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Verdict reached in murder trial of Orange County man accused of killing gay ex-classmate

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Crime And Courts News

Orange County

Jurors have reached a verdict in the case of a Newport Beach man accused of a hate crime in the stabbing death of a gay former high school classmate in 2018.

Samuel Woodward was accused of repeatedly stabbing and killing Blaze Bernstein, who was 19 years old at the time of his murder.

"The defendant on Jan. 2 or in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, killed Blaze Bernstein because he was gay," Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker told jurors. Bernstein had been repeatedly stabbed in the face and neck. The defense also argued Woodward's long undiagnosed issues with autism left him vulnerable to recruitment by the white supremacist groups that target individuals like the defendant, who sought"acceptance and validation.” Woodward also had an"obsession'' with gay men and gay porn sites, his defense attorney said.

Woodward testified while he and Bernstein were laying in the park together that Bernstein started to touch him in a sexual manner.

 

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