Accused crowbar-wielding road-rage attacker seeks bail
The man accused of attacking an Edmonton woman with a crowbar in an apparent case of road rage last month will ask a judge for bail Friday afternoon.
Jared Matthew Eliasson has been in custody since he was arrested the following day.
The 28 year old is charged with attempted murder, possession of a dangerous weapon and aggravated assault.
The 34-year-old woman was attacked in front of her house on the morning of March 7 after she got out of her car.
The woman, who has asked not be to identified, suffered two broken arms, cracked wrists and a dislocated elbow.
Her sister, Belynda Schendzielorz, has raised more than $8,000 to date in a GoFundMe campaign.
Two weeks ago, Schendzielorz posted an on-line update, revealing her sister was released from hospital a week after the attack before moving to a new house with her family.
"Every day it is slightly better, but a work in progress," Schendzielorz wrote.
"For the most part her spirits are high and she is very determined that this will not keep her from work for too long. She is hoping that in six weeks she will be able to go back to work on light duties."
The victim spoke exclusively to CBC the day after the attack, before she knew an arrest had been made. At the time she told CBC News she thought the man belongs in prison for what he did to her.
"Throw the book at him," she said from her hospital bed. "Lock him up. Don't let him out, because there's something seriously wrong with him."
The accused was once a victim of a violent random attack himself.
In July 2014, Eliasson was walking home with a buddy after a night out with friends.
According to court records, a stranger high on meth came out of nowhere and began stabbing the two men.
Eliasson was stabbed six times in the stomach and chest in what he later described as "a reprehensible act" in his victim impact statement.
According to court transcripts provincial court Judge Greg Lepp described the attack as unprovoked, random, vicious, and potentially life-threatening.
He noted the assaults caused the victims significant and long-lasting physical and psychological harm.
Eliasson wrote in his August 2014 victim impact statement, "I want my life back. The life I had before it was taken away ... I have lost some of my dignity.
"I have developed some physical ticks I experience when I think of the event or am reminded of it. I can only hope in time they will go away."
Now, two and a half years later, Eliasson is accused of inflicting psychological and physical pain on someone else.
It's unclear if Eliasson's past as a victim will be raised as an issue at Friday's bail hearing.
