Murder of Blaze Bernstein

Blaze Bernstein was a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, home visiting his family in Lake Forest, California, when he disappeared on January 2, 2018, after leaving to meet an acquaintance at a nearby park. He was born April 27, 1998, in South Orange County, California, and had attended the Orange County School of the Arts before enrolling at Penn.

Eight days after he was reported missing, on January 10, 2018, Bernstein was found dead in the park. He had been stabbed 28 times. Two days after his body was found, authorities arrested Samuel Lincoln Woodward, a 20-year-old former high school classmate of Bernstein's, and charged him with murder. Woodward, who had briefly attended California State University Channel Islands, was identified as a member of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division. Because Bernstein was openly gay and Jewish, authorities characterized the killing as a hate crime.

The Orange County District Attorney initially charged Woodward with murder and personal use of a deadly weapon, facing a maximum of 26 years if convicted on those counts. In August 2018, prosecutors added two hate-crime charges related to Bernstein's sexual orientation, raising the potential sentence to life without parole. Woodward, linked to the crime scene by DNA evidence, pleaded not guilty. His bail, initially set at $5 million, was later denied entirely at a November 2018 hearing, and he was held in custody pending trial. His attorney indicated Woodward had Asperger syndrome and was confused about his own sexual identity.

The case was delayed for years, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple postponements. In July 2022, proceedings were temporarily suspended amid questions about Woodward's competency to stand trial; mental health experts found him competent in October 2022. Jury selection began in February 2024, and the trial opened in April 2024. In opening statements, Woodward's defense attorney acknowledged his client's guilt but argued the killing was not premeditated or motivated by hatred, instead pointing to text messages between Bernstein and Woodward. Prosecutors presented evidence including messages in which Woodward discussed baiting gay men and referenced a prior attack, along with a photo of a knife captioned "Texting is boring, but murder isn't." Prosecutors argued the killing was motivated by antisemitism and homophobia tied to Woodward's radicalization and ties to Atomwaffen Division, including his travel to Texas to train with the group.

On July 3, 2024, Woodward was found guilty of murdering Bernstein. On November 15, 2024, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was initially imprisoned at Wasco State Prison before being transferred to California State Prison, Sacramento.