Current:Home > MarketsYears after college student is stabbed to death, California man faces trial in hate case -Aspire Money Growth
Years after college student is stabbed to death, California man faces trial in hate case
View
Date:2025-04-17 18:24:41
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — More than six years after University of Pennsylvania student Blaze Bernstein was killed, the Southern California man charged with stabbing him to death in an act of hate is expected to stand trial.
Opening statements are scheduled for Tuesday in the murder case against now-26-year-old Samuel Woodward from Newport Beach, California. He has pleaded not guilty.
Woodward is charged with stabbing to death Bernstein, a 19-year-old gay, Jewish college sophomore who was home visiting his family on winter break. The two young men had previously attended the same high school in Orange County.
Bernstein went missing after he went out with Woodward to a park in Lake Forest, California, in January 2018. Bernstein’s parents found his glasses, wallet and credit cards in his bedroom the next day when he missed a dentist appointment and wasn’t responding to texts or calls, prosecutors wrote in a trial brief.
Days later, Bernstein’s body was found buried at the park in a shallow grave.
Woodward picked Bernstein up from his parents’ home after connecting with him on Snapchat and stabbed him nearly 20 times in the face and neck, authorities said.
DNA evidence linked Woodward to the killing and his cellphone contained troves of anti-gay, antisemitic and hate group materials, authorities said.
Woodward sought to become a member of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, which espoused white supremacy, a year earlier, according to the prosecutors’ brief. He made journal entries, including one titled “diary of hate” that described threats he said he had made to gay people online, the brief said.
A folding knife with a bloodied blade was found in Woodward’s room at his parents’ home in the upscale community of Newport Beach, authorities said. Woodward was arrested two days later.
Woodward has pleaded not guilty to murder with an enhancement for a hate crime.
The case took years to go to trial after questions arose about Woodward’s mental state and following multiple changes of defense attorneys. Woodward was deemed competent to stand trial in late 2022.
One of Woodward’s previous lawyers said his client has Asperger’s syndrome, a developmental disorder that generally causes difficulty with social interactions, and struggled with his own sexuality.
Ken Morrison, Woodward’s attorney, urged the public to avoid jumping to conclusions about the case.
“For the past six years, the public has been reading and hearing a prosecution and muckraking narrative about this case that is simply fundamentally wrong,” Morrison wrote in an email. “I caution everyone to respect our judicial process and wait until a jury has been able to see, hear, and evaluate all of the evidence.”
The Orange County district attorney’s office declined to comment on the case ahead of trial.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- How Justin Bieber and Pregnant Hailey Bieber's Family Reacted to Baby News
- Girlfriend of Surfer Found Dead in Mexico Shares His Gut-Wrenching Final Voicemail
- No Idea How To Do Your Hair? These Under-$15 Accessories & Tool-Free Style Hacks Are the Perfect Solution
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- See the 2024 Met Gala's best-dressed stars and biggest moments
- 2024 South Carolina General Assembly session may be remembered for what didn’t happen
- Hundreds of Columbia Jewish students sign pro-Israel letter. Not all Jewish students agree.
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Airman shot by deputy doted on little sister and aimed to buy mom a house, family says
Ranking
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- New genus of tiny, hornless deer that lived 32 million years ago discovered at Badlands National Park
- OPACOIN Trading Center: Harnessing Bitcoin’s Potential to Pioneer New Applications in Cryptocurrencies
- 1 lawmaker stops South Carolina health care consolidation bill that had overwhelming support
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- Scammer who claimed to be an Irish heiress should be extradited to UK, judge rules
- Senate scrambles to pass bill improving air safety and service for travelers as deadline nears
- Here’s what to know if you are traveling abroad with your dog
Recommendation
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
TikToker Kimberley Nix Dead at 31
Josh Hart made sure Reggie Miller heard Knicks fans chant at Madison Square Garden
These Weekend Bags Under $65 Look So Much More Expensive Than They Actually Are
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
Bucks’ Patrick Beverley suspended 4 games without pay for actions in season-ending loss to Pacers
Family of 10-Year-Old Survivor in Quadruple Murder-Suicide Praise His Resilience
Ethan Hawke explains how Maya Hawke's high-school English class inspired their new movie