Murder of Blaze Bernstein

On January 10, 2018, 19-year-old University of Pennsylvania sophomore Blaze Bernstein was found dead in a park in Orange County, California, eight days after having been reported missing. He was visiting his family in Lake Forest, California, when he was killed.[1][2] He had been stabbed nineteen times. Two days later, Samuel Woodward, one of Bernstein's former high school classmates and a member of neo-Nazi terrorist group Atomwaffen Division, was arrested and charged with murdering Bernstein.[3] As Bernstein was both openly gay and Jewish, authorities declared that Bernstein was a victim of a hate crime.[4] Five deaths had links to the Atomwaffen Division over eight months from 2017 to early 2018.[5]

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Category
Murder of Blaze Bernstein
Part of antisemitism in the United States and violence against LGBT people in the United States
LocationLake Forest, California, U.S.
DateJanuary 10, 2018 (2018-01-10)
PST (UTC-08:00)
Attack type
Murder by stabbing, hate crime
VictimBlaze Bernstein, aged 19
PerpetratorSamuel Woodward
Convictions

Blaze Bernstein

Bernstein was born on April 27, 1998, in South Orange County, California, to Gideon Bernstein, an equity partner at Leisure Capital Management,[6] and Jeanne Pepper, a former lawyer who retired from law in 2000 to raise their three children. After completing high school at Orange County School of the Arts, Blaze enrolled as an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania.[7]

The presiding judge initially charged Woodward with murder and personal use of a deadly weapon.[5] In August 2018, two charges of committing a hate crime were added because of Bernstein's sexual orientation.[5][8] Woodward, who has been linked to the murder scene by DNA evidence, pled not guilty.[9][10] A pretrial hearing was held in January 2019.[11]

Woodward's attorney stated that Woodward has Asperger syndrome and issues regarding his own sexual identity.[12]

Woodward, who was 20 at the time of the crime, faces a sentence of life without parole if found guilty.[5] He had initially faced a maximum sentence of 26 years in prison the murder and weapons charges, prior to the addition of the hate crime enhancements. Woodward's bail was initially set at $5 million but at hearing in November 2018, the judge decided to deny Woodward bail altogether, remanding him to custody pending trial.[13]

Due to the COVID crisis, Woodward has remained in confinement since his last court appearance in 2018. His trial was tentatively scheduled to begin sometime in 2021,[14] though a series of postponements pushed it back until July 15, 2022.[15][16]

On July 15, 2022, an Orange County judge temporarily suspended criminal proceedings after Woodward's defense attorney said she had concerns about his competence to stand trial.[17] In late October 2022, mental health experts deemed Woodward competent, and a pre-trial hearing was scheduled for January 2023.[18]

See also

References
  1. "Blaze Bernstein killing: Suspect pleads not guilty, judge sets bail at $5M". NBC News. Associated Press. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  2. JTA (2018-02-05). "Blaze Bernstein's high school classmate pleads not guilty to murder". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  3. Olmstead, Molly (2018-01-31). "The Man Suspected of Killing Blaze Bernstein Attended a Three-Day Nazi "Hate Camp"". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  4. Dedaj, Paulina (August 2, 2018). "Suspect in Blaze Bernstein murder is charged with hate crime". Fox News. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  5. Boghani, Priyanka; Robiou, Marcia; Trautwein, Catherine (June 18, 2019). "Three Murder Suspects Linked to Atomwaffen: Where Their Cases Stand". PBS. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  6. "Leisure Capital Management". Archived from the original on 2019-08-26. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  7. "A Life Too Short: Blaze Bernstein Obituary". Lake Forest, CA Patch. 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  8. "Blaze Bernstein murder suspect charged with targeting him because he was gay". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  9. "Alleged killer of Jewish college student Blaze Bernstein pleads not guilty". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  10. Smith, Tracy. (21 July 2019). 'In the Name of Hate'. 48 Hours (TV program). CBS News. USA
  11. Madeleine Lamon (January 28, 2019). "Man accused of murdering Blaze Bernstein set to appear in court again in August". www.thedp.com. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  12. Sean Emery (August 22, 2018). "Blaze Bernstein murder case: Attorney for Samuel Woodward denies hate-crime allegation, says his client has a 'serious mental disorder'". OC Register. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  13. Sclafani, Julia (November 9, 2018). "Judge orders no bail for Newport man accused of murdering Blaze Bernstein in hate crime". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  14. Emery, Sean, "After pandemic related delays, high-profile Orange County court cases looming in 2021", The Orange County Register (December 30, 2020, updated December 31, 2020). www.google.com/amp/s/www.ocregister.com/2020/12/30/after-pandemic-related-delays-high-profile-orange-county-court-cases-looming-in-2021/amp/ Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  15. RASMUSSEN, EMILY (2021-11-10). "Trial for man accused of killing Blaze Bernstein, burying body in Lake Forest, set for March". The Orange County Register. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  16. Josselyn, Jamie-Lee (19 April 2022). "Commentary: Remembering Blaze Bernstein, in life". Daily Pilot. L.A. Times. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  17. EMERY, SEAN (2022-07-15). "Samuel Woodward, accused of killing Blaze Bernstein, to be evaluated by mental health experts". The Orange County Register. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  18. "Samuel Woodward, accused of killing classmate Blaze Bernstein, found competent to stand trial". Orange County Register. 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
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