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A man suspected of murdering three women in the Portland area and abandoning their bodies has now been formally charged with a fourth homicide, officials announced on Tuesday.
At a press conference, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez revealed that a grand jury has indicted Jesse Lee Calhoun in connection with the death of 22-year-old Kristin Smith, whose remains were discovered in November 2022. The new charges, second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, come roughly two and a half years after her body was found.
Calhoun had already faced similar charges for the deaths of Charity Perry, 24, Bridget Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, 32. He pleaded not guilty to all previous counts of second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse.
“The indictment is a very important and visible step as we seek justice for these victims,” DA Vasquez said during an emotional press conference.
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Jesse Lee Calhoun appears in Multnomah County Circuit Court for his arraignment, June 6, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, Pool, File)
Calhoun is currently being held at the Inverness Jail in Multnomah County. His trial is expected to begin in 2027.
Fox News Digital reached out to Calhoun’s attorney, Cameron Taylor, but his office declined to comment publicly.
Kristin Smith’s mother, Melissa Smith, gave a tearful statement, surrounded by loved ones and relatives of the other victims.
“It’s been 898 days since I found out Kristen was deceased… I never lost hope. I never gave up. And I never will,” she vowed. “The Portland Five will never be forgotten.”
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Diana Allen, the mother of victim Charity Perry, delivered a stern message aimed at Calhoun and others like him and said he was “no longer the smartest person in the room.” (Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office)
Perry, Webster, and Kristin Smith were discovered in various parts of Oregon, while Speaks’ body was located in an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. Between early 2023 and the following months, their remains were found in remote and concealed areas, such as wooded locations, culverts, and beneath a bridge, within a 100-mile radius. The pattern raised fears that a serial killer might be targeting young women in the region.
Diana Allen, the mother of victim Charity Perry, delivered a stern message aimed at Calhoun and others like him.
“You are not the smartest person in the room. Maybe the day of your crime you were… but you’re no longer in your room. You’re in mine.”
Law enforcement officials have released few details about the ongoing investigation. DA Vasquez noted that another woman’s death in the same timeframe remains under review.
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Portland area suspect Jesse Lee Calhoun charged with fourth homicide as authorities investigate deaths of women whose bodies were abandoned in remote locations. (iStock)
The case of Ashley Rial, another woman allegedly linked to Calhoun, remains under investigation, according to officials. No charges have been filed yet in connection to her death.
When asked whether Calhoun’s case qualifies as serial killing, Vasquez stopped short of applying the label.
“We focus on the victims. These were murders of young women with massive impact,” he said.
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Calhoun was taken into custody in June 2023 due to unrelated parole violations. He was indicted in May 2024, just before he was scheduled to be released from state prison. He had been reincarcerated in 2023 to complete a four-year sentence for offenses including assaulting a police officer, attempting to strangle a police dog, burglary, and more.
He had previously been released in 2021, a year ahead of schedule, due to his participation in a wildfire firefighting program in 2020. That early release was later rescinded by Gov. Tina Kotek in 2023 after Calhoun became a suspect in the homicide investigations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com