Two years after 22-year-old Kristin Smith’s body was discovered in a wooded area of Southeast Portland, her family is one step closer to justice. On Tuesday, Multnomah County prosecutors announced that Jesse Lee Calhoun, already accused in three other deaths, has now been indicted for Kristin’s murder.
District Attorney Nathan Vasquez confirmed during a press conference that a grand jury indicted Calhoun for second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in Smith’s death, which occurred in November 2022. Smith was first reported missing in December of that year. Her remains were later discovered off Southeast Deardorff Road in early 2023.
“I've always stayed hopeful that I would get justice for Kristin,” her mother, Melissa Smith, told reporters at the news conference, visibly emotional. “I thank every single person who didn't give up on this case."
Calhoun, 39, was previously indicted in the deaths of Charity Perry (24), Bridget Webster (31), and Joanna Speaks (32)—all women whose bodies were found in isolated or wooded areas across a 100-mile stretch around the Portland metro area throughout 2023. His charges in those cases also include second-degree murder and abuse of a corpse.
In total, Calhoun now faces four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of abuse of a corpse. He remains in custody at Inverness Jail in Portland. Prosecutors say his trial is unlikely to begin before 2027.
Kristin’s mother, speaking with KOIN News, described the pain of searching for her daughter for months before learning the worst. “It was just unbearable to find out it was too late,” she said. “I did everything I could to try to get answers and fight and search.”
A Pattern of Violence
The string of deaths sparked fears across Oregon in 2023 that a serial killer may be preying on vulnerable women. The bodies were found in remote or concealed locations—under bridges, in culverts, and thick forest—raising alarms that the deaths may be connected.
Calhoun has also been named as a person of interest in a fifth death: that of Ashley Real, 22, who disappeared from Portland and was later found deceased in a wooded area in May 2023. At this time, no charges have been filed in her case.
A Troubling Background
Jesse Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole violations. At the time, he was just weeks away from being released from state prison, where he was serving a sentence for multiple crimes—including assaulting a police officer and attempting to strangle a police dog.
In a twist that has raised questions across the state, Calhoun had originally been released early from prison in 2021 under a wildfire commutation program. He had served on inmate wildfire crews during Oregon’s devastating 2020 fire season and was among a group of individuals granted early release for their service.
Governor Tina Kotek revoked that commutation in 2023, after Calhoun became a focus in the multi-agency investigation into the women’s deaths.
His defense attorney, Cameron Taylor, has declined to comment.
Justice, Long Overdue
For families like Melissa Smith’s, the path to justice has been long and painful. But with each new charge, they hope the full truth will come to light—and that Oregon will never again overlook the patterns of violence that too often go unnoticed until it’s too late.
“I stayed strong doing all I could trying to save my daughter,” Melissa said. “I will never stop fighting for her.”
The Associated Press and KOIN contributed to this report.
