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

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

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

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

“This calm and serious sounding young man lied to us, the emphatic parents of the young man he had less than 24 hours earlier, stabbed 28 times with a 6 inch knife and buried in a park near our home, he tricked us into believing that Blaze had wandered into a dark and vast park near our house that leads into the wilderness behind our house.

“As the search began the next day, incredible law enforcement and resources came to our aid to search the woods, the park and the internet for clues. His killer also showed up at the park that day and then went home to clean his car of any evidence… I’m so scared I think my child is injured, lost in the woods, or being held by an extremist neo-Nazi group . Then we got the call on January 10, my father’s birthday, they found my son’s body 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 I could not accept the reality that he was no longer part of our world. I was not told how he was doing .” murdered because I had trouble dealing with the reality of his death. I will never forget the first time I heard that Blaze had been stabbed 28 times while listening to the news while I was in the park where his body was found I fell to the ground screaming. That 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, to know that he died in such a horrible, horrible way, stabbed to death by someone who claimed to be a high school classmate,” she said.

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

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

The hate-crime enhancement alleged that Woodward killed Bernstein because of the victim’s sexual orientation, not because he was Jewish, although jurors were also presented with evidence of the suspect’s association with a neo-Nazi group known as the Atomwaffen Division to create a pattern of intolerance.

Friday’s sentencing hearing was postponed because Woodward failed to get out of jail. 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 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 attended Cal State Channel Islands before dropping out in his second semester.

Woodward spent five days testifying during the trial, often taking up to 30 seconds to respond to 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, which made him long for companionship so much that he was easily drawn to a neo-Nazi group.

Woodward said he contacted Bernstein for hours on New Year’s Day 2018 after a long text exchange with his big brother’s best friend, Dylan Groenendyke. While Woodward complained that he could not form meaningful relationships and would even leave the house and go to a parking lot alone to give his parents the impression that he was going out with friends, Groenendyke encouraged him to return to college and not quit give to make friends.

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

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

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

This caused panic among Woodward, who said he was in “deathly fear” that his family, who objected to homosexuality on religious grounds, would find out. He said he had difficulty getting the phone away from Bernstein, who, the defendant alleged, said words to the effect of “excluding” Woodward, who had a reputation in high school for his homophobia.

When he couldn’t get the phone, Woodward said he snapped and stabbed Bernstein repeatedly and then destroyed the phone.

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

When Bernstein didn’t show up for a dentist appointment, which was unusual and unavailable, his concerned parents looked for clues and contacted authorities. The victim’s body was found Jan. 9, 2018, in an area of ​​the park that had previously been scoured, but recent rain made it easier to see him, Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said.

Morrison told jurors that evidence of his client’s autism was not presented as an attempt to excuse the crime, but to help jurors understand his state of mind — and to get them to dismiss the hate crime charges and to a lesser extent of murder.

“Samuel Lincoln Woodward must be held accountable for what he did,” Morrison said during his closing arguments. “He should not be held responsible for what he did not do. This case has been overcharged.”

Morrison characterized his client as someone who struggled through life and did not realize he had autism until he was 18, when it was too late for the usually prescribed interventions. 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 the appeal of a fringe, extremist group like the Atomwaffen Division, the lawyer argued.

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

Morrison argued that although Woodward and Bernstein did not hang out much when they were classmates, there were projects they worked on together and Woodward considered him a “chill guy.” Morrison said the defendant was surprised to discover Bernstein was gay when they reconnected on a dating app in June 2017, and Woodward came to admire how the victim became comfortable with his sexual orientation while the defendant struggled with his.

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

As Bernstein’s panicked parents searched their missing son’s social media for clues, they called Woodward, who prosecutors say lied to them about what happened to their son. Walker said Woodward also began searching for information about DNA and even got a haircut to change his appearance as the search for Bernstein made headlines.

She brushed aside Morrison’s arguments that Bernstein betrayed Woodward’s requests to keep quiet that the two matched on a dating app. Walker said Bernstein was rightfully “shocked” when he saw Woodward looking for men on the dating app and sent a link to his public profile to some art school classmates.

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.