Samuel Woodward, a California man convicted of the hate crime murder of 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. The ruling follows his July conviction for first-degree murder stemming from the 2018 killing, in which Woodward stabbed Bernstein more than 28 times in the face and neck.
Woodward’s legal team sought a lesser sentence of 28 years to life, arguing that jurors were not given access to all evidence during the trial. However, the judge imposed the maximum sentence, as California currently has a moratorium on the death penalty.
At the sentencing, Bernstein’s mother, Jeanne Pepper, addressed the court, describing the murder as a hate crime driven by her son’s Jewish and gay identities. “Let’s be clear. This was a hate crime. Samuel Woodward ended my son’s life because my son was Jewish and gay,” she stated. Bernstein’s family and friends, wearing “Blaze It Forward” t-shirts—a reference to a kindness campaign in his honour—stood with her in the courtroom.
“Blaze’s memory and spirit will live on in every kind deed done in his honour,” Pepper added.
Prosecutors highlighted Woodward’s ties to Atomwaffen Division, an anti-gay, neo-Nazi group, and cited his extremist views as a motivating factor in the crime. The court heard that Bernstein and Woodward, who attended the same Orange County high school years apart, had reconnected via Snapchat in January 2018.
According to testimony, Woodward flew into a rage after Bernstein, believing the meeting to be a date, tried to kiss him. The two had reportedly communicated via a dating app prior to meeting. Woodward’s attack followed this interaction, with Bernstein’s body discovered nearly a week later in a park in Lake Forest, California.
DNA evidence linking Bernstein to Woodward’s rental car led to his arrest.
Woodward’s defence claimed the crime was not premeditated, arguing that his strict conservative, Catholic upbringing and undiagnosed autism contributed to struggles with his sexuality and interpersonal relationships. Despite these assertions, the court upheld the life sentence without parole.
