Kalamazoo Man Sentenced in 2023 Homicide Case

Published on September 16, 2025

A Kalamazoo man has been sentenced to prison in connection with a 2023 homicide that occurred on the city’s east side.

Jason Lawrence Blough, 42, pled no contest on Aug. 14, 2025, to involuntary manslaughter and habitual offender–third offense charges. On Sept. 15, 2025, Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Pamela L. Lightvoet sentenced Blough to 10 to 30 years in custody of the Michigan Department of Corrections. He received credit for 673 days served.

The charges stemmed from a Nov. 12, 2023, incident in the 800 block of E. Crosstown Parkway, where officers with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety responded to a report of a homicide. Investigators determined that Blough fatally stabbed 62-year-old Heriberto Contreras Jr. following a verbal argument the night before. Both men were experiencing homelessness at the time. Blough was arrested the same day.

A jury trial earlier this year ended in a hung jury on June 4, 2025, before Blough entered his plea in August.

“This case represents the difficult and often tragic work our investigators face,” said Captain Danielle Guilds, head of KDPS’s Criminal Investigations Division. “While nothing can undo the loss suffered by Mr. Contreras’ loved ones, this sentence brings a measure of accountability and closure to the case.”

For further information, please contact the KDPS Public Information Office.

By authority of: Public Information Officer Zach Hamelton