Man Linked to Deaths of Four Oregon Women Was Accused of Choking Victim

A man allegedly linked to the deaths of four young women had previously been accused of assaut by one of the victims, her grieving father has said.

Jesse Calhoun, 38, has been considered a person of interest after the discovery of the bodies of several missing women in remote wooded areas or waterways across northwest Oregon between February and May. The four women were Kristin Smith, 22, Charity Perry, 24, Bridget Webster, 31, and Ashley Real, 22. Authorities have not yet revealed a cause of death in any of the cases, Calhoun has not been charged.

Ashley Real's father said that Calhoun was known to his daughter, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Saturday. Calhoun had attacked and choked her late in 2022, Jose Real said. But officers never arrested him over the alleged assault, he added.

News broke on July 17 that police were linking the four deaths and had identified a person of interest in the case; the development swiftly led to fears that a serial killer was targeting women. But authorities apparently tried to quell alarm when nine different law enforcement agencies issued a joint statement, saying: "Based on the available information to investigators, there is not believed to be any active danger to the community at this time."

Ashley Real was the last of the four victims to be found. She had been reported missing to the Portland Police Bureau on April 4. The 22-year-old's body was discovered on May 7 in a wooded area about 20 miles southeast of Portland.

AP interviewed Jose Real after his allegations were first reported by regional newspaper The Oregonian last week, which quoted him as saying: "The police didn't do their work. And now my daughter is dead."

Jose Real repeated his allegations against Calhoun, and his complaints about police, when he spoke to AP.

He told the news agency that his daughter arrived at his home in Portland on November 11, 2022. He said she was crying and had visible marks on her throat, when she told him that Calhoun had choked her.

Her father said he took her to the hospital and the alleged attack was reported to Portland police, who are said to have referred the case to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. Jose Real said that he and his wife called the sheriff's office repeatedly about the case, but their calls were never returned.

Calhoun was arrested on June 6 by members of two sheriff's departments with U.S. Marshals Service assisting, an unnamed law enforcement official told AP. That was after the bodies of all four women were discovered. He was not arrested in connection with the deaths, but over unrelated alleged parole violations, according to local news channel KTVB7. Nevertheless, he is widely acknowledged to be the person of interest that authorities are investigating.

Both the Portland Police Bureau and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office replied by email that they could not comment because the investigation was ongoing.

Calhoun had previously been sentenced to a 50-month term for assaulting a police officer, trying to strangle a police dog, burglary, and felony unauthorized use of a vehicle. He was released from Columbia River Correctional Institution nearly a year early in 2021, according to AP. He was one of 41 prison inmates handed an early-release by then-Governor Kate Brown, after the inmates helped battle Oregon wildfires in 2020.

No charges have been filed against Calhoun, or anyone else, in connection with the four women's deaths. But his original jail term was reinstated, meaning he is back behind bars after Governor Tina Kotek revoked his commutation on July 3.

KGW, an NBC affiliate, said it had obtained court documents for Calhoun dating back to 2007. Among the incidents was a domestic violence allegation from a woman, seemingly unconnected to the latest discoveries in Oregon.

According to court documents, as seen by KGW, a former girlfriend said he choked her as they drank in a bar in eastern Oregon in November 2007. Baker City police arrested him. Calhoun would plead guilty to one count of misdemeanor assault, and a judge would sentence him to probation, according to KGW.

The following year, he was arrested for pushing the same girlfriend off a bicycle and dragging her across a parking lot, KGW reported, citing the aforementioned court documents. He pleaded guilty to felony assault and was sentenced to three years of probation.

The court records seen by the NBC affiliate indicate that Calhoun violated his conditions for probation on several occasions. It was revoked in January 2009 and he was sent to prison for three year, according to KGW.