A California man was convicted of murder with a hate crime enhancement Wednesday for the 2018 stabbing death of a gay University of Pennsylvania student.Samuel Woodward, 26, was found guilty of first-degree murder plus the enhancement in the killing of Blaze Bernstein, a gay, Jewish college sophomore who was home visiting his family in Southern California on winter break when he went missing.
They said Woodward showed an interest in carrying out violent acts in the weeks before the killing and reached out to Bernstein online.“Hate will never be tolerated here in Orange County — and instead of a symbol to be revered by other haters, he is a symbol of how society will never tolerate those who terrorize the most vulnerable members of our society,” county District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Wednesday in a statement.