Accused Oregon serial killer charged with murder of 5th woman

A man accused of killing several women and dumping their bodies in the Portland area was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge. Jesse Calhoun's defense attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf in a Portland courtroom where victims' family members were present. The hearing, during which Calhoun remained silent, came after he was indicted last week on the most recent second-degree murder charge over the death of Ashley Real, 22, in 2023. Calhoun has now been charged with five counts of second-degree murder for five victims, along with four counts of abuse of a corpse. The victims' bodies were found over multiple months in early 2023, sparking concern at the time that a serial killer might be targeting young women in the region. Calhoun was previously indicted in the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32. Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were found in northwestern Oregon, while Speaks was found near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. Their bodies were found in a roughly 100-mile radius, including in wooded areas and in a culvert. Jesse Calhoun, left, sits in court Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Portland, Ore., as he is arraigned over the death of Ashley Real. Isabel Funk/The Oregonian via AP, Pool Real's father, Jose Real, previously told the Associated Press that he had called police in November 2022 after his daughter showed up at his Portland home crying. …