An accused serial killer in Oregon was arraigned on Wednesday for the murder of a fifth woman. Jesse Calhoun, who already faced charges in the deaths of four women, entered a not guilty plea for the second-degree murder of Ashley Real, a 22-year-old who had previously alleged he choked her.
Real's body was discovered in a pond in Clackamas County in May 2023, within a 100-mile radius of Calhoun's other alleged victims: Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32. Speaks was found in an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington, while the others were found in Oregon.
Prosecution Plans Joint Trial
Prosecutors told reporters after the brief arraignment hearing in Portland that they intend to try Calhoun for all five murders in the same proceedings next year, rather than conducting separate trials. Calhoun, 41, did not speak during the hearing and faces five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of abuse of a corpse.
Family Reactions
Members of Real's family attended the hearing. Her sister, Masciell Real, said, "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."
Her father, Jose Real, told the Associated Press last year that he had called police in November 2022 after his daughter showed up crying at his Portland home and said Calhoun choked her. He said she had marks on her throat and that he took her to a hospital.
Melissa Smith, the mother of Kristin Smith, also attended. "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.
Background of the Case
Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants and indicted in May 2024 in the deaths of three of the women. He was charged in August last year with the murder of Smith, two and a half years after her remains were found. At the time, Calhoun was nearing the end of a four-year sentence for assaulting a police officer, trying to strangle a police dog, burglary, and other charges. He was released early in 2021 because he helped fight wildfires in 2020 under a prison firefighting program. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him over the deaths.
