Jesse Calhoun, an accused serial killer in Oregon, was arraigned on Wednesday for the murder of a fifth woman, Ashley Real. His lawyer entered a not guilty plea to second-degree murder in a Portland court.
Real, 22, had previously alleged that Calhoun choked her. Her body was discovered in a pond in Clackamas County in May 2023, within a 100-mile radius of the other four victims: Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32. Speaks was found in an abandoned barn in south-western Washington, while the others were located in Oregon.
Prosecutors announced after the brief hearing that they intend to try Calhoun for all five murders in a single trial next year, rather than conducting separate proceedings. Calhoun, 41, faces five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of abuse of a corpse. He did not speak during the arraignment.
Relatives of the victims attended the hearing. Masciell Real, Ashley's sister, 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.' Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith, added: '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.'
Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants and indicted in May 2024 in the deaths of three women. He had been released early from a four-year prison sentence in 2021 after helping fight wildfires under a prison firefighting programme. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him over the deaths.
