PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (KRON) — A young woman went hiking along the ocean at picturesque Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove. She had no way of knowing that two U.S. Marines with a heinous plan were waiting for a victim to walk by. Marines Jason Allen Blad and Jesse Jay Carson grabbed the woman, stabbed her repeatedly in the chest, and slashed her neck.
The Marines’ twisted ambush happened 23 years ago. The victim miraculously survived. This month, Blad is set to be released from a California prison because he was granted parole, despite objections from prosecutors and the victim’s family.
“A date for release from custody is still pending but will likely occur within the next month,” the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office stated.
Blad was 21 when he attempted to murder a complete stranger, prosecutors said. He is now 43 years old.
“In 2000, Jason Blad, along with a codefendant, Jesse Jay Carson, planned to commit a murder. They prepared and equipped themselves and hastily selected a lone victim on a hiking trail at Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove,” prosecutors wrote.
Blad and Carson were both active duty, uniformed Marines enrolled in the Defense Language Institute’s Cryptological Linguistics program in Monterey.
“They attacked the victim, restraining her as she was repeatedly stabbed and slashed. They taunted her with threats and promises of death. During the attack, the victim suffered multiple stabs to her torso and slash wounds to her neck. The victim was unarmed, alone, and vulnerable and presented no threat to the Marines,” prosecutors wrote.
The attack sent shockwaves through the Monterey Peninsula.
Though initially questioned as suspects, the Marines gave investigators alibis. It was not until months later, when Carson experienced a mental health crisis, that the truth was uncovered, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
In June of 2002, Blad was sentenced by Judge Stephen Sillman to serve seven years to life for the attempted murder. Blad has served 21 years in prison.
On February 22, the California Board of Parole Hearings voted to uphold a grant of
parole.
At a hearing in October, the state parole board applied “Youthful Offender” factors in finding Blad eligible for parole. The cut-off for Youthful Offender consideration by law is age 26.
The parole board also listed his accomplishments in prison. He participated in and completed many programs offered to inmates for vocation and self-help. The board found that he had no negative association in prison and that he had an adequate discharge plan.
Blad and the victim’s parents attended the parole hearing. The parents pleaded with the Board of Parole not to release their daughter’s attacker. The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office also attended and presented arguments against his release.
In the coming weeks, Blad will be freed from Sierra Conservation Center, a medium-security facility for prison inmates in Jamestown, Calif. SCC functions as the center for training inmates in firefighting techniques for battling California wildfires.
