Oregon Man Indicted in Fifth Killing as Victims’ Families Demand Justice After Bodies Found Across Two States
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man accused of killing multiple women and discarding their bodies across the Portland metropolitan area was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge, as grieving families packed a Multnomah County courtroom. Jesse Calhoun’s defense attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf, with Calhoun remaining silent throughout the proceeding.
The latest indictment, handed down last week, accuses Calhoun of second-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Ashley Real, whose body was discovered in May 2023 by a fisherman at a pond southeast of Portland. Calhoun now faces five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of abuse of a corpse, spanning victims whose remains were found over a roughly 100-mile (160-kilometer) radius including wooded areas in northwestern Oregon and an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington.
The case initially sparked fears of a serial killer targeting young women when the bodies of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32 were discovered over several months in early 2023. Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole violations, but it took prosecutors more than a year to file the first murder charges — a delay that prosecutors attributed to the complexity of forensic evidence and the need to link multiple crime scenes.
The hearings have become an emotional crucible for victims’ families. Ashley Real’s father, Jose Real, wept as he recalled his daughter’s childhood through a Spanish interpreter. “She had a heart of gold,” he said. “I never thought my family would experience something like this.” Ashley’s sister, Masciell Real, said seeing Calhoun behind bars brought some relief but acknowledged, “It doesn’t take away the fact that my sister isn’t here anymore.” Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith, noted the shared trauma among families: “We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you.”
The case is also drawing scrutiny to Oregon’s criminal justice system, particularly the early-release program that allowed Calhoun to leave prison in 2021 — a year ahead of schedule — after he helped fight wildfires in 2020 as part of a state inmate firefighting crew. Calhoun had been sentenced to four years for assaulting a police officer, attempting to strangle a police dog, burglary, and other offenses. After police began investigating the murders in 2023, Governor Tina Kotek revoked the commutation, but critics argue the decision came far too late.
Court records show Jose Real had called police in November 2022, months before his daughter’s body was found, to report that Calhoun had choked her. Real said an initial report was taken but the case was transferred to another jurisdiction and became difficult to track. The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported details of that prior attack.
Calhoun remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. No trial date has been set as the case continues to move through the courts. His defense attorneys declined to comment.