Blaze Bernstein murder trial: Samuel Woodward gets life in prison without parole for murder of gay student in 2018

SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS) — A 27-year-old man was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the hate crime murder of a former gay classmate in Foothill Ranch six years ago.

Samuel Lincoln Woodward was convicted in the July 3, 2018, stabbing of 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein.

The victim’s mother, Jeanne Pepper, read an emotional impact statement to the court during Friday’s sentencing hearing:

“This calm and serious young man lied to us, the adamant parents of the young man he had stabbed less than 24 hours before with a 6-inch blade and buried in a park near our home, he led us to believe as a mistake .that Blaze had wandered into a large, dark park near our house that leads into the wilderness behind our house.

“When the search began the next day, enormous law enforcement and resources came to our aid to search for clues in the forest, in the park and on the Internet. His killer also showed up that day -there at the park, then went home to clean his car of any evidence… I’m so scared thinking about my child being hurt, lost in the woods, or being held by a neo-Nazi extremist group. Then we got a phone call on January 10th, my father’s birthday, they found my son’s body in the forest in the mud in the park,” she continued.

“How could this happen? No mother should have to bury her child… My heart was so broken and yet unable to accept the reality that he was no longer part of our world. didn’t tell the details of his condition because I was having a hard time coping with the reality of his death. I will never forget hearing for the first time that Blaze had been stabbed 28 times while. I was listening to the news while I was in the park where his body was found. I collapsed to the ground screaming. It was one of many panic attacks I would have that first year.

“It’s the worst and most painful thing that has ever happened to me, knowing that he died in such a horrible, horrible way, stabbed to death by someone pretending to be a high school classmate.” , she said.

“When I think about his last moments, it horrifies me so much that I had panic attacks just thinking about it. Sleepless nights.”

“I never thought I would smile again or be happy again, but I stand here today relieved and happy that this sociopath will never leave Orange County or murder anyone’s children again. ‘another… while Sam languishes in prison, we will be here on the outside, celebrating Blaze’s life and continuing to do good with those who work every day to make this world a more caring, kinder place. and safer for the Jewish and LGBTQ communities,” Pepper said.

The hate crime charge alleges that Woodward killed Bernstein because of the victim’s sexual orientation, not because he was Jewish, although jurors also received evidence of the defendant’s association with a neo-Nazi group known as the Atomwaffen Division to examine a pattern of bigotry.

Friday’s sentencing hearing was delayed because Woodward did not come out of his jail cell. His lawyer later said his client was ill. The hearing, which was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., did not begin until 2 p.m. and was held without Woodward in court.

Woodward and Bernstein attended the Orange County School of the Arts together for four years. Bernstein graduated after six years at the school and became a pre-med student at the University of Pennsylvania.

Woodward, meanwhile, transferred to Corona Del Mar High School where he graduated and went to Cal State Channel Islands before dropping out during his second semester.

Woodward spent five days testifying during the trial, often taking up to 30 seconds to answer yes or no questions. Woodward’s attorney, Ken Morrison of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, presented evidence of his client’s autism issues that left him so eager for companionship that he was easily lured to a neo-group -Nazi.

Woodward said he contacted Bernstein hours after a lengthy texting conversation with his older brother’s best friend, Dylan Gronendyke, on New Year’s Day 2018. As Woodward complained about not being able to establish meaningful relationships and that he would even leave the house and go to a parking lot alone just to give his parents the impression that he was out with friends, Gronendyke encouraged him to go back to college and not give up on make friends.

Nearly a day passed before Bernstein responded to Woodward, and the two agreed to meet up on the night of January 2, 2018. Woodward stuffed snacks, drinks and marijuana into a bag of sleeping area and picked up Bernstein, who directed the two to Borrego Park, where the victim’s mother said he had many memories of his life, such as playing football as a youth.

Woodward testified that he took two puffs of an intoxicating strain of marijuana and felt like he was falling asleep until he felt a strange sensation in his legs and immediately thought that he had relaxed too much and urinated on himself, as he had done before.

When he realized this, Woodward testified, he realized his pants were undone and the victim had his hand on his groin. Bernstein also appeared to photograph or videotape the encounter, he testified.

This triggered panic in Woodward, who said he was in “mortal terror” that his family, opposed to homosexuality for religious reasons, would find out. He said he had difficulty getting the phone away from Bernstein, who the defendant said was saying words in an effort to “out” Woodward, who had a reputation for homophobia in high school.

When he couldn’t get the phone, Woodward said he slammed and stabbed Bernstein several times, then smashed the phone.

Woodward said he dug a shallow grave with his hands and left the body in the park.

When Bernstein failed to show up for a dentist appointment, which was unusual and could not be contacted, his worried parents began looking for clues and contacted authorities. The victim’s body was found Jan. 9, 2018, in an area of ​​the park that had been explored previously, but a recent rain made it easier to see, said Senior Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Walker.

Morrison told jurors that the evidence of his client’s autism was not presented as an effort to excuse the crime, but to help jurors understand his state of mind – and for them to reject the allegations of hate crime and accept a lesser degree of homicide.

“Samuel Lincoln Woodward should be held accountable for what he did,” Morrison said during his closing argument. “He should not be held accountable for what he didn’t do. This case was overcharged.”

Morrison described his client as someone who struggled through life, only realizing at the age of 18 that he was autistic, when it was too late for the interventions usually prescribed. The disorder made it difficult for him to communicate and led to social awkwardness and loneliness, and the late diagnosis made him particularly vulnerable to being courted by a fringe and extremist group like the Atomwaffen Division, the lawyer argued. defense.

Woodward became disillusioned with the group after a two-month excursion to Texas in the summer of 2017 with the man who lured him into the group, when he ran out of money for food and a motel, Morrison said.

Morrison argued that although Woodward and Bernstein did not interact much when they were classmates, they had worked on some projects together and that Woodward considered him a “relaxed guy.” Morrison said the defendant was surprised to discover Bernstein was gay when they reconnected on a dating app in June 2017, and Woodward began to admire how comfortable the victim was with his orientation sexual while the accused struggled with his own.

Walker argued to jurors that the evidence indicated Woodward planned to attack Bernstein in a “ceremonial” killing to gain prestige for the neo-Nazi group. She said he wore a sweater with a picture of a skull on it to instill fear in the victim, and that Bernstein’s blood was splattered on it after the attack.

When Bernstein’s panicked parents scoured their missing son’s social media for clues, they called Woodward, who lied to them about what happened to their son, according to the prosecutor. Walker said Woodward also began researching DNA information and even had his hair cut to change his appearance, while Bernstein’s research made headlines.

She dismissed Morrison’s arguments that Bernstein betrayed Woodward’s requests to remain silent about the fact that the two corresponded on a dating app. Walker said Bernstein was rightly “shocked” to see Woodward searching for men on the dating app and sent a link to his public profile to a few classmates at the art school.

Walker said Bernstein kept his promise not to share details of their conversations with others.

Copyright 2024, City News Service, Inc.

ABC7.com staff contributed to this report.