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Closeted Neo-Nazi accused of killing gay Jewish California teen tells court how he matched with the victim on Tinder
A young man charged with killing a gay Jewish teen in Southern California this week told a court how the pair connected on Tinder.
Samuel Woodward - who grew up in a conservative, religious family where he is said to have developed homophobic and anti-Semitic ideals - attended the Orange County School of the Arts with his victim Blaze Bernstein.
Woodward, now 26, recounted how he matched with a then 19-year-old Blaze on Tinder in 2017, became nervous and unmatched him before re-matching six months later.
What began on Tinder led to a Snapchat correspondence between the then-teenage boys that ultimately to an encounter on January 2, 2018, after which Blaze was never seen alive again. His body was found stabbed 28 times and Woodward, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder, was arrested two weeks later.
Samuel Woodward, 26, enters court. He is on trial in Orange County for the murder of gay Jewish teen Blaze Bernstein back in the winter of 2018
Bernstein (pictured) was found in a shallow grave with 28 stab wounds days after disappearing from his parents house on a night when Woodward picked him up from his parents' house
Thursday marked Woodward's fourth day of testimony and the 29th day of his trial, which Judge Kimberly Menninger indicated she feels is moving too slowly.
On January 2, 2018, Woodward drove to the Bernstein family home - where Blaze was staying during his winter break from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a sophomore - to pick up his former classmate.
According to Woodward's testimony, the pair then went to a park in Lake Forest.
Days later, Bernstein was found in a shallow grave with 28 stab marks.
Woodward's defense attorneys have, from the outset, said the evidence in the case will show that Woodward killed Blaze - but not because of his religion or sexuality.
The murder suspect's charges are upgraded because prosecutors have brought hate crime charges against him.
Some of the questions Woodward was made to answer under oath focused on his sexuality. He told the court he'd had a short-term relationship with a woman but said he had never experimented with men.
Defense attorneys asked their client about his internet search history, which included visits to gay porn websites in 2015 and 2016.
Samuel Woodward brushes away the hair from his face after his attorney Assistant Public Defender Ken Morrison asked him to do so during his testimony in Orange County Superior Court on Thursday, June 13, 2024
Bernstein's body was discovered in a shallow grave at the park close to his parents' home - he's pictured here with his mother and father, who said their lives became a waking nightmare after their son's disappearance
Blaze Bernstein was a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania when he was murdered while home in southern California for winter break
The young man, whose hair and beard are consistently left untamed ahead of court appearances, said he had consulted the websites for the sole purpose of gathering images. He intended to use the photos to antagonize other users in an online group he was a member of.
He also discussed his affiliation with the far-right neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, of which he said he was never a full-fledged member.
He spoke about his desire to form a meaningful connection with a group. He said he was looking for brotherhood.
Judge Menninger has begun pushing the page of the defense's line of questioning, which she says is taking too long.
If he is convicted, Woodward will face life in prison.
Judge Kimberly Menninger is presiding. In February, Woodward threw a cup of water at her, which made it so the process of jury selection had to begin over again
The alleged murder weapon submitted to evidence in Orange County Superior Court - Woodward was arrested two days after it was found in his room
The prosecution has mounted a case against Woodward that has painted him as an angry, homophobic teen with violent tendencies.
Deputy DA Jennifer Walker submitted evidence from a journal allegedly kept by Woodward called 'diary of hate,' in which he described threats he claims to have made against gay people online.'
The defendant is guilty of killing Blaze Bernstein because he was gay,' Walker told jurors at the outset of the trial. 'You will see that Blaze fought for his life as best he could.'
The teen's parents later found his glasses, wallet, and credit cards in his bedroom after he missed a dentist appointment on January 3 and wasn't responding to texts or calls.
Scenes from the alleged murder have been presented to the jury during the trial that has so far stretched for close to six weeks
Woodward was arrested two days after a bloody blade was found in his room at his parents' house in the upscale enclave of Newport Beach.
The case has taken years to come to trial because of questions about Woodward's mental state and ability to stand trial.
Multiple public defenders have quit on Woodward, and the lead prosecutor on the case at one point became a judge.
In late 2022, he was deemed competent. He has also gone through a number of defense attorneys, one of whom claimed Woodward has Asperger's syndrome, which generally causes difficulty with social interactions.