Jesse Calhoun
Introduction
Jesse Lee Calhoun is a 41-year-old Oregon man whom prosecutors and news outlets have described as a suspected serial killer in the Portland area. He has already been charged with the second-degree murders of five women — Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; Joanna Speaks, 32; and Ashley Real, 22 — and in September 2026 a Multnomah County grand jury indicted him in connection with a sixth death: Elizabeth “Libby” Gibson, a 32-year-old Portland woman who vanished in November 2022 and whose body has never been found . Calhoun has pleaded not guilty to the earlier murder charges and had not yet been arraigned on the newest indictment as of the September 2026 announcement .
Background Information
Calhoun’s criminal history dates back to 2003. According to The Guardian, he was previously incarcerated for assaulting a police officer, trying to strangle a police dog, burglary and other charges. He was released early in 2021 after helping fight wildfires through a prison work program — a release Oregon’s governor reversed in 2023, after he came under investigation in the deaths of the Portland-area women .
Investigators identified Calhoun as a person of interest in July 2023, after detectives found what the New York Post described as “links between” the cases of four women found dead that spring . The charges against him then accumulated over three years:
- 2024 — charged with the murders of Charity Lynn Perry, 24; Bridget Leann Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32
- August 2025 — charged with the murder of Kristin Smith, 22
- May 2026 — charged with the murder of Ashley Real, 22
- September 16, 2026 — indicted on a first-degree manslaughter charge in the death of Elizabeth “Libby” Gibson, 32
Per OPB, prosecutors believe Calhoun killed five women during a six-month span in 2022 and 2023, and that Gibson’s death — on or around November 18, 2022 — would be the first among them .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
The case that has made Calhoun’s name nationally is the string of deaths prosecutors have linked to him. Kristin Smith was found dead in woodland in southeast Portland on February 19, 2023, roughly two months after she was reported missing. Prosecutors allege Calhoun killed Charity Perry on March 8, 2023, murdered Joanna Speaks ten days later, and killed Bridget Webster on April 26, 2023. Ashley Real’s body was found on May 7, 2023; it remains unclear when she was allegedly killed .
The September 2026 development added a sixth alleged victim. Gibson was last seen in late November 2022 but was not reported missing until March 2023. Prosecutors believe she was killed on or around November 18, 2022, and investigators have not revealed how she died. Unlike the other five women — whose deaths are charged as second-degree murder — the grand jury indicted Calhoun for first-degree manslaughter, accusing him of acting “unlawfully and recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life,” per the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office .
How police came to connect Calhoun with Gibson’s disappearance remains unclear. Prosecutors had not released the indictment, and they declined to answer reporters’ questions about how Gibson knew Calhoun or how she disappeared, citing the ongoing investigation .
Public Reaction and Consequences
Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez vowed to pursue accountability across all six cases. “We will not stop,” he said. “We will do everything in our power to hold him accountable and see that justice is done for each and every one of these victims. We remain committed to these families for as long as it takes,” labeling Gibson’s death “a profound and horrific tragedy” .
Gibson’s family called the indictment “a definitive step toward justice.” “Libby was kind, creative and silly. She welcomed everyone with love and acceptance,” the family said. “Her future was tragically taken from her way [too] soon” .
The earlier charges drew similar statements from victims’ relatives. When Calhoun was charged with Real’s murder in May 2026, her father Jose told Portland station KOIN through an interpreter that he never imagined his family would experience such a loss. “I’m still really grateful with God because now there’s someone responsible,” he said. “He’s named for what happened to my daughter” .
Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero, who is helping prosecute the case, said the scope of the investigation had been “enormous,” and that tips from the public — “no matter how small” — had driven the case to where it stands .
Current Status
Calhoun was scheduled to be arraigned on the new manslaughter charge on the Monday following the September 16, 2026 announcement, in Multnomah County Circuit Court . He has pleaded not guilty to the five earlier murder charges and four counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse .
Prosecutors said earlier in 2026 that they plan to try Calhoun for all five murders in a single trial rather than separate proceedings. A jury trial that had been planned for September 2027 was already canceled, and Marrero said the new charges could push the trial timeline back further .
Impact on Their Career/Life
Calhoun’s path from a wildfire-fighting prison release to a six-victim capital prosecution has made this one of Oregon’s most closely watched criminal cases. The 2021 early release — granted for his work fighting wildfires through a prison program — was reversed by Oregon’s governor in 2023 once he became a suspect, a detail that has drawn sustained attention to how the case began .
He now faces five second-degree murder charges, four abuse-of-corpse counts and a first-degree manslaughter indictment. The District Attorney’s Office has framed the combined case as a long-term commitment, with prosecutors stating they will remain “committed to these families for as long as it takes” . Because he has pleaded not guilty and has not stood trial, all charges remain allegations, and the manslaughter case in particular rests on an indictment that prosecutors have not publicly detailed.