Samuel Woodward has been found guilty of first-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement for the 2018 stabbing death of Blaze Bernstein, a gay student who was attending the University of Pennsylvania.
Wednesday’s verdict by a California jury could result in a life sentence without parole for Woodward, 26.
Prosecutor Jennifer Walker pointed to the killer’s ties to the so-called Atomwaffen Division, an anti-gay and antisemitic neo-Nazi organization whose members have been tied to several other murders.
“This is a person focused on hate,” Walker said during her closing arguments. “Not following, not being led by, influenced by, victimized by Atomwaffen — seeking it out.”
Bernstein, a college sophomore at the time of the incident, was home in Southern California for winter break when he went missing. His body was later discovered in a shallow grave at a nearby park.
He and Woodward went to the same high school in Orange County and found each other on a dating app months before the attack, according to trial testimony.
Woodward admitted to picking up Bernstein and driving to a nearby park, where he later stabbed him repeatedly after he thought Bernstein was trying to take a picture of him.
The victim’s body was found days later with multiple stab wounds to his face and neck. Prosecutors said a search of Woodward’s family home in Newport Beach uncovered a black Atomwaffen mask with traces of blood, a folding knife with a bloodied blade and various anti-gay, antisemitic materials.
Woodward’s attorney Ken Morrison argued that his client did not plan to kill Bernstein and did not harbor hatred toward anyone.
He discussed Woodward’s upbringing in a devout Catholic family that openly criticized homosexuality and his struggles with personal relationships, saying they stemmed from a long-undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder and confusion about his sexuality.
Morrison said he plans to make an appeal after sentencing, claiming the judge made several rulings that prevented jurors from considering critical evidence.
With News Wire Services