John Sosnovske

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Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	4
Year Crime:
Year Convicted:	1991
Year Cleared:	1995
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Oregon
County or Region of Crime:	Multnomah
City of Crime:
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"John Sosnovske was codefendant of his then girlfriend Laverne Pavlinac. Sosnovske falsely pled no contest to avoid being given the death penalty if convicted, after Pavlinac falsely confessed that the two of them strangled and disposed of the body of Taunja Bennett. She retracted her confession, claiming she made it to escape an abusive relationship with Sosnovske, but she was convicted after a trial - putting the onerous on Sosnovske to falsely plead no contest. Pavlinac and Sosnovske's false convictions were overturned when Keith Hunter Jesperson, known as the 'Happy Face Killer' for drawing smiley faces on letters taking credit for murders he committed, confessed to killing Bennett and gave details that could only be known by the killer. The FBI administered lie detector tests that indicated Jasperson was telling the truth he was the killer and that Sosnovske was telling the truth she was innocent. Four weeks after Jesperson's conviction of murdering Bennett, Judge Paul Lipscomb threw out Sosnovske's convictions, saying: "There's no longer any doubt that these two individuals are innocent. The evidence is compelling." (ICFFP, Chicago Tribune)"
Conviction Caused By:	"Falsely pled no contest to avoid being given the death penalty after a trial, after Pavlinace falsely confessed to Bennett's murder."
Innocence Proved By:	Confession and conviction of actual killer.
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	38
Age When Released:	42
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	""Innocent Couple Free From Prison: 'Happy Face Killer' Convicted of Murder," (AP) Chicago Tribune, Nov. 28, 1995. "
Information Location 1:	http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~critcrim/wrong/wrong.wash
Information Source 2:	""Keith Hunter Jasperson: The Happy Face Killer, The Crime Library"
Information Location 2:	http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial7/jesperson/7.htm
Information Source 3:	""The Consequences of False Confessions, Richard Ofshe"
Information Location 3:	http://www.wm3.org/html/ofshe/ofshe1_a1.html
Information Source 4:
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Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:
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John Sosnovske

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

4

Year Crime:

Year Convicted:

1991

Year Cleared:

1995

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Oregon

County or Region of Crime:

Multnomah

City of Crime:

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

"Falsely pled no contest to avoid being given the death penalty after a trial, after Pavlinace falsely confessed to Bennett's murder."

Innocence Proved By:

Confession and conviction of actual killer.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

38

Age When Released:

42

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

""Innocent Couple Free From Prison: 'Happy Face Killer' Convicted of Murder," (AP) Chicago Tribune, Nov. 28, 1995. "

Information Location 1:

http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~critcrim/wrong/wrong.wash

Information Source 2:

""Keith Hunter Jasperson: The Happy Face Killer, The Crime Library"

Information Location 2:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial7/jesperson/7.htm

Information Source 3:

""The Consequences of False Confessions, Richard Ofshe"

Information Location 3:

http://www.wm3.org/html/ofshe/ofshe1_a1.html

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: