Oregon Man Arraigned on Fifth Murder Charge in Portland-Area Serial Killings

Jesse Calhoun entered a not-guilty plea Wednesday on a fifth second-degree murder charge in Portland. He is accused of killing five women whose bodies were dumped across the Pacific Northwest.

Fifth Murder Charge Filed Against Portland Suspect in Women's Deaths

Jesse Calhoun, the Portland-area man accused of killing several women and dumping their bodies across the Pacific Northwest, was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge, ABC News US reports. His defense attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf in a Portland courtroom where family members of the victims were present. Calhoun remained silent throughout the hearing.

The arraignment followed a grand jury indictment last week on a second-degree murder charge in the 2023 death of Ashley Real, 22. Calhoun now faces five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of abuse of a corpse.

The four other victims previously named in indictments are Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32. Their bodies were discovered over several months in early 2023, prompting concern at the time that a serial killer was targeting young women in the region.

Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were found in northwestern Oregon. Speaks was found near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. The bodies were recovered within a roughly 100-mile (160-kilometer) radius, including in wooded areas and in a culvert.

Ashley Real's body was found in May 2023 by a man fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.

Calhoun is being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His defense attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. No trial date has been set.

Victims' Families Speak Outside Court

Jose Real, Ashley's father, was in tears as he addressed reporters after the hearing. He recalled watching his daughter grow up and play with her brother.

"I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this," he said 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."

Melissa Smith, mother of victim Kristin Smith, addressed the shared grief among the families present.

"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," she said.

Prior Warning Signs and Arrest History

Jose Real previously told The Associated Press that he had contacted police in November 2022 after his daughter arrived at his Portland home in distress, saying Calhoun had choked her. She had marks on her throat, and Real took her to a hospital. An initial police report was filed, but the case was transferred to a different jurisdiction, making it difficult for the family to track its progress. Details of the incident were first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants. He was subsequently indicted in 2024 and 2025 in the deaths of the other four women. That first indictment came just weeks before he had been scheduled for release from state prison, where he was serving a four-year sentence for assaulting a police officer, attempting to strangle a police dog, burglary and other offenses.

Calhoun had been released a year early in 2021 after participating in a prison firefighting program during the 2020 wildfire season. Gov. Tina Kotek revoked that commutation in 2023 once police began investigating him in connection with the deaths.

Source: ABC News US