Medford man changes plea to guilty, sentenced to life in prison

MEDFORD, Ore. — A Medford man was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole at a settlement conference Friday.

Jesse Aaron Allen entered a guilty plea to the murder of Kaylynn Klosterman that happened on September 14, 2018.

According to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, police responded to reports of gunshots on the afternoon of September 14th at an apartment complex on Arrowhead Drive in Medford just after 2:30 p.m. A neighbor said they had heard four gunshots, then loud footsteps on the stairs as someone left the apartment in a hurry. According to the report, the apartment belonged to Kaylynn Klosterman, she and Allen had been in an on-again, off-again relationship for many years.

When Medford Police Officers entered the apartment they found Klosterman’s body in her bedroom. Police say they tried to reach Allen several times by phone, and he made admissions about how he knew he was going to jail for the rest of his life but refused to turn himself in. The next day, law enforcement made contact with a witness who said Allen had confessed to shooting the victim. Allen also posted on Facebook during the time, commenting on articles about the shooting. He was eventually arrested at his mother’s house, and police were able to recover the firearm he had disposed of on the side of the road. He then provided a full confession once taken back to the Medford Police Department.

According to Allen, that afternoon he saw that the victim had been communicating with a male coworker on her phone and he became angry about it. Klosterman then left the apartment but came home later to get ready for work and the argument continued. Allen said as she got ready for work he picked up his .40 caliber pistol from the dresser in the closet. He said that’s when he fired two rounds at the victim, then paused and fired two more rounds.

The case was set for trial on November 18th, but at the settlement conference Friday, the defendant changed his plea to guilty. At sentencing, the defendant told the victim’s family that he was sorry for his actions. The family was also given a chance to speak and spoke about their love for Kaylynn Klosterman.