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I: The Creation of a Serial Killer
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I: The Creation of a Serial Killer Hardcover - 2002

by Jack Olsen

Armed with full access to one of the most sadistic serial murderers in American history, an acclaimed crime journalist reveals the inner thoughts of a psychotic killer in this inside story of Keith Hunter Jesperson, Oregon's "Happy Face Killer, " who strangled eight innocent women in the 1990s. 8-page photo insert.


From the publisher

Prize-winning journalist Jack Olsen, armed with unprecedented access to one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a murderer in the killer's own words . . . In February 1990, Oregon State Police arrested John Sosnovke and Laverne Pavlinac for the vicious rape and murder of Taunja Bennet, a troubled 23-year-old barfly who had suffered mild retardation since birth. Pavlinac had come forth and confessed, implicating her boyfriend and producing physical evidence that linked them to the crime. Authorities closed the case. There was just one problem. They had the wrong people. And the real killer wasn't about to let anyone take credit for his kill. Keith Hunter Jesperson was a long haul truck driver and the murderer of eight women, including Taunja Bennet. As the case wound through police precincts and courts--ending in life sentences for both Sosnovke and Pavlinac--Jesperson began a twisted one man campaign to win their release. To the editors of newspapers and on the walls of highway rest stops, Jesperson scribbled out a series of taunting confessions: I killed Tanya Bennett . . . I beat her to death, raped her and loved it. Yes I'm sick, but I enjoy myself too. People took the blame and I'm free . . ..Look over your shoulder. I may be closer than you think. At the end of each confession, Jesperson drew a happy face, earning for himself the grisly sobriquet The Happy Face Killer. Based on access to interviews, diaries, court records, and the criminal himself, I: The Creation of a Serial Killer is Jesperson's chilling story. It chronicles his evolution from angry child to sociopathic murderer, from tormentor of animals to torturer of women. It is also the story of the fate that befell him after two innocent citizens were imprisoned four years for one of his killings. Edgar Award winner Jack Olsen lets the killer to tell his story in his own words, offering unprecedented insight into the twisted thought process of a serial murderer. Olsen takes his readers along on Jesperson's vicious cross-country killing spree, letting him describe how he played his death game with eight innocent victims and how he finally came to grips with the fate he deserved. I: The Creation of a Serial Killer is one of the most revealing and insightful pieces of crime reporting ever published.

First line

It was the kind of day that always got me down-windy, gray, boring.

Details

  • Title I: The Creation of a Serial Killer
  • Author Jack Olsen
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition Book Club (BCE/B
  • Pages 352
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher St. Martins Press-3PL, New York
  • Date 2002-08-20
  • Features Dust Cover, Index
  • ISBN 9780312241988 / 0312241984
  • Weight 1.3 lbs (0.59 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.4 in (21.84 x 14.99 x 3.56 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: Western U.S.
  • Library of Congress subjects Autobiographies, Jesperson, Keith Hunter
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2001058892
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 06/01/2002, Page 1643
  • Kirkus Reviews, 05/15/2002, Page 720
  • Library Journal, 07/15/2002, Page 0
  • Publishers Weekly, 06/17/2002, Page 53

About the author

Jack Olsen is the award-winning author of Son, Doc, Hastened To The Grave and other highly acclaimed works of non-fiction. The Philadelphia Inquirer called himan American treasure. His work has been cited in the New York Times Notable Books of the Year.

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