Blaze Bernstein trial: Samuel Woodward sentenced to life

SANTA ANA, Calif. - Samuel Woodward was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his gay former classmate in Foothill Ranch six years ago.

Woodward was convicted in July of a hate crime, fatally stabbing 19-year-old Blaze Bernstiein.

Sentencing was originally scheduled for early Friday morning, but had to be pushed back because Woodward allegedly refused to leave his cell.

The hate-crime enhancement alleged Woodward killed Bernstein because of the victim's sexual orientation, not because he was Jewish, though jurors were also given evidence of the defendant's association with a neo-Nazi group known as the Atomwaffen Division to consider a pattern of bigotry.

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

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Woodward, meanwhile, transferred to Corona Del Mar High School where he graduated and went on to 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 issues with autism that made him hunger for companionship so much he was easily drawn in by a neo-Nazi group.

Woodward said he reached out to Bernstein hours after a long text-exchange conversation with his big brother's best friend, Dylan Gronendyke, on New Year's Day in 2018. As Woodward complained that he could not establish any meaningful relationships and would even leave the house and go to a parking lot alone just to give his parents the impression he went out with friends, Gronendyke encouraged him to return to college and to not give up trying to make friends.

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

Woodward testified he took two hits off a heady strain of marijuana and felt he was nodding off until he felt a strange sensation on his legs and immediately thought he had gotten too relaxed and urinated on himself, as he had done previously.

When he snapped to, Woodward testified, he realized his pants were undone and the victim had his hand on his groin. Bernstein also appeared to be photographing or video recording the encounter, he testified.

This triggered panic in Woodward, who said he was in "mortal terror" of his family, who objected to homosexuality on religious grounds, would find out. He said he struggled to get the phone away from Bernstein, who, the defendant claimed, was saying words to the effect that he would "out" Woodward, who had a reputation in high school for homophobia.

When he could not get the phone, Woodward said he snapped and repeatedly stabbed Bernstein and 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 for a dental appointment, which was unusual, and could not be contacted, his worried parents began searching for clues and contacted authorities. The victim's body was found Jan. 9, 2018, in an area of the park that had been scoured previously, but recent rain made it easier to see him, Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said.

Morrison told jurors 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 hate-crime allegations 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 did not do. This case was over-charged."

Morrison characterized his client as someone struggling through life, not understanding until he was 18 that he had autism 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 especially vulnerable to being wooed by a fringe, extremist group like Atomwaffen Division, the defense attorney argued.

Woodward grew disillusioned with the group after a two-month excursion in the summer of 2017 to Texas 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 though Woodward and Bernstein did not interact much when they were classmates, there were projects they worked on together and that Woodward considered him a "chill guy." Morrison said the defendant was surprised to find out Bernstein was gay when they reconnected on a dating app in June 2017, and Woodward grew to admire how the victim was comfortable with his sexual orientation while the defendant struggled with his own.

Walker argued to jurors that the evidence pointed to Woodward planning to attack Bernstein in a "ceremonial" killing to win the prestige of the neo-Nazi group. She said he wore a sweater with a skull image on it to "strike fear" into the victim, and that it had Bernstein's blood spattered on it after the attack.

When Bernstein's panicked parents went through their missing son's social media looking for clues, they called Woodward, who lied to them about what had happened to their son, according to the prosecutor. Walker said Woodward also began searching for information on DNA and even got a haircut to change his appearance while the search for Bernstein made headlines.

She brushed aside Morrison's arguments that Bernstein had betrayed Woodward's requests to keep it quiet that the two matched on a dating app. Walker said Bernstein was rightly "shocked" to see Woodward seeking males on the dating app and sent a link to his public profile to a few fellow classmates from the school of the arts.

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