Happy Face Killer Keith Jesperson appears to have a new mugshot that makes him look like a creepy old man. If you don't know who he is, Jesperson is serving life for murder but technically was never convicted of rape despite admitting to raping his victims. At first, his paperwork looks like multiple murders and murder isn't considered a bad charge in prison like rape or other sex crimes are. That is why it is always important to read a guy's documents beyond just what he has been convicted of when checking paperwork. At least now his shriveling tattoo-less face features eyeglasses that would go well with a pastor's vestments, so people should be naturally suspicious from now on. Definitely not the look of guys you typically see in prison unless they're in there for really messed up stuff.
HOW DOES JESPERSON DO HIS TIME?
The recent Paramount+ show Happy Face depicts Jesperson as comingling with other inmates like a general population inmate. This author would be unpleasantly surprised but not shocked if he were in fact in general population at the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP). This is because when I was in federal prison, I heard that in the Oregon system unlike the feds, sex offenders can stay in general population if they pay a gang protection money called "rent" which makes the inmate paying rent their "punk." When I was a pretrial detainee in the federal system a little over a decade ago I heard a story about Jesperson getting beat up in general population whenever shows about his case come on. This probably leads to a gang telling whoever does it to leave him alone or they might even discipline the guy with a slight beating. That means Jesperson probably started paying rent to a white supremacist prison gang back in the 90s and is able to continue paying it thanks to people like his fans buying his ****** drawings. Cut off his funds somehow and they would start treating him more like we treat sexers in the federal system.
In the video below this article you can see that he used colored pencils to create his artwork. Colored pencils usually are not allowed in special housing units (SHUs) but getting contraband back there is easy, so just because he is supposed to be in general population to use those doesn't mean that he is. However, if the SHU at OSP is anything like the SHUs in the feds then Jesperson as an admitted rapist should have nothing coming from anybody. He should also have a horrible time sending out mail larger than a small envelope. Technically, he has the right to send out stuff of all sizes but SHU staff typically ignore people all the time.
In the federal system, Jesperson would have a green light on him. The second any of the Oregon guys recognized him, someone would take off on him right then or someones would get together and plan a way to take him out off camera. When this author was in a high security federal penitentiary, there were few rapists stupid or suicidal enough to enter general population because they knew what would happen. One day I heard that a rapo had been found floating under the radar and not soon after someone was in the hole for stabbing him. That is how sex offender management works in the feds.
WHY ISN'T JESPERSON IN FEDERAL PRISON?
Keith Jesperson crossed state lines before committing murder at least 4 times only counting the times he left Oregon, but was only charged in state courts. The feds probably avoided the case because they were confident in the states getting the convictions they wanted without the need for federal resources. He pled guilty to all the murders eventually and was sentenced to 5 life sentences in Oregon. There is no indication that the feds are considering taking up this matter. However, the feds will always be able to go after him due to duel sovereignty and the federal statutes lacking a statute of limitations for murder, but they still would need to establish a nexus between the killings themselves and interstate commerce.
Traveling from one state to another alone does not establish federal jurisdiction. However, if one can prove that someone crossed state lines with the intent to commit a crime that might be enough to establish federal jurisdiction. One would have to prove that on some occasion Jesperson left Oregon with the intent to kill at some point while in the other state. The problem for prosecutors would be disproving defense claims that he happened to be out of the state on work at the time and didn't leave with the intent to kill but rather the killing just happened. That could be enough to get a federal case dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. That would be publicly embarrassing for federal prosecutors especially given the high profile nature of the case.
His job as an interstate truck driver doesn't change this analysis. His lawyers would likely argue that while he did leave the state with the intent of engaging in interstate commerce that was it. They would just say that the murders were unplanned spontaneous actions that he didn't know he would do before leaving the state in interstate commerce. One might consider a dual purpose theory accusing him of leaving the state with the intent of engaging both murder and interstate commerce or while using interstate commerce as a cover, but those ideas are better suited for a lawyer.
Of course, if Jesperson were convicted in federal court and moved to federal prison, people could rest easier knowing that he won't be able to walk in general population at all unless he is sent to one of just a few protective custody penitentiaries in the country. Even those places have cell phone jamming towers that make it impossible for anyone to use a cellphone withing a couple miles of the place.
CONCLUSION
The boys up state need to get their act together. Serial killer rapists don't deserve to be in general population.