At least three victims of a suspected Portland serial killer were all murdered within seven weeks of each other, investigators recently determined as they piece together a more detailed timeline of the slayings of the reportedly homeless, drug-addicted women.
Charity Lynn Perry, 24, is believed to have been the first victim of 39-year-old Jesse Lee Calhoun, according to Multnomah County prosecutors, KATU-TV reported, citing an indictment.
Perry died March 8, 2023, two days after she was taken to the hospital for an overdose. Authorities have not confirmed her cause of death, but her body was found seven weeks later in nearby Polk County, Oregon.
Ten days after Perry was allegedly murdered, investigators believe Calhoun struck again. This time, targeting 32-year-old JoAnna Speaks. Speaks died from blunt force trauma. Her body was found April 8, 2023, at an abandoned property on the Washington-Oregon border in Ridgefield, Washington.
Nearly six weeks later, Calhoun allegedly claimed his third victim: 31-year-old Bridget LeAnne Webster, according to investigators, the outlet reported. Like Perry, her body was dumped in Polk County and recovered April 30, 2023.
Authorities are still trying to determine if Calhoun is responsible for the 2023 suspicious deaths of two more women in the area – Ashley Real and Kristin Smith – both 22.
According to investigators, the victims all lived similar transient lifestyles and struggled with drug addictions.
Calhoun has since been charged with three counts each of second-degree murder and second-degree abuse of a corpse.
He has not yet entered a plea to the charges and it's unclear if he retained an attorney to comment on his behalf.
