A suspect linked to multiple homicides of women whose remains were discovered in the Portland, Oregon region faced his fifth murder charge during a Wednesday court appearance.
Jesse Calhoun’s legal representative entered a plea of not guilty during the Portland hearing, which was attended by relatives of the victims. Calhoun did not speak during the proceedings, which followed his indictment the previous week on the latest second-degree murder charge related to the 2023 death of Ashley Real, 22.
The defendant now faces five second-degree murder charges for five victims, plus four charges for abuse of a corpse. The discovery of the victims’ remains over several months in early 2023 raised fears that a serial killer was targeting young women in the area.
Previous indictments connected Calhoun to the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32.
Calhoun continues to be held at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His legal team did not immediately return requests for comment.
The bodies of Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were discovered in northwestern Oregon, while Speaks was located near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. All remains were found within approximately 100 miles of each other, including in forested locations and in a culvert.
Ashley Real’s father, Jose Real, became emotional while addressing reporters following the court session. He shared memories of watching his daughter mature and spending time with her sibling.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” he stated through a Spanish interpreter. “She had a heart of gold.”
Ashley’s sister, Masciell Real, also spoke through tears.
“I think being in that courtroom today and being able to see him, and know that he is behind bars now, it takes the weight off my shoulders knowing that he isn’t around and free to cause any harm to any other women out there,” she said. “But it also doesn’t take away the fact that my sister isn’t here anymore.”
Family members of other victims also attended the hearing.
“We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you, and it’s incredibly hard to see one of the other families hurt the way we do,” said Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith.
Jose Real had previously informed The Associated Press that he contacted authorities in November 2022 after his daughter arrived at his Portland residence in distress, claiming Calhoun had strangled her. She bore throat injuries, he reported, and he transported her to a medical facility.
Real explained that while an initial police report was filed, the case was subsequently transferred to another jurisdiction, making it challenging to communicate with those handling the investigation. The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported details of the assault.
His daughter’s remains were discovered in May 2023 by someone fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.
Calhoun’s arrest occurred in June 2023 on separate parole violations, followed by indictments in 2024 and 2025 for the other four women’s deaths. The first indictment came shortly before Calhoun’s scheduled release from state prison, where he had been returned in 2023 to complete a four-year sentence for assaulting a police officer, attempting to strangle a police dog, burglary and other offenses.
He had been released early in 2021, one year ahead of schedule, due to his participation in wildfire suppression efforts in 2020 through a prison firefighting program. Gov. Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him in connection with the deaths.
A trial date has not been scheduled.
