In a verdict that resonates with the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ rights, Samuel Lincoln Woodward, a 26-year-old from Newport Beach, has been found guilty of the first-degree murder of Blaze Bernstein, his former high school classmate. The 2018 crime, described by the Orange County District Attorney's Office as a hate-motivated murder, has culminated in a conviction that includes a hate crime enhancement, with Woodward facing a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Details about the conviction can be found in a statement by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
According to the prosecution, Woodward and Bernstein reconnected via a dating app designed for men seeking men before the former committed the heinous act. Woodward, who was purported to quickly meet the 19-year-old Bernstein at a Lake Forest park, later lured him under the guise of a romantic encounter before stabbing him 28 times, as reported by the Orange County District Attorney's Office. This brutal murder was an act that seemed to express, without any veil of shame, a hatred rooted deep within Woodward – a man who carefully planned to not only enact the murder but also attempted to ensure the crime remained hidden from the eyes of justice.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the murder in strong terms, stating, "Every one of the 28 stab wounds inflicted on 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein was an act of hate that was carried out over and over again not just to kill Blaze, but to send a message," as per the Orange County District Attorney's Office. Woodward's sentencing is scheduled for October 25.
