Orange County man convicted of hate crime murder in killing of gay ex-classmate Blaze Bernstein
Samuel Woodward was accused of repeatedly stabbing and killing Blaze Bernstein, who was 19 years old at the time of his murder.
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An Orange County man was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday in the stabbing death of a gay former high school classmate in 2018.
Jurors also found that Samuel Woodward committed a hate crime when he killed 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein, whose body was left in a shallow grave at Borrego park in Lake Forest. The victim had been repeatedly stabbed in the face and neck.
There were audible cheers in the courtroom when the hate crime decision was announced. The judge asked for quiet before the clerk continued reading the jury’s verdict.
“This is a great relief that justice is served, and this despicable human who murdered our son will no longer be a threat to the public,” Jeanne Pepper Bernstein, Blaze Bernstein’s mother, said in a news conference after the verdict was read.
There were no indications of any visible reaction from Woodward. He sat facing forward, his face obscured by his long, hair.
The verdict was reached one day of deliberations.
The prosecution alleged during the trial that Woodward, who had joined an anti-gay and anti-Semitic group, targeted gay men online and reached out to them before abruptly cutting off communication.
The murder charge against Woodward included sentencing enhancements for a hate crime and the personal use of a deadly weapon. He faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole when he’s sentenced.
A sentencing date was not immediately scheduled.
“The defendant on Jan. 2 or in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, killed Blaze Bernstein because he was gay,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker told jurors.
But Woodward’s defense attorney said Woodward did not hate Bernstein and did not plan to kill him when the two met up, instead saying Woodward was conflicted by his own sexuality and acted in a fit of rage.
The defense also argued Woodward’s long undiagnosed issues with autism left him vulnerable to recruitment by the white supremacist groups that target individuals like the defendant, who sought “acceptance and validation.” Woodward also had an “obsession” with gay men and gay porn sites, his defense attorney said.
Woodward had admitted during the trial that he had matched with Bernstein on a dating app, and the two met up when Bernstein was home during his winter break while attending the University of Pennsylvania.
Woodward testified while he and Bernstein were laying in the park together that Bernstein started to touch him in a sexual manner.
He said he was in “mortal terror” after seeing the light on Bernstein’s cell phone. He was afraid Bernstein was recording and sending photos out to others.
Woodward then testified that he stabbed Bernstein and felt an anger like he’d never felt in his whole life.
The trial has involved numerous witnesses including relatives, friends and authorities. Woodward’s testimony has moved slowly, with him taking long pauses before answering his attorney’s questions.
