() The sister of one of the women allegedly murdered by Jesse Calhoun is grateful authorities have added a fourth victim in the Portland, Oregon, serial-killing case and hopes Calhoun will be officially linked to a fifth.
Last year, Calhoun was charged with the murders of Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32. This week, prosecutors added the murder of 22-year-old Kristin Smith to the charges against Calhoun, which was a relief to Smith’s family.
A fifth woman, Ashley Real, 22, was also among the string of female victims found in the region in early 2023. So far, however, authorities have not formally made the connection but said the investigation continues.
“Her family has been so patient and kept so quiet and just waiting, waiting for the day to get that call, and we stand by them 100 percent,” Ariel Hambly, sister of Speaks, told “Banfield” on Wednesday.
‘Weight’ lifted with indictment: Family member
Hambly said families like hers feel “a certain weight” lifted when a suspect is formally charged with the murder of their loved one.
“The indictment does make it real,” said Hambly, who expressed some frustration about the pace at which information is being released.
“We’re going to have to wait until 2027 to hear any other pieces of the story,” she said, referring to Calhoun’s expected start of trial.
Accused killer may have felt ‘invincible’
Calhoun, a former state prison inmate, was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants and indicted in May 2024 for three of the killings. He had been released early from prison in 2021 for helping fight wildfires in 2020.
The quick pace of the murders Calhoun is accused of committing after his release indicate Calhoun felt “invincible,” says forensic psychologist and author Katherine Ramsland.
“He thinks he’s going to get away with it, and so he’s escalating, he’s wanting to do this more,” she told “Banfield.” “He may be developing a sort of addiction to it.”
Calhoun, 40, is being held in Multnomah County, Oregon, and previously pleaded not guilty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
