Attack at the University of Pennsylvania: Californian guilty of stabbing gay student to death in 2018

Samuel Woodward, 26, was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder with additional aggravated hate crime charges in the stabbing death of a gay University of Pennsylvania student.

During winter break, Bernstein, a 19-year-old sophomore in college, was spending time with his family in Southern California when he disappeared. A week later, his body was discovered in a shallow grave in Borrego Park in Lake Forest, ABC News reported.

In her closing argument, prosecutor Jennifer Walker emphasized Woodward’s affiliation with a violent, homophobic, neo-Nazi extremist group called Atomwaffen Division (Orange County District Attorney’s Office). She said Woodward actively sought out the organization, which specifically targets gay men.

Citing Woodward’s autism spectrum disorder and his confused sexual orientation due to his conservative upbringing, Woodward’s attorney Ken Morrison argued for a reduced charge. Morrison argues that the judge withheld important evidence and intends to appeal.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, authorities linked Woodward and Bernstein through Snapchat communications and evidence they found in Woodward’s home, including a bloody switchblade and hate group materials.

Woodward and Bernstein had graduated from the same high school and reconnected through a dating app. Woodward said he killed Bernstein because he thought Bernstein had taken a photo of him. Prosecutors presented evidence supporting Woodward’s violent intentions and hateful acts, leading to his conviction.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said, “Here in Orange County, hate will never be tolerated. This conviction shows that our society will never tolerate people who terrorize the most defenseless members of our community.”