Court rules for Manslaughter in Leaburg killing case

A Leaburg man who killed his 71-year-old roommate in July has been sentenced to 15 years in jail. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office had arrested Nickolas Trevor Jessee, 37, on July 8th, after a day-long search.

According to reports, deputies received a call from a neighbor shortly after 10 p.m, on Friday, July 8th. The witness reported seeing a dispute involving two males at a residence in the 44000 block of the McKenzie Highway. When police arrived on the scene they found Gary Stuart Coulter on the ground outside with severe injuries. He was transported by to the hospital by paramedics but died a short time later.

Investigators identified 37-year-old Nickolas Trevor Jessee as a person of interest in the assault turned homicide. They believed he had fled the area before they arrived at the property, but believed he could still be in the area.

Jessee was charged with second-degree murder when he was first arrested. In February he pleaded guilty to new charges of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault. According to court documents, Jessee has been convicted of several crimes in the past including sexual abuse, assault, DUII and burglary.

Jessee was sentenced on March 17th to 15 years of in jail and is not eligible for any reduction in his sentence as well as not being eligible for an early release. The court also ruled he will be subject to three years of probation after that prison time is up.