Suspected serial killer Jesse Lee Calhoun appeared emotionless as he came face to face with the victim’s families in court this week.
Calhoun, 39, faces three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse in the brutal slayings of Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Leanne Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, 32.
His attorney Cameron Taylor pleaded not guilty on behalf of his client during Thursday’s arraignment in Multnomah County District Court.
Calhoun has also been named as 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 court. “It’s hard to look him in the face, and there’s a lot I’d like to say,” she said. KOIN News reported. ‘We already feel broken. We already feel empty.’
Many of the other families of the victims were unable to face the suspected killer.
Suspected serial killer Jesse Lee Calhoun appeared emotionless as he came face to face with some of the victims’ families in court Thursday
Although Calhoun has not yet been charged with her daughter’s murder, Smith said, “We’re all in different positions 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,” she said.
The grieving mother, wearing a black T-shirt with pink lettering and the words: “Justice for Kristin Smith,” said News Nation’s Ashleigh Banfield on last night’s show, how important it was to her to be in court not only for her 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 out and is told.’
She told Banfield that she kept her eyes on Calhoun during the hearing.
“I wanted to see him,” Smith said. “All I ever saw was a photo. I’ve never heard of him. I don’t know who he is.’
Melissa Smith is the mother of Kristin Smith, 22, who was reported missing in December 2022. Her body was found months later in a wooded area in Portland, Oregon.
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 last year. On April 24, 2023, the second, Charity Perry, 24 (right), was found dead
Joann Speaks, 32, was an Oregon mother whose remains were discovered outside a barn in a remote area of Washington state
As she waits for news of her daughter’s murder, she said the other three other families can now get some form of closure and go through the grieving process.
“I am there for them throughout this entire process, and they are there for me… as we continue to fight to get the truth and the answers we deserve.”
Smith also said she believed he looked at Krista Sinor, the woman he had been dating, while they were in the courtroom.
‘He did look back. 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 violation before the allegations surfaced.
Smith added: “It’s hard for all of us. We are all victims.’
Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Ashley Real, 22, were found dead in wooded areas, under a bridge and in a culvert over three months.
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.