SOLEDAD — After a five-day trial, on Oct. 4, a jury found Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) inmates Jorge Farias, 37, and Michael Bloom, 43, guilty of first-degree attempted murder on an inmate.
Farias was found to have suffered two prior strike convictions under California’s Three Strikes Law in 2012 for attempted murder and voluntary manslaughter with a firearm. Bloom was found to have suffered multiple prior strike convictions under California’s Three Strikes Law in 2007 for two robberies and two assaults with a firearm.
On Dec. 10, 2018, during the Facility B breakfast at SVSP in Soledad, Farias unexpectedly exited his prison cell against SVSP policy and ran directly into a neighboring cell. He was closely followed into the cell by Bloom. Both immediately began an attack on the inmate who lived in the cell, punching and stabbing him repeatedly.
The victim inmate suffered 28 stab wounds to his torso, neck, head and arms. He was rushed to Natividad Medical Center, where he was treated for life-threatening wounds.
Farias and Bloom will be sentenced on a date to be determined. Both face up to life in state prison, and a fine.
