A 27-year-old California man was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2018 murder of Jewish college student Blaze Bernstein in Orange County. Samuel Lincoln Woodward received the sentence on Friday for what prosecutors described as a hate-motivated killing.
Woodward, who was absent from the proceedings due to claimed illness, was found guilty of first-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement for fatally stabbing 19-year-old Bernstein, a pre-med student at the University of Pennsylvania.
The victim's body was discovered in a shallow grave at Lake Forest Park with over 28 stab wounds days after he was reported missing by his parents. DNA evidence on Bernstein's body and blood found on a knife led investigators to Woodward, his former high school classmate.
During the investigation, authorities uncovered Woodward's ties to the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division. A search of his home revealed antisemitic materials, hate group paraphernalia, and a blood-stained mask associated with the extremist organization. Prosecutors argued that Woodward committed the murder to gain standing within the group.
"Let's be clear: This was a hate crime," said Jeanne Pepper, Bernstein's mother, during her victim impact statement. "Samuel Woodward ended my son's life because my son was Jewish and gay."
Woodward's defense attorney, Ken Morrison, attempted to distance his client from the extremist ideology, claiming that Woodward's autism spectrum disorder led him to seek acceptance from the group. The defense also argued that Woodward acted in response to unwanted advances, though Bernstein's family strongly disputed this claim.
While Woodward initially admitted to the stabbing in 2018, he later pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. He will be eligible for a youth offender hearing after serving 25 years of his sentence.
The case sparked widespread community response in Southern California, with residents joining search efforts when Bernstein first disappeared. His memory lives on through the "Blaze it Forward" campaign, which promotes acts of kindness in his honor.
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