Jesse Lee Calhoun (Oregon Dept. of Corrections); from top to bottom, Charity Lynn Perry (via Multnomah County DA’s office), Bridget Leanne Webster (via Polk County Sheriff’s Office), and Joanna Speaks (via Clark County Sheriff’s Office).
A 39-year-old in Oregon accused of killing at least three women last year had been released from prison early in 2021 after having one year removed from his sentence by then-Gov. Kate Brown for helping combat the state’s raging 2020 wildfires. The suspected serial killer, Jesse Calhoun, has since been indicted for the slayings of Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Leanne Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, 32, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, a grand jury indicted Calhoun on three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse in connection with the women’s deaths.
Prosecutors said that all three victims were found dead “under suspicious circumstances” during a three-month span in 2023. The deaths of two other women found dead within that same time frame — Kristin Smith, 22, and Ashley Real, 22 — are still under investigation, prosecutors said during a Friday news conference. The death of a sixth woman who was initially linked to the case was ruled out after the medical examiner determined it was not a homicide.
“Today’s indictment of Jesse Calhoun marks a significant step toward justice,” Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell said during the news conference. “We recognize that until today there have been many questions, and that their deaths have caused fear and anxiety across our area, and for the families who have been waiting for answers,” she said.
Speaks’ body was discovered inside of an abandoned home about 25 miles north of Portland on April 8. Perry was found in a heavily wooded area next to Ainsworth State Park, about 35 miles east of Portland on April 24, and Webster was found alongside a creek about 75 miles southwest of Portland. Authorities said that at least one of the bodies appeared to have been killed elsewhere and dumped at the location where it was discovered.
The causes of death for the victims and Calhoun’s alleged connection to them and possible motives have not yet been released by authorities as the investigations remain ongoing.
“As with the majority of homicides, these cases are complex, and it requires a significant investigation involving many different law enforcement agencies,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero said. “There’s still more work to be done. Investigations are ongoing,”
Adding additional controversy to the macabre ordeal is the fact that former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown granted clemency to Calhoun that saw him get out of prison on unrelated burglary and theft charges in 2021.
According to a report from Portland CBS affiliate KOIN, Brown granted clemency to Calhoun due in part to good behavior and because Calhoun worked as a prison firefighter to help combat the 2020 wildfires that engulfed large portions of the state.
The Guardian reported that Brown removed one year from the sentence of 41 inmates who worked on the wildfire crews, noting that the 2020 wildfire season was the most destructive in the state’s history.
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