A man facing charges of killing multiple women and disposing of their bodies in the Portland area appeared in court on Wednesday. Jesse Calhoun was arraigned on a fifth murder charge. His attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf during the session, which was attended by victims’ family members. Calhoun was previously indicted for four other murders.
Calhoun faces five counts of second-degree murder for five women, along with four charges of abusing a corpse. The victims were discovered over several months in 2023, raising concerns of a potential serial killer targeting young women in the area. Calhoun had earlier been indicted for the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32.
The bodies of Real, Perry, Webster, and Smith were found in northwestern Oregon. Speaks’ body was discovered near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. The sites where the bodies were found spanned a 100-mile radius, including wooded areas and a culvert.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” said Ashley Real’s father, Jose Real, speaking through a translator.
Real’s father, Jose, had alerted police in November 2022 after Ashley came home with marked neck injuries. She alleged that Calhoun was responsible. Although a police report was filed and she was taken to a hospital, the investigation faced challenges due to jurisdictional changes. Ashley’s body was eventually found in May 2023 near a pond southeast of Portland by a fisherman.
Calhoun was apprehended in June 2023 on unrelated parole violations. Indictments for the murders followed in 2024 and 2025. His arrest occurred shortly before his anticipated release from prison, where he was serving time for assaulting a police officer, attempting to strangle a police dog, burglary, and other offenses. Initially released early in 2021 for participating in a prison firefighting program, his commutation was revoked by Governor Tina Kotek in 2023 amid the murder investigations.
No trial date has been determined. Calhoun remains held at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His legal team has not commented.
After the hearing, Ashley’s father, Jose, and her sister, Masciell, expressed their emotions publicly. Jose, speaking through tears, was relieved a suspect had been identified for his daughter’s death. Masciell conveyed the deep loss felt without her sister.
Family members of the other victims also attended the arraignment. Diana Allen, Charity Perry’s mother, spoke of her conflicting emotions on seeing Calhoun in court. She expressed solidarity with the other grieving families.
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