Suspected Oregon serial killer Jesse Lee Calhoun, pleaded not guilty as he appeared emotionless in the faces of the victim’s families Thursday morning, according to DailyMail.
Calhoun faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse in the brutal slaying of Charity Lynn Perry 24, Bridget Leanne Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, 32. Calhoun’s lawyer pleaded not guilty on behalf of his client at the arraignment held in Multnomah County District Court.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the women’s deaths have prompted concerns among some Portland residents that a serial killer may be the connecting link.
Speaks (pictured top left), vanished in March and her body was found in early April in Ridgefield, Washington, inside a barn on an abandoned property. Ridgefield is about 22 miles north of Portland.
On February 19, remains belonging to 22-year-old Kristin Smith (picture top center) were found in a wooded section of the Pleasant Valley neighborhood in Portland. She was reported missing on December 22, 2023. Calhoun is considered a person of interest in the death but has not been formally charged.
Sheriff’s deputies in Multnomah County found Perry (pictured lower left) on April 24, 2023, in a culvert near Ainsworth State Park. KOIN 6 reports that court documents accuse Calhoun of killing Perry and moving her corpse on or around March 8, 2023.
Perry was known to visit an area that once was an open-air fentanyl market in downtown Portland.
Also on April 24, the body of an unidentified woman (pictured bottom center) was found in the Lents neighborhood of Portland, less than three miles from the scene where Smith’s body had been discovered.
The victim may have been Native American or Native Alaskan and likely between 25 and 40 years of age. She was described as having black, medium-length hair and was slightly over 5 feet tall at about 135 pounds.
The unidentified woman had two scars on the lower part of her left leg. She also had a black music note tattoo on the upper left side of her chest and a Buddha tattoo on her upper right back.
When she was found, the woman was wearing a green long-sleeved shirt, black-and-white zip-up jacket, jeans, and black-and-white Adidas cleats. She also was wearing bracelets and rings. On Sunday, Portland police also foul play is not suspected in her case, 11 Alive reports.
On April 30, 2023, Webster’s body (pictured top center) was found in northwest Polk County on Harmony Road near Mill Creek. Police are investigating the death as suspicious.
And on May 7, the body of 22-year-old Ashley Real (pictured top right) was found in a wooded area near Eagle Creek by a man fishing near a pond. Real vanished on March 27 in southeast Portland, where she was last seen leaving a fast-food restaurant.
Her death also is being investigated as suspicious and Calhoun is reportedly considered a person of interest.
Calhoun’s next court date is set for July 19. Check back for updates.
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[Featured image: Top: Joanna Speaks, Bridget Webster, and Ashley Real. Bottom: Charity Perry, Kristin Smith, unidentified /Portland Police Bureau]
Additional reporting by Leigh Egan
