A man whose prison sentence was commuted by former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in 2021 has been linked to the deaths of four women who were found within three months this year and within 100 miles of each other in the greater Portland area.
Jesse Lee Calhoun, 38, was among 41 prisoners whose sentences Brown commuted for fighting wildfires in 2020. Calhoun went to prison in 2019 on stolen vehicle and burglary convictions.
Brown commuted Calhoun’s sentence June 23, 2021, after determining he “did not present an unacceptable safety, security, or compliance risk to the community,” according to a June 25, 2021 letter reviewed by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Calhoun was released from the Columbia River Correctional Institution on July 22, 2021, nearly a year earlier than he was supposed to, according to Betty Bernt, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Corrections.
Almost two years after his release, investigators identified Calhoun as a person of interest in the deaths of the four women, as first reported by Willamette Week.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s office did not say what information linked the four women’s deaths and how investigators had identified Calhoun.
“We have not named a suspect,” said Liz Merah, a district attorney’s office spokesperson. “Investigators have interviewed multiple people in connection with these cases and have identified at least one person of interest that is linked to all four of the decedents.”
District Attorney Mike Schmidt requested in a June 30 letter to Gov. Kotek’s public safety advisor and general counsel that Kotek revoke Calhoun’s commutation.
“Since his release from custody pursuant to this commutation, Mr. Calhoun has been involved in criminal activity currently under investigation by Oregon law enforcement,” Schmidt wrote.
Calhoun was “admitted back to DOC custody” on July 6 to serve the rest of his prison sentence, which would end June 9, 2024, Bernt said.
