Santa Ana, California – A California man was convicted of murder with a hate crime enhancement on Wednesday in the 2018 stabbing death of a gay University of Pennsylvania student.
Samuel Woodward, 26, was found guilty of first-degree murder and enhancement in the death of Blaze Bernstein, a gay, Jewish college student who went missing while visiting his family in Southern California over winter break. Authorities searched the region for him until discovering his death a week later in a shallow grave at a nearby park.
The months-long trial focused on why Woodward killed Bernstein and the circumstances surrounding his death. During closing arguments, prosecutor Jennifer Walker stressed Woodward’s membership in Atomwaffen Division, a violent, anti-gay neo-Nazi extremist organization.
“This is a person who is motivated by hatred,” Walker stated. “Not following, not being led by, influenced by, victimized by Atomwaffen — seeking it out.”
With the hate crime addition, Woodward may face a life sentence without parole.
Woodward’s attorney, Ken Morrison, attempted to demonstrate at trial that his client did not intend to kill Bernstein and did not hate anyone, in order to secure a conviction on a lesser charge such as second-degree murder or manslaughter.
Morrison, who intends to appeal after sentencing, claims the judge made important decisions that deprived “jurors the ability to consider evidence critical to a fair trial.”
Bernstein’s family claimed in a statement that no verdict would “erase the pain of losing our son and the agony of waiting all of these years without resolution,” according to ABC News.
“He was an amazing human and humanitarian and a person we were greatly looking forward to having in our lives, seeing wondrous things from him as his young life unfolded,” according to his relatives. “From this funny, articulate, kind, intelligent, caring and brilliant scientist, artist, writer, chef and son, there will never be anyone quite like him.”
According to testimony at trial, Woodward and Bernstein attended the same high school in Orange County and met through a dating app in the months leading up to the attack. Woodward claimed he picked up Bernstein and took him to a nearby park, where he repeatedly stabbed him after attempting to retrieve a cellphone he suspected had been used to photograph him.
Prosecutors claim Woodward joined Atomwaffen Division and frequently targeted gay men online, reaching out to them before abruptly breaking off contact while keeping a vile, profanity-laced log of his conduct. They claimed Woodward had an interest in carrying out violent crimes in the weeks preceding the murder and reached out to Bernstein online.
“Hate will never be tolerated here in Orange County — and instead of being revered by other haters, he is a symbol of how society will never tolerate those who terrorize the most vulnerable members of our society,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement Wednesday.
Morrison, the defense lawyer, told jurors that Woodward struggled in his personal relationships as a result of a long-undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder, and that he was confused about his sexuality after growing up in a politically conservative and devout Catholic family where his father openly condemned homosexuality.
The case took years to reach trial as issues surfaced about Woodward’s mental health and many changes in defense attorneys. Woodward was found competent to stand trial in late 2022.
Bernstein, 19, went missing in January 2018 after going out at night with Woodward to a park in Lake Forest, some 45 miles (70 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. After Bernstein missed his dental appointment the next day, his parents discovered his glasses, wallet, and credit cards in his bedroom and attempted to reach him, but he did not answer to texts or phone calls.
Authorities conducted a thorough search, and Bernstein’s family discovered he had connected with Woodward over Snapchat. According to authorities, Woodward informed the family that Bernstein left to see a friend in the park that night and did not return.
Days later, Bernstein’s body was discovered in the shallow grave. He’d been stabbed repeatedly in the face and neck.
Police said they searched Woodward’s family house in Newport Beach and discovered a folding knife with a bloodied blade in his room. Prosecutors said they also discovered a black Atomwaffen mask with blood stains, as well as anti-gay, antisemitic, and hate group publications.
Source: AP
