Featured Image Credit: Public Domain/@lifeafterhappyface/TikTok
Topics: TikTok, Social Media, Viral
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: TikTok, Social Media, Viral
People have rallied in support of a daughter of a serial killer after she revealed one of the letters her father sent her from prison.
In the wake of eye-opening - but also horrifying - series such as Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story coming to streaming services like Netflix, people have been given deeper insights into how serial killer's actions have affected members of their own family.
Melissa Moore, the daughter of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, has created a TikTok account to open up about her experiences as a relative of a murderer.
Prepare to be chilled to the bone:
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Jesperson, who is reported as growing up with an obsession with torturing and killing animals, is currently serving multiple consecutive life sentences without parole at Oregon State Penitentiary.
The 67-year-old mostly targeted sex workers he didn't know.
While he claims he murdered as many as 185 people, only eight murders have been confirmed.
As a result of drawing smiley faces on confession letters to the police and media, Jesperson became known as the 'Happy Face Killer'.
Melissa Moore - who is one of three of Jesperson's children and was 15 years old when he was arrested and charged in 1995 - has since spoken out about her father's crimes continue to affect her and revealed the extent of their communication via her TikTok account (@lifeafterhappyface).
On 29 September, 2022, Moore uploaded a picture of one of her father's letters to her.
After her father had somehow found out Melissa had married in July, she received a letter from him addressed to her and her partner Steve.
The letter contained a picture of Melissa and Steve from their wedding and Jesperson called the couple 'fat'.
Jesperson questioned why the pair don't run, added that maybe this marriage 'will work' and asked why he wasn't invited to the big day.
The letter concludes: "Remember most of all daughter, I never stopped loving you."
Melissa believes that her father has access to her Instagram 'behind bars' which would explain the picture.
The video has amassed over eight million views, and users have since rained in on the comments in sympathy for Melissa.
One said: "It angered him to see YOU free and happy while he is neither."
"Why wasn’t iinvited?' Does he forget where he is right now or what?" another wrote.
A third said: "Congratulations on your marriage! U guys look beautiful and so happy. Best wishes to you both!"
Other users gave advice around how Jesperson has access to social media from prison and what Melissa can do about it.
One claimed: "They have kiosks in prison they can see social media with."
"I worked in a prison for nine years. You need to contact someone in the Administration office and let them know it sounds like to me he has a cell phone," another advised.
A final suggested: "He probably doesn’t have access to Instagram. He has a lot of people riding him fan mail. One of them probably sent that to him."
As well as receiving a letter from her serial killer father, Melissa also revealed a package was delivered to her before Christmas last year which contained 'a purse that [Jesperson's] inmate friend from prison made'.
In the comments section, Melissa clarified that she never replies to her father's letters.
UNILAD has contacted Melissa for comment.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
You can also call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 at the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline.