This page is dedicated to my friend Jake, whom I’ve known since elementary school. Jake “Shadoe” Klemp is a prisoner of the Michigan Department of Corrections. He is serving a life without parole (LWOP) sentence. That means Jake will die in prison unless he receives a public parole hearing, pardon, or commutation. On this page you will learn in Jake’s own words about his journey from growing up in a small, conservative community, in a middle-class family, to his status as MDOC Asset No. 231258.
Jake on a visit with two of his sisters.
Jake in an MDOC photo. Jake with a sister in visit photo.
Greetings From the Abyss
Jake Klemp
MDOC Asset No. 238251
I’ve written, rewritten, deleted, and revised. It’s all coming from a place of self-doubt and being overly critical because of my intention to make this perfect. To tell my story in a manner that will reach the most people and have the most profound effect. In the process I lost focus and sight. With that written, please allow me to start over.
I started having run-ins with the law from a very early age. If memory serves me, I was ten years old when I was caught shoplifting. From there it progressed. Nothing of a violent nature, just property crimes. Looking back on it, I see it as my being a rebellious youth and pushing the boundaries at every turn. I wound up going to prison at the age of nineteen for property crimes. During that time, I experienced some things I’d rather not relive now The short of it is, I came back with a chip on my shoulder, extremely pissed off with a take-no-shit attitude.
As anyone who knew me will attest, I always had an affinity for sticking up for people I thought were being bullied or taken advantage of because they were weaker. It all boiled down to me feeling like I was righting the wrongs that had happened to me when I was younger. The night the incident occurred which ultimately ended with me being sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole, was a product of the aforementioned.
It was Sunday morning, June 18, 1998. Shortly after closing time at the Attic bar, which was within walking distance from my house. Josh Piper and I raced back on foot. We continued drinking. A lot of the details are blurry, but that’s what I remember. My roommate, Sean Eman, showed up with some guy he had met at the bar. He almost instantly started threatening Josh and continued even after Josh told him he wasn’t looking for any trouble. This is what I vividly remember because Josh wasn’t Josh anymore, he was me.
It was like a flashback of being bullied and something rose up inside me and screamed, “No more! Never again!”
No more! Never again!
