American serial killer of Portland was released from prison due to COVID-19 concerns 

Jesse Lee Calhoun, 38, was among about 1,000 inmates granted clemency by Democratic former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown as fears over the spread of the pandemic swept through the nation.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Labelled a "career criminal" by Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, a man who was released from prison early due to COVID concerns, is identified to be the ‘person of interest' in the killings of four women whose remains were discovered in and around Portland over a period of three months. Jesse Lee Calhoun, 38, reportedly came under the police's radar after officers discovered a crucial link between the suspicious deaths of Ashley Real, 22, Bridget Webster, Kristin Smith, 22, and Charity Lynn Perry, 24.

22-year-old Smith was the first of the four victims to be found. She was found dead in the woods in Pleasant Valley on February 19. Her family in Gresham, Oregon, reported her missing on December 22 and her body was finally identified on May 25. In April, just two months after Smith was found, Perry, 24, was found dead in Ainsworth State Park. The next week, on April 30, 31-year-old Webster's remains were discovered in Polk County, 45 miles south of Portland. The remains of the fourth victim, 22-year-old Real, were discovered on May 7, a month after she vanished from a fast food restaurant. Authorities previously noted that none of the women's causes of death or manner of passing had been determined by the state medical examiner.

Officers initially investigated the four deaths separately but recently it was announced that they have discovered a crucial link between the cases. "Investigators and prosecutors from multiple law enforcement agencies have been working collaboratively ... and they have determined that there are links between four cases: Kristin Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster, and Ashley Real," the prosecutor's office said. Following the announcement, The Willamette Week reported on Monday that Calhoun is currently being investigated as the "person of interest" in connection to the death. However, the Multnomah County District Attorney's office in Portland has not named Calhoun. They said on Monday that no charges have been filed against anyone.

Calhoun reportedly has a lengthy criminal history, with a long string of busts dating back to 2004, and previous prison time for two years on a fourth-degree assault conviction in 2009. According to documents, he was a talented artist, who told booking officials he earned his living painting designs on vehicles. Calhoun had been sent to prison in 2019 on a series of felony convictions, including burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, injuring a cop, and choking a police dog, according to New York Post. At that time, he was charged with three counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle, one count of assaulting a public safety officer, and one count of first-degree burglary.

Calhoun was initially supposed to get out of prison in June 2022 but was released early under an order by Oregon Governor Kate Brown, who granted clemency to 1000 inmates amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. The Willamette Week reported that Brown said she was "absolutely horrified" for the victims. Calhoun's sentence was also further reduced as he joined a team of convicts who helped fight wildfires in the state. However, he was sent back in custody, last month, after the current governor, Tina Kotek – who took over from Brown in January – revoked his commutation. Calhoun has not been charged for the deaths of the four women.