Samuel Woodward, 26, is currently on trial for the murder of Blaze Bernstein, 19, in Orange County, in January 2018. For the civil parties, it is clear that it was a “crime of hatred” linked to the religion and sexual orientation of the victim.
Was Blaze Bernstein’s murder a premeditated act? Did Samuel Woodward kill his friend because of his sexual orientation? That’s the question that jurors in the trial of Samuel Woodward, 26, will have to answer in the coming days, after three months of hearings.
On January 2, 2018, Blaze Bernstein, 19, got into a car with his former Orange County arts classmate, Samuel Woodward, to drive to Borrego Park, a deserted and completely exotic place. When he didn’t hear from him after the outing, his family reported him missing.
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And after seven long days of searching, the lifeless body of Blaze Bernstein was found buried in this park. He bore the marks of 28 stab wounds. The investigation quickly turned to Samuel Woodward, particularly because of his membership in the neo-Nazi terrorist group Atomwaffen Division.
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Justice believes it was a “hate crime”
The two boys, who had attended the same class, had found each other on Tinder six months before the tragedy. Samuel Woodward had “super liked” Blaze Bernstein’s profile and told him he was here to “find black women to go out and men to go hunting”. But throughout the discussions, Samuel Woodward did not appear to be completely closed to his comrade’s sexual propositions, going so far as to say that he could “make an exception” for him.
Then the messages stopped abruptly, before resuming six months later, at the end of December 2023, on Snapchat. Unfortunately, given the way this messaging service works, it is impossible to know what the two men said to each other, but it seems that Blaze Bernstein got into his friend’s car willingly that evening of January 2, 2018. Then, two versions clash: for the victim’s camp and the assistant prosecutor, it was a “hate crime” and a premeditated act. Samuel Woodward allegedly killed his friend because of his homosexuality and his membership in the Jewish community.
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During his hearing, Samuel Woodward gave another version of the facts, reports ABC News. The neo-Nazi twilight member explained that on the evening of the murder, he had smoked a heavy joint with his comrade and was totally “disconnected” when he felt something unusual in his pants at the crotch level. He said he thought he had urinated on himself because of the drugs, but discovered to his “terror” that his pants were unbuckled and that his friend was touching his penis with one hand and filming with the other. Blaze Bernstein then said to him: “I got you. I got you,” causing Samuel Woodward to fly into a rage.
He faces life in prison
A fight then allegedly broke out between the two men and Samuel Woodward allegedly grabbed a knife he had taken with him “to open a container” before attacking his victim, who tried to defend himself by scratching and biting his attacker. The neo-Nazi then allegedly moved his still-living body to a more discreet location, where he dug a hole with his bare hands before throwing his victim’s body into it. A chain of violence that took place in less than 1 hour 30 minutes.
A version of the facts to which the victim’s family and the principal assistant prosecutor, Jennifer Walker, do not adhere, reports ABC News. “He had packed his bags and told the people at the Atomwaffen Division that he was going to leave for a while at the time of the murder,” she said. He thought he was going to get through this. » Response from Samuel Woodward: “I will not let myself be crushed. I will get out of this trial.” The verdict is expected next week. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
