Jesse Calhoun indicted in sixth death as DA vows: ‘We will do everything in our power to hold him accountable’

A 41-year-old Oregon man accused of serial murder has been indicted in the death of a sixth woman, prosecutors said.

Jesse Calhoun, 41, of Oregon, faces the new allegation while already awaiting trial on five prior homicide charges, court records show.

A Multnomah County grand jury indicted Calhoun on Wednesday in connection with the death of Elizabeth “Libby” Gibson, the district attorney announced.

The indictment formally charges the defendant with first-degree manslaughter, according to prosecutors.

Grand jurors indicted Calhoun “for unlawfully and recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life,” causing Gibson’s death, prosecutors said.

Gibson, who was homeless, vanished in late November 2022, according to authorities.

The 32-year-old woman had been missing for nearly four years before the indictment was returned, records show.

Her disappearance makes Gibson the suspect’s first alleged victim in the timeline of deaths, authorities said.

Prosecutors tied the defendant to Gibson’s death this week, police said. Investigators have not revealed how the victim died, however.

The manslaughter count marks a shift from Calhoun’s earlier charges, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said. Unlike the other five victims, the grand jury did not indict him for murder in Gibson’s death.

“Our family is grateful that a definitive step toward justice is finally being taken for our sister, Libby,” Gibson’s family said of the charge.

Vasquez labeled Gibson’s death a “profound and horrific tragedy,” prosecutors said.

“We will not stop,” Vasquez said.

“We will do everything in our power to hold him accountable and see that justice is done for each and every one of these victims,” Vasquez said, adding, “We remain committed to these families for as long as it takes.”

Calhoun was already charged with second-degree murder in the deaths of five other women, court records show.

Those victims were identified as Ashley Real, 22, Kristin Smith, 22, Charity Perry, 24, Bridget Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, 32, according to authorities.

The suspect also faces two charges of four counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse, prosecutors said.

Calhoun’s criminal history dates back to 2003, court records show. But investigators did not publicly link him to the homicides until July 2023, police said.

Detectives named him as a person of interest in July 2023 after identifying “links between [the] four cases” involving Real, Smith, Perry, and Webster, according to authorities.

Searchers discovered Smith’s body in woodland in southeast Portland on Feb. 19, 2023, police said. Her remains were recovered some two months after she was reported missing, authorities said.

Calhoun is accused of killing Perry on March 8, 2023, prosecutors said. Just 10 days later, the defendant allegedly murdered Speaks, court documents state.

The suspect allegedly killed Webster on April 26, 2023, according to court documents.

Searchers found Real’s body on May 7, 2023, records show. But it remains unclear when Calhoun allegedly killed her, according to authorities.

Calhoun was charged with the murders of Perry, Webster, and Speaks in 2024, prosecutors said. He was charged over Smith’s death the following year, court records show.

In May, Calhoun was charged with Real’s murder, an action welcomed by her father, Jose Real.

“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” the victim’s father told KOIN through an interpreter.

“I’m still really grateful with God because now there’s someone responsible,” Real said, adding, “He’s named for what happened to my daughter.”

Calhoun has pleaded not guilty to the previous murder charges, court records show.

The defendant will be arraigned on Monday on the new manslaughter charge, Vasquez said.