Jesse Lee Calhoun is the person of interest in the deaths of four Oregon women,according to Willamette Week. Authorities have said the four deaths could be the work of a serial killer, the newspaper reports.
According to a July 17, 2023, report from Willamette Week’s Nigel Jaquiss and Lucas Manfield, “detectives have linked four of the deaths to Jesse Lee Calhoun, whose most recent address is in Portland.”
Authorities have not publicly confirmed that Calhoun is the person of interest, although the district attorney has confirmed a connection between the four deaths.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Multnomah County District Attorney Said a Collaborative Investigation Has Found ‘Links Between 4 Cases’
DA’s officeBridget Webster
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said in a July 17, 2023, statement that authorities now believe four deaths are connected.
“Investigators and prosecutors from multiple law enforcement agencies have been working collaboratively on numerous death investigations in Northwest Oregon, and they have determined that there are links between four cases: Kristin Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster, and Ashley Real,” he wrote.
He confirmed that a person of interest was identified, without naming him, writing:
These Investigators and prosecutors, from nine different law enforcement agencies, have been in regular communication and have been working collaboratively on these investigations for several months. These agencies include the Gresham Police Department, Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County District Attorney’s Office, and the Oregon State Police.
No charges have been filed against anyone in connection with any of these four death investigations. Investigators have interviewed multiple people in connection with these cases and have identified at least one person of interest that is linked to all four of the decedents. Based on the available information to investigators, there is not believed to be any active danger to the community at this time.
2. Jesse Lee Calhoun Was Booked Into the Snake River Correctional Institution on July 6
Snake River CIJesse Lee Calhoun
According to the institution’s database, Calhoun is in the custody of the Snake River Correctional Institution in Oregon.
He was booked there July 6, 2023. The charges are not listed.
Willamette Week reported that the charges are unrelated to the killings, but that authorities expect he will be charged with in connection to those soon.
On June 4, 2023, in a news release, Portland police assured the community that the deaths did not appear related, writing:
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has been hearing widespread questions and concerns about the death investigations of 6 women throughout the region, especially after widely distributed social media posts and news media articles appeared to suggest a connection between them. These discussions have led to some anxiety and fear in our community, and we want to provide reassurance that the speculation is not supported by the facts available at this point.
3. Oregon’s Governor Released Jesse Lee Calhoun From Prison Early Due to COVID Concerns, Reports Say
DA\\\’s officeCharity Perry
According to Willamette Week, Calhoun “is among the more than 1,000 inmates whom former Gov. Kate Brown granted clemency, allowing them to leave prison early.”
Only his clemency was revoked, the site reported. According to the newspaper Calhoun was released early because of COVID concerns.
He also received time off his sentence, along with other inmates, for agreeing to help fight wildfires, the newspaper reported.
4. Jesse Lee Calhoun, Who Paints Designs on Vehicles, Has a Lengthy Criminal History
DA\’s officeAshley Real
According to Willamette Week, Calhoun is “a talented artist who told booking officials he earned his living painting designs on vehicles.”
The newspaper reported that he has a lengthy criminal history dating back almost 20 years, and is a felon.
In 2018, he was arrested with “meth, several guns, and more than 500 rounds of ammunition,” and was called a “prolific thief and career criminal” by sheriff’s officials, the newspaper reported.
In 2019, he pleaded guilty to “burglary, unauthorized possession of a stolen vehicle, and injuring a police officer and a police dog when they attempted to arrest him,” Willamette Week reported.
5. The 4 Women Died Between February & May of 2023, Authorities Say
DA\’s officeKristin Smith
The DA released this information on the missing women:
February 19, 2023 – Kristin Smith, 22 (Portland Police Bureau)
Missing report filed with the Gresham Police Department on December 22, 2022.April 24, 2023 – Charity Lynn Perry, 24 (Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office)
April 30, 2023 – Bridget Leann (Ramsay) Webster, 31 (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
May 7, 2023 – Ashley Real, 22 (Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office)
Missing report filed with the Portland Police Bureau on April 4, 2023.
In the death of Smith, police wrote,
On February 19, 2023, the Portland Police Bureau responded to a report of human remains located in a wooded area, near Southeast Deardorff Road and Southeast Flavel Street in the Pleasant Valley Neighborhood. With the assistance of Multnomah County Search and Rescue and the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office, additional searches were conducted over subsequent months in an attempt to find additional evidence.
In the case of Real, Portland police wrote,
Ashley Real, 22, was last seen at a fast food restaurant in the 12000 block of Southeast Division Street on March 27, 2023. We have information that she may have also been at the Gateway/NE 99th Ave Transit Center Max Station (9900 Northeast Multnomah Street) on that same day. Despite efforts to locate her, Ashley has not been found or heard from, and leads have been exhausted.
Police wrote that her body was later found and the death is considered suspicious.
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