Three years after a 22-year-old Portland woman was found dead in a pond, her family finally saw someone charged in her death.
Jesse Calhoun was arraigned Wednesday on the latest murder charges leveled against him.
Calhoun, 41, has already been accused of killing four women and dumping their bodies throughout the Portland area.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” Jose Real, the woman’s father, said Wednesday through a Spanish interpreter. “I feel really grateful with God because now there’s someone responsible and he’s named for what happened to my daughter.”
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office announced in late May that he now faces new allegations of second-degree murder in the killing of 22-year-old Ashley Real.
Authorities say his other victims are Charity Lynn Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; JoAnna Speaks, 32; and Kristin Smith, 22.
Real’s killing had long been linked to Calhoun but he had not been charged in her death.
“As a believer, I’m just thankful that God didn’t allow me to encounter him myself because he can’t imagine what he took from me,” Jose Real said.
In November 2022, Real told police Calhoun had strangled and assaulted her. Real disappeared in March 2023, and her body was found the next month in a pond in Eagle Creek.
Jose Real said his daughter was “the best person” and had “a heart of gold.”
“She was my first,” he said. “She was really close to me.”
Ashley Real’s younger sister, Masciell Real, said she is relieved Calhoun is behind bars.
“It takes the weight off my shoulders,” she said. “But my sister doesn’t have a life anymore, and her dignity was taken away from her.”
Calhoun was charged by a grand jury indictment after six days of proceedings.
Families of the other victims also attended Wednesday’s hearing.
“We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you and it’s incredibly hard to see one of the other families hurt the way we do,” Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith, said. “We’re also very grateful that we have each other.”
The latest charges were filed in a new case, though chief deputy district attorney Todd Jackson said prosecutors intend to join the cases for trial. All previously scheduled hearing dates were canceled in light of the new charges. Calhoun is next scheduled to appear in court in August.
His criminal record dates back to 2003 and includes allegations of assault, harassment, kidnapping and driving a stolen car. In 2019, Calhoun was sentenced to a little more than four years for assaulting a public safety officer, burglary and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
But Calhoun was released early after then-Gov. Kate Brown commuted his sentence. He was among 41 prisoners whose sentences were commuted for their work as firefighters during deadly 2020 wildfires.
In 2023, investigators identified his potential role in the killings of the women and Gov. Tina Kotek rescinded Calhoun’s commutation.
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