Man who killed gay US student sentenced to life

Samuel Woodward

A California man found guilty of murdering a gay, Jewish US university student in a hate crime has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Samuel Woodward, 27, was convicted in July for the 2018 death of Blaze Bernstein, 19, who Woodward stabbed more than 28 times in the face and neck before burying his body.

After a week-long search, police found Bernstein's body in a park in Lake Forest, about 45 miles (70km) south-east of Los Angeles.

During the trial, prosecutors said Woodward was affiliated with a neo-Nazi extremist group, Atomwaffen Division, and accused him of hatefully targeting gay men online.

The sentencing hearing was delayed by several hours, partly because Woodward refused to leave his cell.

At one point, he also stormed out of the courtroom during victim impact statements.

"No mother should have to bury her child...my heart was so broken and yet unable to accept the reality that he was no longer part of our world," the victim's mother, Jeanne Pepper, said in court.

"I will never forget hearing for the first time that Blaze had been stabbed 28 times," she added. "It's the single worst, most painful thing that has ever happened to me, to know that he died in such a horrific, horrible way."

Ken Morrison, his defence attorney, previously said he would appeal a guilty verdict.

Woodward's lawyers had argued that he had a long-undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder that challenged Woodward's personal relationships.

The trial was delayed for years after questions arose about Woodward’s mental health, but in late 2022 he was deemed competent to stand trial.

He ultimately spent five days testifying during the trial, sometimes taking long periods of time before responding to straightforward questions.

Blaze Bernstein was visiting family on his university winter break at the time of the attack

In January 2018, Bernstein and Woodward met for a night out that was arranged over Snapchat, Woodward later told police.

He became enraged after Bernstein kissed him. Woodward then repeatedly stabbed Bernstein while fighting over a cellphone that Woodward believed Berstein used to photograph him.

Bernstein's parents were alerted after he missed a dentist appointment the next day and tried several times to contact him.

They scoured his social media and found that Bernstein and Woodward had been communicating over Snapchat.

A week later, police found Bernstein's body with stab wounds in a park near Bernstein's family's home.

Woodward was arrested after DNA belonging to Bernstein was found in his rental car.

While searching Woodward's home, police found a black Atomwaffen mask, a folding knife with traces of blood, and a journal filled with hateful, anti-gay, antisemitic material, the Associated Press reported.

Woodward's defence attorney said he was confused about his sexuality, having grown up in a Catholic home where homosexuality was openly criticised.

In the months before the attack, Woodward and Bernstein connected through a dating app.

When they met, Bernstein was visiting his family in Southern California on a winter break from the University of Pennsylvania.

The two had previously attended the same Orange County high school.