Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez held a news conference Tuesday announcing a soon-to-be fifth murder charge against a man already suspected of killing women in the wider Portland metro area.

“We are here to announce that we are expecting, and by expecting I mean either this afternoon or tomorrow, a new indictment of the murder of Ashley Real,” Vasquez said. “This indictment will charge Jesse Calhoun with one count of murder in the second degree.”

Calhoun is currently in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center.

In May 2024, Calhoun was first indicted for the deaths of 31-year-old Bridget Leann Webster, 24-year-old Charity Lynn Perry and 32-year-old Joanna Speaks.

In August 2025, he was charged with murdering 22-year-old Kristin Smith.

The pending grand jury indictment Vasquez announced Tuesday brings some closure after investigators first announced in July 2023 that Calhoun was a person of interest in the deaths of several women throughout northwestern Oregon.

Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero said the investigation remains ongoing.

“I am not confirming that there are any additional victims at this point,” Marrero said. “Today marks a significant moment in this case.”

Vasquez declined to discuss the evidence ahead of any bail hearing, but did say prosecutors would seek to try all five cases together.

“We believe that there are factors and reasons that warrant and justify these cases being tried jointly,” Vasquez said Tuesday.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/26/multnomah-county-da-expects-fifth-murder-indictment-in-serial-killer-case/