(NewsNation) — Bryan Kohberger has an unexpected ally in the form of serial killer Keith Jesperson, also known as the “Happy Face Killer.”
In an interview with “The Lighter Side of True Crime,” Jesperson suggested that Kohberger’s “best option” would be to move to the Oregon State Penitentiary, the same facility where Jesperson is serving a life sentence. Kohberger is presently incarcerated under four life terms at Idaho’s maximum security prison for the 2022 fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students.
“[The] best bet for Kohberger is to come to Oregon and spend his time here,” Jesperson told the podcast. “… This would be a great place for him to fall into.”
Jesperson believes Kohberger’s crimes and his reported quirks will make Kohberger a target, and perhaps worse.
“He’s going to have some problems, don’t get me wrong here,” Jesperson said of Kohberger settling in Oregon. “But, he’s not gonna be facing the hardships he probably would in Idaho.”
Bryan Kohberger transfer ‘unlikely’: Keith Rovere
Keith Rovere, host of “The Lighter Side of True Crime with Keith Rovere,” joined “Banfield” on Wednesday night to discuss his interview with Jesperson.
While noting prison transfers “happen more than you think,” he said it would be “very difficult” for Kohberger to be moved.
Rovere told NewsNation he believes Jesperson has already written a letter to the Idaho supermax prison and will be writing a letter to Kohberger after doing the same with other notorious murderers such as 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.
“You can’t stare down people … his [stare] is dead set straight on, even during the victim impact statement, you can see him just dead on. That’s going to be a problem,” 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 Ashleigh Banfield and Laura Ingle.
Kohberger’s new home
Kohberger was transferred from Ada County Jail to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution after receiving four life sentences for the University of Idaho stabbings.
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 NewsNation’s Brian Entin visited the cellblock, he observed inmates engaging in a practice known as “fishing,” which involves using strings from blankets or T-shirts to send notes under their doors.
NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.
