Title: Marines Sentenced For Rec Trail Attack

Source: KSBW

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Marines Sentenced For Rec Trail Attack
Former Marines Gets Life In Prison

POSTED: 3:21 p.m. PDT June 6, 2002
UPDATED: 4:41 p.m. PDT June 6, 2002

SALINAS, Calif. -- The two Marines charged with the attempted murder of a woman on the Pacific Grove Recreation Trail were sentenced Thursday.

Jason Blad was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the March 2001 knife attack.

Blad and fellow Marine Jesse Carson were accused of stabbing the woman in the torso 11 times, slitting her throat twice, and leaving her for dead.

The victim, identified only as Brooke, and her parents each read statements to the court during Thursday's sentencing.

The victim told her attacker that nobody deserves what happened to her and showed Blad the scar on her throat, saying "it's not mine, it's yours."

She said she didn't know what a fair sentence would be, but told Blad what's waiting for him in prison is probably fair and that he should be scared.

"It was something they did not want to do, something Brooke did not want to do, but they were forced into it because of the conduct of the defendant," prosecutor Ed Hazel said.

Blad spoke to the victim and her parents and asked them to accept his sincere apology.

"He's an extremely remorseful young man. He's shed tears over this time and time again. If he could turn back the clock, he'd do it in heartbeat. Not so much for his own good, but the young lady's good," defense attorney David Eyster said.

Blad will be eligible for a parole hearing in seven years.