Ore. Man Charged with the Murders of 3 Women Who Were Found Dead Under 'Suspicious Circumstances'

An Oregon man has been charged in the “suspicious” deaths of three women.

In a press release Friday, May 17, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office announced that a grand jury has indicted Jesse Lee Calhoun for the murders of Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Leanne Webster, 31, and Joanne Speaks, 32. were each “found dead under suspicious circumstances in 2023.”

After an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies, Calhoun, 39, was identified as a suspect in the death, the office said.

Charity Lynn Perry.

Bridget Leanne Webster. Charity Lynn Perry. PHOTO:

Multnomah County District Attorney

Bridget Leanne Webster. PHOTO:

Multnomah County District Attorney

He was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, as well as three counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse in connection with the woman’s death, according to the office.

Calhoun is currently in custody at the Snake River Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison in Malheur County, Oregon, where he was admitted in July 2023, prison records show.

It was not immediately clear whether he has legal representation to comment on his behalf.

“Calhoun is expected to be transferred to the Multnomah County Detention Center for arraignment on the charges,” authorities said.

The release did not include many details about the investigation that led to Calhoun’s arrest, the case or the “suspicious circumstances” surrounding the victims’ deaths.

A person wears a T-shirt with the names of Kristin Smith, Charity Lynn Perry, Joanna Speaks, Ashley Real and Bridget Webster at a press conference on May 17.

Photo by AP/Jenny Kane

The women’s families have been notified of the allegations, and Perry’s mother, Diana Allen, said at a May 17 news conference that it was “very, very frustrating” to have no answers during the ongoing investigation, but she trusted investigators.

“Even though they didn’t want to give me answers, I knew they had answers,” she said.

In July 2023, the Multnomah County District Attorney said investigators had determined there were “connections” between the deaths of four women, including Perry and Webster, whose bodies were found on April 24, 2023, and April 30, 2023, respectively.

At the time, multiple sources from various agencies confirmed that Calhoun was a person of interest, CBS Portland affiliate KOIN-TV reported.

Kristin Smith.

Ashley Real. Kristin Smith. PHOTO:

Multnomah County District Attorney

Ashley Real. PHOTO:

Multnomah County District Attorney

The other two women were identified as Kristin Smith and Ashley Real, who were 22 years old at the time of their deaths.

At the time, the prosecutor said that “no charges have been filed against anyone in connection with any of these four death investigations,” but investigators have “identified at least one person of interest associated with all four deceased.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime reports? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for the latest crime news, coverage of ongoing trials and details on intriguing unsolved cases.

Speaking about her daughter, Kristin, on May 17, Melissa Smith told reporters that while officials continue to investigate her death, “we continue to wait, we continue to pray and we remain hopeful.”

“We still hope that soon we will be able to get justice for them as well,” she added.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education