'Happy Face' killer warns fellow serial killer Rex Heuermann could be 'tossed to the wolves' in prison

Keith Jesperson, the "Happy Face" serial slayer who has been trading situation letters with Gilgo Beach slayer Rex Heuermann, is informing that the hulking erstwhile designer could look a world cheque erstwhile he's shipped upstate this month.

"The occupation with Rex is his size — helium thinks situation volition beryllium a barroom locomotion due to the fact that of however large his ego is," Jesperson, 71, wrote successful a substance connection to podcaster Keith Rovere. "[I] had to archer him the small guys enactment retired too, to bushed up america large guys. He volition person immoderate fights, adjacent successful protective custody."

The connection was shared with Fox News Digital. In it, Jesperson warned that Heuermann, 62, mightiness adjacent beryllium "tossed to the wolves" by situation guards astatine immoderate point.

"Keith is astir 7 feet tall, and helium took a mates beatings," Rovere told Fox News Digital Thursday. "It's a numbers crippled successful prison, nary substance however large you are."

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Rex Heuermann successful his latest mugshot, dated July 25, 2025 astatine the Suffolk County Jail successful Riverhead, New York. (Suffolk County Sheriff's Office)

Heuermann remains successful custody astatine the Suffolk County Jail successful Riverhead, New York. He volition beryllium moved to a authorities situation aft his ceremonial sentencing connected June 17.

When asked if helium thinks Heuermann whitethorn person much victims, Jesperson, who admitted to sidesplitting 8 himself, declined to answer.

"What l deliberation isn't important," helium wrote successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "We conscionable person to hold and spot connected the 17th."

Dubbed the "Happy Face Killer" for drawings helium included successful letters to the media, Jesperson said he'd rekindled a correspondence with Heuermann aft the second pleaded guilty, thing Jesperson had urged him to bash for years.

"He fundamentally has told maine convey you for letting him cognize astir the process successful the strategy dealing with [serial killer] cases," Jesperson told Fox News Digital.

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Rex A. Heuermann pleads blameworthy to murdering 7 women and admits to an eighth sidesplitting during a proceeding successful Suffolk County Court successful Riverhead, N.Y., connected April 8, 2026. (James Carbone/Newsday via Pool)

Writing from a situation successful Oregon, Jesperson said Heuermann would've had thing to summation by taking his lawsuit to proceedings fixed the grounds against him — which includes transferred hairsbreadth DNA from his then-wife and girl connected immoderate of the victims.

Heuermann's ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, said done her lawyer Thursday that she would not beryllium attending his sentencing.

"Ms. Ellerup believes this time should beryllium centered connected the victims, their families, and the profound interaction these crimes person had connected their lives," her attorney, Bob Macedonio, told Fox News Digital. "Out of respect for those who person endured unimaginable nonaccomplishment and suffering, she does not privation her beingness to distract from the intent of these proceedings. Her thoughts stay with the victims and their loved ones arsenic they proceed their pursuit of justice, healing, and closure."

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney has said investigators bash not judge the household was progressive successful Heuermann's crimes.

"Probably wherefore helium pleaded blameworthy and debar the trials," Jesperson wrote. "Told him thing to summation successful the trials and everything to lose. Suggested him not to marque a connection to the tribunal astatine sentencing; however, his lawyers mightiness beryllium pushing him to."

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Keith Jesperson stands successful tribunal successful Vancouver, Wash., arsenic Don Findlay, lad of execution unfortunate Julie Ann Winningham, addresses him earlier sentencing connected Dec. 19, 1995. Jesperson, known arsenic the "Happy Face Killer," was sentenced to the maximum 34 years aft already receiving 2 beingness presumption successful Oregon for different murders. (Jeremiah Coughlan/The Columbian/AP)

Jesperson archetypal reached retired to Heuermann wrong a week of his apprehension successful July 2023. Since then, he's sent astir 40 much letters, according to a root adjacent to the family.

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"Rex, successful New York, has had my letters telling him to woody retired to amended his placement inside," Jesperson told Fox News Digital successful January. "Yet helium is letting it play out."

Early on, Heuermann responded conscionable erstwhile successful a handwritten enactment that was aboriginal shared with Fox News Digital, but Jesperson present says helium has received much replies aft changing his plea successful April.

Keith Jesperson appears successful a Clark County Sheriff's bureau booking photo. Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk asked a Salem, Ore., justice connected Oct. 26, 1995, to bid the contiguous merchandise of 2 radical convicted of murdering a Portland, Ore., woman, citing Jesperson's confession arsenic grounds they were wrongfully accused. (AP Photo)

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Jesperson archetypal shared Heuermann's archetypal reply with "The Lighter Side of True Crime" podcast big Rovere, who provided a transcript to Fox News Digital. In it, Heuermann complained astir jailhouse nutrient and workout conditions and fretted that guards mightiness beryllium speechmaking his mail.

Heuermann's lawyer Mike Brown had attempted to person groundbreaking DNA grounds obtained from rootless hairsbreadth samples thrown out. Shortly aft the justice denied his motions and scheduled the proceedings for September, Heuermann changed his plea and admitted to the killings astatine a proceeding connected April 8.

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He had been charged with 7 murders and agreed to confess to an uncharged eighth arsenic portion of the plea deal.

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Suffolk County constabulary usage a ditcher to hunt done the marsh successful the Oak Beach assemblage of Babylon, N.Y., conscionable eastbound of Gilgo Beach, aft items belonging to Shannan Gilbert were recovered connected Dec. 7, 2011. (James Carbone/Newsday)

Heuermann is expected to person aggregate consecutive sentences of beingness successful prison, astatine slightest 3 without the anticipation of parole, astatine his sentencing proceeding Wednesday.

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Heuermann, a New York City designer who lived successful Massapequa Park connected Long Island, has pleaded blameworthy to the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla and Valerie Mack. He besides took work for the uncharged execution of Karen Vergata.  

All of the victims were tortured and strangled, according to prosecutors. Some were dismembered.

Rex Heuermann's victims: Sandra Costilla, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Valerie Mack, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Karen Vergata. (Insets: Suffolk County Police Department, Background: Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

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As portion of the plea deal, helium agreed to enactment with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit and let national experts to survey his murderous psychology.

The Gilgo Beach murders were exposed successful 2010 aft a pistillate named Shannan Gilbert went missing successful the area, astir 45 miles eastbound of New York City on the sparsely populated Ocean Parkway.

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While Suffolk County constabulary yet deemed Gilbert's decease an accident, they recovered 10 different sets of remains earlier they recovered hers, including respective of Heuermann's victims.

He wasn't identified arsenic a fishy until caller enactment successful Suffolk County created a task unit to instrumentality a caller look astatine the acold lawsuit successful 2022. Investigators besides linked him to remains recovered successful eastbound Long Island.