Daijiworld Media Network – Portland
Portland, Jun 4: A man accused of killing multiple women and dumping their bodies across the Portland area has been arraigned on a fifth murder charge, deepening a case that had previously sparked fears of a serial killer targeting young women in the region.
Jesse Calhoun appeared in a Portland courtroom on Wednesday, where his defence attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Calhoun remained silent during the proceedings, which were attended by family members of several victims.
The latest charge relates to the 2023 death of Ashley Real, 22. A grand jury last week indicted Calhoun on a second-degree murder charge in connection with her death.
Calhoun now faces five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of abuse of a corpse. He has previously been charged in the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22, Charity Perry, 24, Bridget Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, 32.
The victims' bodies were discovered over several months in 2023 across northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington. Authorities found the remains in wooded areas, a culvert, and near an abandoned barn, all within a radius of roughly 100 miles.
Calhoun remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His defence lawyers declined to comment following the hearing.
Ashley Real's father, Jose Real, became emotional while speaking to reporters outside the courtroom. Remembering his daughter, he described her as someone with “a heart of gold.”
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” he said through a Spanish interpreter.
Ashley’s sister, Masciell Real, said seeing Calhoun behind bars offered some reassurance, although it could not ease the family's loss.
“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.”
Relatives of the other victims also attended the hearing.
Jose Real had earlier revealed that he contacted police in November 2022 after Ashley arrived at his home in tears, alleging that Calhoun had choked her. According to him, she had visible marks on her throat and was taken to hospital. He said the case was later transferred to another jurisdiction and became difficult to track.
Ashley Real's body was discovered in May 2023 by a man fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.
Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole violation warrants. Prosecutors later linked him to the deaths of the five women, leading to a series of indictments in 2024 and 2025.
At the time of the initial indictment, Calhoun was nearing release from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for assaulting a police officer, attempting to strangle a police dog, burglary and other offences.
He had been released a year early in 2021 after participating in a prison wildfire-fighting programme. However, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek revoked that sentence commutation in 2023 after investigators began examining his alleged connection to the deaths.
A trial date has not yet been announced.