.
Kohberger will likely be held in long-term, restricted housing and what’s known as closed and protective custody. This type of housing is meant for prisoners who could be injured by inmates in the general population or who could hurt others.
Those inmates spend 23 hours a day inside their cells, with food and water fed through doors into their cells. When Entin was in the cellblock, he saw inmates engaging in a practice called “fishing,” which involves using strings from blankets or T-shirts to send notes under their doors.
NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.
