Found Deceased CA - Blaze Bernstein, 19, Lake Forest, 2 Jan 2018 #4

[Brownie01]

Wait...friend says that BB says they’re going to meet another HS friend at the park after Hobby Lobby. Why would friend say this, unless to deflect attention from himself and to another person? Surely he would expect that LE would ask him for the name of this other HS friend & it would be easy to confirm. Maybe it was confirmed and there IS another POI, the second HS friend. (Or maybe it’s just another dumb “meeting my GF whose last name I don’t know” lie.)

 

[andalso]

Regarding the black belt. Do you think it was a black belt like the type used to hold pants up or a black belt as in a karate black belt?

 

[ClaireNC]

Bringing this over from the previous thread.

I keep going back and forth on the "why" of this senseless act. There are many possible scenarios. IMO

1. The murderer is an emotionally unstable, closeted gay man who hasn't come to terms with his sexuality and hates his attraction to men. He hooks up with Blaze and then goes into a rage and kills him.

2. The murderer is homophobic, Blaze makes a pass and the killer kills out of anger and disgust.

3. Blaze and "friend" were lovers or former lovers and got into an argument. A lovers quarrel gone horribly wrong. Or Blaze threatened to "out" him/expose their relationship.

4. Murderer is jealous, hurt, etc. because Blaze rejected him.

5. Rage combined with drugs, alcohol, a psychotic break...

6. Pure hate crime, murderer lured him and killed him because he hates all gays.

7. Murderer is a serial killer who targets gay men/boys. (Are there similar cases in the area?)

And the list goes on...
Hopefully we'll get some answers soon.

 

[MzOpinion8d]

Others have also commented on this, but here are some thoughts on part of the timeline, based on posts in the handy "media reports/no discussion" thread.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...19-Lake-Forest-Jan-2018-Media-*NO-DISCUSSION*

Based on reports on that page, there seems to be more than one timeline, perhaps based on different versions told by the “friend” to the police; events tend to get later in more recently mentioned timelines. Earlier media reports quote various sources (BB’s parents and an attorney friend of the family, but would have to double-check) say that BB texted “friend”/driver at 9:30pm, that he picked BB up at some point, and that they got to the park at 10:30pm. The “friend” claimed that at some point BB ran off, and at 11:30pm the puzzling text was sent. Shortly thereafter BB’s borrowed phone was turned off.

In the affidavit, the “friend” says that after he picked up BB, they spent some time hanging around in the parking lot of Hobby Lobby and didn’t get to the park until close to midnight. He then claimed that BB exited the vehicle and that the “friend” waited for him until around 1pm.

One crucial difference between these two timelines is that the first implies that while the puzzling 11:30pm text could have been sent by BB after exiting the vehicle, it also could’ve been sent by the “friend” after he killed BB. The second timeline makes it sound more likely that BB sent the text himself before exiting the car and also that BB turned off his own borrowed phone.

One possible motivation for the discrepancy is that the “friend” may have realized that the police might figure out from his own cell phone records and those of BB’s borrowed phone that he was with BB when the text was sent. He also may have been trying to fit his account to when he or his car might've appeared on surveillance video.

Pretty sure the timeline is something like this:

"Snap chatted with Blaze. Picked him up around 9:30.

Lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies."

 

[mistivon]

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/...ego-park-case-being-investigated-as-homicide/

On Jan, 4, two days after the teenager disappeared, detectives spoke with the friend again at Borrego Park and noticed that his hands had several small scratches and abrasions. The friend said the scratches and abrasions were from a “fight club” that he was involved in.

So, "friend" was at Borrego Park when the police spoke with him again. Was "friend" in the search party?

Why didn't they notice or mention the scratches on his hands til the second time they talked to him? Were they there the first time? If not, that kinda changes things along with was the dirt not noticed.

 

[andalso]

Pretty sure the timeline is something like this:

"Snap chatted with Blaze. Picked him up around 9:30.

Lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies."

I hate to laugh during such a tragedy, but this is funny!! And accurate!

 

[Brownie01]

Wait...friend says that BB says they’re going to meet another HS friend at the park after Hobby Lobby. Why would friend say this, unless to deflect attention from himself and to another person? Surely he would expect that LE would ask him for the name of this other HS friend & it would be easy to confirm. Maybe it was confirmed and there IS another POI, the second HS friend. (Or maybe it’s just another dumb “meeting my GF whose last name I don’t know” lie.)

Following up on my own post, it just occurred to me that something may well have happened in the Hobby Lobby parking lot causing Blaze to fear for his life and thus causing Blaze to make up the “hey we need to meet another HS friend in the park” story. Maybe Blaze did in fact run off (and send the girl the concerning text), with the intent to get away, as soon as they got to the park? Maybe friend ran after him and that’s where it all went down.

 

[macyw]

There has to be something more. It seems very cut and dry that the driver is suspect. What is missing?? Why not an arrest yet?? Points to police looking at more than this person.

Ocsd has talked to this guy 2 times, the latter ending up at the station. I can't see these talks being quick chats. Search warrants were for????? It seems like an open and shut case, something is missing. They are looking for more. JMO

 

[LAhiker]

Pretty sure the timeline is something like this:

"Snap chatted with Blaze. Picked him up around 9:30.

Lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies."

For sure. I was trying to figure out why the lies may have changed over time.

 

[stlrfninca]

Wait...friend says that BB says they’re going to meet another HS friend at the park after Hobby Lobby. Why would friend say this, unless to deflect attention from himself and to another person? Surely he would expect that LE would ask him for the name of this other HS friend & it would be easy to confirm. Maybe it was confirmed and there IS another POI, the second HS friend. (Or maybe it’s just another dumb “meeting my GF whose last name I don’t know” lie.)

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about the reference to the other friend. I think that detail about the supposed 3rd person in the situation, mentioned by the driver in his account, being another OCSA friend of both Blaze and the driver. LE must have gotten the name of this person from the driver, and presumably they've already talked to that person. I think perhaps they just aren't telling about this because we (the public) have no need to know during the ongoing investigation and this person isn't already known to us.

As you state, it's pretty simple, this 3rd person either exists or doesn't and it's surely already been verified by LE. Assuming the 3rd person exists, I'm more inclined to think that person is the responsible party. If he's just a complete fabrication by the driver, then it casts suspicion directly back at the driver. But if the latter is the case I'd also think the driver would have been arrested by now.

 

[iscaremyself]

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/...ego-park-case-being-investigated-as-homicide/

On Jan, 4, two days after the teenager disappeared, detectives spoke with the friend again at Borrego Park and noticed that his hands had several small scratches and abrasions. The friend said the scratches and abrasions were from a “fight club” that he was involved in.

So, "friend" was at Borrego Park when the police spoke with him again. Was "friend" in the search party?

I had assumed the police brought him there.. but maybe you're right.
Since he was not arrested I think anything he says can be used in court even without a lawyer or being mirandized.

 

[anonypotomous]

Oh boy, can I tell you from experience, that cold blooded murderers do in fact, hang around.

Yes, I know that cold-blooded killers do indeed behave this way

What I was getting at is that this friend of BB, who is around the same age and attended Orange County School of the Arts, a charter school specializing in performing arts, doesn't strike me as that type - maybe he is, but it's not the instinct I get from all of this.

RBBM - Well, that friend is "that type" who probably murdered Blaze, so ..

 

[andalso]

Why didn't they notice or mention the scratches on his hands til the second time they talked to him? Were they there the first time? If not, that kinda changes things along with was the dirt not noticed.

Great questions!

Also, how did he fall in a dirty puddle prior to the 4th. It had not yet rained on the 4th yet, had it? Where did he find this puddle? At the non-existent girlfriends house?

 

[anonypotomous]

There has to be something more. It seems very cut and dry that the driver is suspect. What is missing?? Why not an arrest yet?? Points to police looking at more than this person.

Ocsd has talked to this guy 2 times, the latter ending up at the station. I can't see these talks being quick chats. Search warrants were for????? It seems like an open and shut case, something is missing. They are looking for more. JMO

Maybe LE is trying to get an actual confession?

 

[iscaremyself]

There has to be something more. It seems very cut and dry that the driver is suspect. What is missing?? Why not an arrest yet?? Points to police looking at more than this person.

Ocsd has talked to this guy 2 times, the latter ending up at the station. I can't see these talks being quick chats. Search warrants were for????? It seems like an open and shut case, something is missing. They are looking for more. JMO

probably waiting for the driver to run.. then snare the rabbit

 

[Catonahottinroof]

The fight club thing sounds like another attempt to assert that he is heterosexual. Along with the girlfriend comment. IMO


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Yes could be OR it could be (if there are indeed other POI involved) that the friend lured BB to the park to make Blaze fight someone in their "fight club" and one of them threw a punch that killed Blaze. Crazy sounding I know but the idea that a performing artsy top student would be involved in a fight club seems crazy too .... (How on earth did he come up w that excuse?) but that might explain the fact they don't think it was premeditated murder...

 

[stlrfninca]

Maybe LE is trying to get an actual confession?

I don't think that process could/would start until after he was arrested and been Mirandized if I'm not mistaken.

In any case, it could very well be that they are simply being meticulous to make sure they have all their ducks in a row before making an arrest.

The more I mull this over, my gut is telling me that driver is not the only person involved in this, and this extra layer of complication is what's causing LE to take more time to sort out all of the details.

 

[Cora]

I'd like to see the physical size of the driver compared to blaze.
This 'fight club' nonsense gives me pause.

There could be more to the Fight Club statement too. This could have been a right of passage or initiation into some sick club.


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[macyw]

I'm imagining they could have gotten a confession when they asked about the gf, his hands etc. I don't know how long he was questioned. I would think they were trying hard to crack him if he was speaking without an attorney. My fear is if mommy and daddy have big bucks ( Newport Beach) they hire an expensive defense.
Again, is there more to this case???

 

[Catonahottinroof]

Regarding the black belt. Do you think it was a black belt like the type used to hold pants up or a black belt as in a karate black belt?

I hadn't thought of the karate black belt but your right if he was into Martial Arts maybe that's why he gave the fight club excuse.