Jesse Calhoun Charged in 2023 Killing of Ashley Real, Bringing Oregon Case Count to 5
Updated
Updated · KATU · May 28
Jesse Calhoun Charged in 2023 Killing of Ashley Real, Bringing Oregon Case Count to 5
3 articles · Updated · KATU · May 28
Summary
Multnomah County prosecutors on May 26 charged 41-year-old Jesse Calhoun in the 2023 death of Ashley Real, 22, nearly three years after her body was found near Eagle Creek in Clackamas County.
The case had stalled even after Real reported in November 2022 that Calhoun strangled her; her father said the complaint was referred between agencies and never advanced before she disappeared in March 2023.
The new charge adds Real to four other women whose killings have already been tied to Calhoun: Charity Perry, Bridget Webster, Joanna Speaks and Kristin Smith. He has pleaded not guilty in the earlier cases.
Prosecutors first named Calhoun a person of interest in four deaths in July 2023, then secured murder indictments in 2024 and 2025 as investigators linked a string of women found dead in Oregon and Washington.
Calhoun's trial is expected in 2027, and District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said investigators are still examining other potential cases without ruling out additional charges.
With a serial murder trial looming, can the DA's underfunded office secure justice for all five victims?
As forensics link five murders, what systemic failures allowed the suspect to be free in the first place?
How did a clemency program rewarding heroism release a man now accused of murdering five women?
Five Homicides, One Trial: The Jesse Lee Calhoun Case and Its Impact on Oregon’s Justice System
Overview
In June 2026, Jesse Lee Calhoun was charged with the murder of Ashley Real, bringing the total number of murder allegations against him to five. Previously, he had been indicted for the murders of Charity Lynn Perry, Bridget Leanne Webster, and Joanna Speaks, which set the stage for a complex legal battle. Now, the prosecution is pursuing all five homicide cases together and has moved to consolidate them into a single trial. Calhoun, who is being held in a Multnomah County jail and has pleaded not guilty, is expected to face a consolidated trial in early 2027.