An Oregon man already charged with the deaths of three women was indicted this week for the death of a fourth.
Jesse Lee Calhoun is now charged with the 2022 murder of 22-year-old Kristin Smith in Multnomah County, ABC News reported.
Calhoun faced charges last year for three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse related to the deaths of Charity Lynn Perry, 24; Bridget Leanne Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32; as reported by CrimeOnline. He entered a plea of not guilty to these charges in June 2024.
Speaks was reported missing in March 2023, and her body was discovered in early April at a barn on an abandoned property in Ridgefield, Washington, although authorities believe her murder occurred in Oregon. Ridgefield is located approximately 22 miles north of Portland. On April 24, 2023, Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies found Perry in a culvert near Ainsworth State Park.
On April 30, 2023, Webster’s body was found in northwest Polk County on Harmony Road near Mill Creek.
Smith’s remains were found in February 2023 in a neighborhood in Portland. She had been missing since the previous December, and although Calhoun was initially identified as a person of interest in her case, he had not been formally charged then.
A recent indictment has charged Calhoun with second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in connection with Smith’s death, as stated by Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, according to ABC.
Officials have released few details about the case, including how Calhoun may have been connected to the victims and how they died.
“This investigation is still ongoing,” Vasquez said on Tuesday, “and we regret that we can’t discuss the evidence supporting the charges at this time.”
His office said the trial is expected to take place in 2027.
Melissa Smith, the latest victim’s mother, spoke at the press briefing on Tuesday.
“I remained strong, doing everything possible to save my daughter, and it was devastating to learn I was too late and needed assistance finding her,” she shared. “I did all I could to seek answers, fight, and search.”
Vazquez also said that investigators are still looking into the death of 22-year-old Ashley Real, whose body was found in Clackamas County in May 2023, about a month after she was reported missing in Portland. He called that an “extremely important case to us.”
Prosecutors had previously said they found links between Webster, Real, Smith, and Perry but did not say what those links were.
