Los Angeles man convicted of hate crime against Blaze Bernstein – NBC Los Angeles

An Orange County man was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder in the 2018 death of a gay former high school classmate.

Jurors also concluded that Samuel Woodward committed a hate crime when he killed 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein, whose body was left in a shallow grave in Borrego Park in Lake Forest. The victim had been stabbed multiple times in the face and neck.

When the verdict in the hate crime case was announced, loud cheers could be heard in the courtroom. The judge asked for quiet before the bailiff continued reading the jury’s verdict.

“It is a great relief that justice has been served and that this despicable human being who murdered our son is no longer a threat to the public,” said Jeanne Pepper Bernstein, Blaze Bernstein’s mother, at a press conference after the verdict.

There were no visible signs of reaction from Woodward. He sat facing forward, his face obscured by his long hair.

The verdict was reached during one day of deliberations.

During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Woodward, who had joined a homophobic and anti-Semitic group, had targeted gay men on the Internet and made contact with them before abruptly breaking off contact.

Woodward’s murder charge included a sentencing enhancement for a hate crime and personal use of a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A date for the verdict was not immediately set.

“The defendant killed Blaze Bernstein on January 2 or in the early morning hours of January 3 because he was gay,” Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Walker told jurors.

But Woodward’s defense attorney said Woodward did not hate Bernstein or plan to kill him when the two met. Instead, he said Woodward was conflicted about his own sexuality and acted in a fit of rage.

The defense also argued that Woodward’s long-undiagnosed autism made him vulnerable to recruitment by white supremacist groups that target people like the defendant seeking “acceptance and validation.” Woodward was also “obsessed” with gay men and gay porn sites, his defense attorney said.

Woodward admitted during the trial that he had met Bernstein through a dating app and that the two had met when Bernstein was home during his winter break at the University of Pennsylvania.

Woodward testified that while he and Bernstein were lying together in the park, Bernstein began touching him in a sexual manner.

He said he was “scared to death” after seeing the light on Bernstein’s phone. He was afraid Bernstein was taking pictures and sending them to others.

Woodward later testified that he stabbed Bernstein and felt a rage he had never felt in his entire life.

Numerous witnesses, including relatives, friends and officials, have spoken during the trial. Woodward’s testimony was slow, with long pauses before answering his lawyer’s questions.