Alleged serial killer Jesse Lee Calhoun seemed impassive as he came face to face in court this week with the victims’ families.
Calhoun, 39, faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse for the brutal murders of Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Leanne Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, of 32.
His attorney Cameron Taylor entered a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf during Thursday’s arraignment held in Multnomah County District Court.
Calhoun has also been named a person of interest in the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22, and Ashley Rea, 22. Their deaths remain under investigation.
Kristin’s mother, Melissa Smith, said it was “heartbreaking” to see Calhoun in the courtroom. “It’s hard to look at his face and there are a lot of things I would like to say,” she said. KOIN News reported. ‘We already feel devastated. We already feel empty.”
Many of the other victims’ families were unable to confront the alleged killer.
Alleged serial killer Jesse Lee Calhoun seemed impassive as he came face to face in court Thursday with some of the victims’ families.
Although Calhoun has not yet been charged with her daughter’s murder, Smith said, “We’re all in a different position here, but we’re all connected to Jesse Calhoun.”
‘I’m already broken. I’m already falling, but I have to keep going. I have to keep fighting,’ he said.
The grieving mother wearing a black T-shirt with pink letters and the words: ‘Justice for Kristin Smith’ said News Nation’s Ashleigh Banfield during last night’s show, how important it was to her be in the courtroom not only for his own daughter, but for the other families as well
“It is very important to me that my daughter is not forgotten and that the truth comes to light and is told.”
He told Banfield that during the hearing he kept his eyes on Calhoun.
“I wanted to see it,” Smith said. ‘All I’ve ever seen was a photo. I never heard of him. I do not know who is he.
Melissa Smith is the mother of 22-year-old Kristin Smith, who was reported missing in December 2022. Her body was found in a wooded area in Portland, Oregon, months later.
Bridget Webster, 31, (left), was found on April 30, 2023, and Ashley Real, 22, (right), on May 7, 2023.
Kristin Smith, 22 (left), was the first victim: she was discovered on February 19 of last year. On April 24, 2023, the second, 24-year-old Charity Perry (right), was found dead.
Joann Speaks, 32, was a mother from Oregon whose remains were discovered outside a barn in a remote area of Washington state.
While waiting to hear back about her daughter’s murder, she said the other three families can now get some kind of closure and begin the grieving process.
“I’m there for them every step of the way, and they’re there for me… as we continue to fight to get the truth and answers we deserve.”
Smith also said he believed he looked at Krista Sinor, the woman he had had a relationship with, as they sat in the courtroom.
‘He looked over. I think he was looking at Krista. “I think he knew she was there,” Smith said.
Sinor met the murder suspect through Facebook and they dated until he was arrested for parole violations before the allegations surfaced.
Smith added: ‘It’s hard for all of us. We’re all victims.’
Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Ashley Real, 22, were found dead more than three months ago in wooded areas, under a bridge and in a sewer.
Calhoun’s first alleged victim was Perry, who was murdered on March 8, 2023. Ten days later, his next alleged victim was Joanna Speaks on March 18, 2023, and Bridget Webster on April 26.