Found Deceased CA - Blaze Bernstein, 19, Lake Forest, 2 Jan 2018 #5 *Arrest*

[MzOpinion8d]

So Blaze outed Sam back in June to all their mutual friends. Maybe it was revenge. I think Sam was in love with him though, based on the injuries.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Pre-med student Blaze Bernstein, whose body was found in a shallow grave last week near a Southern California park, was stabbed more than 20 times, and authorities are investigating whether the killing was an act of rage, the Orange County Register has learned.

Yeah, I'm gonna go with...stabbed 20 times qualifies as an act of rage, regardless of the motivation for the crime. I'm pretty sure even the dumbest cops can figure that out. Lol

 

[FindHG]

Finally we have the stabbing stuff in MSM. Here it says he was stabbed over 20 times. I heard from 1 reliable source and others I don't know that he was stabbed 21 times in the face, neck and chest. To me this speaks of intimate rage. My guess is Blaze was his first in high school, a huge deal, and then rejected. He was so devastated he left school. A chance to get together again was a dream come true, but then fresh rejection and on top of a lifetime of being rejected he cracked and all the anger came out. MOO

People and AP, most currently, say otherwise for now, with an authority, Braun not confirming details, if you check the media thread here


And it includes a statement in reaction from the Bernsteins.

 

[Midge Montana]

Well, you know what Joe Kenda says about motives: Money, Sex or Revenge.
I'm going with revenge.

I wonder if he has given a confession yet? It seems like he was talking quite a bit about what had happened (supposedly...his story) and then what? I'll bet he has told the part about the stabbing but in his own save-his-butt version.
I just wonder what all he has said so far...

Also, I wonder why with some stories here on WS, news stations will link to the entire affidavits, etc, but with some cases we only get snippets.
I suppose it's the news station's way of trickling out details to make for more "New Details!" type stories.

 

[Nancy2441]

I wonder where SW got the knife from. Did he bring it from his house or did he purchase it recently? Who brings a knife to a date?

 

[seabearcircle]

So we know BB didn't really care all that much about SW's wishes to remain in the closet, otherwise he wouldn't have put it out on SM and made his "but I have texted every one, uh oh" comment. That's not something you say because you realize you screwed up, it's something you say when you intentionally did something. He's making fun of SW.

Just a thought, I've read many eye witness accounts of students that went to school with both of them that and a lot of them have made it clear that Sam was openly conservative and outspokenly homophobic. This text, or "outing" may have been delivered in more of an "Oh my god, the homophobic dude from high school is coming onto me!" Rather than making fun of him. I must acknowledge it's never okay to out someone, but I don't believe Blaze had a malicious intent in doing so if that's what went down.

 

[FindHG]

I'm having a hard time believing anything this suspect has done or said since that night, or maybe even before it, that has not been full of misdirection and then to bolster his defense.

As such, could these leaks be a defense tactic to buy him some space? Especially, given it was circulated today, of all days, almost exactly during Blaze's funeral.

Thus, is it an attempt to extenuate controversy and curtail sympathy, somehow?

 

[Milenalee]

People and AP, most currently, say otherwise for now, with an authority, Braun not confirming details, if you check the media thread here


And it includes a statement in reaction from the Bernsteins.

The people article was written before the details were published, and then changed a bit. I don't see anyone anywhere denying it. It came from the affidavit it seems.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[FindHG]

The people article was written before the details were published, and then changed a bit. I don't see anyone anywhere denying it. It came from the affidavit it seems.

There's more current information in the video.

Hundreds Attend Memorial Service Held for Murdered College Student Blaze Bernstein
by Alexia Fernandez, People
Jan 16 '18 1:45 am in the video, the newscaster reports too, (paraphrased)

'that Braun would not confirm to People how Blaze, a pre-med student at U Penn, was killed or any information about the condition of his body... '

'however Braun did reveal to People that
...
"based off what they found at the scene they are considering it a homicide."
...
"It's a very active investigation. And investigators are following up on multiple leads."'


From text:
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the Bernstein family addressed the details of their son’s death, saying,

“We are saddened to hear, on the day we laid our son to rest, that gruesome details of the cause of his death were published.”

“Our son was a beautiful gentle soul who we loved more than anything,” the statement continued. “We were proud of everything he did and who he was. He had nothing to hide. We are in solidarity with our son and the LGBTQ community. There is still much discovery to be done and if it is determined that this was a hate crime, we will cry not only for our son, but for LGBTQ people everywhere that live in fear or who have been victims of hate crime.”



RBBM

And this most recent version from AP

...
Carrie Braun, a public information officer for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, would not confirm to The Associated Press if Bernstein was stabbed but said “the condition of the body at the time it was discovered turned it from a missing person to a homicide immediately.”
...
This story has been corrected to show that while The Orange County Register reported Bernstein was stabbed, the manner of death has not been confirmed by officials.

https://www.apnews.com/2ac957d591fc...student-reportedly-stabbed-more-than-20-times
o

 

[Nancy2441]

I thought it was low class for the OC Register to release details of the death on the day of his funeral. I am sure that was very painful for his family. OC Register couldn’t wait one day? JMO

 

[KooshBall]

Blaze could have been making a joke when he said he already texted everyone. If you read my texts to my closest friend I am pretty sure I would come off like a horrible person because an outsider wouldn't understand our inside jokes or sense of humor. For all we know "the outing" could have never gone any further than those two friends. None of these people were even in school with each other anymore in June.

I think Sam is a disturbed individual who could not come to terms with his sexuality. Having homophobic feelings or beliefs while also being attracted to a male probably caused him a lot of anger and unfortunately, he took it out on Blaze. I am also in the camp that feels Sam looks like he has been using drugs, either meth or opioids, which would further fuel the rage.

 

[Auntisemantic]

Right. I’m with you. Possibilities:
1) completely unrelated to murder, just a coincidence (unlikely)
2) rented before the murder for the purpose of murder, indicates premeditation (but LE says not premeditated, so probably not this)
3) rented after the murder, part of his disguise, planning to run (most likely IMO).

The minimum age(s) to rent a car in Ca is between 21-24.

 

[Niner]

About 12 hours late when this was posted....

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/...ed-at-least-20-times-in-possible-act-of-rage/

Woodward was arrested Friday after crime lab technicians determined that blood found on a sleeping bag in his possession belonged to Bernstein, the Register learned.

But I thought the LE found these items (i.e. sleeping bag) when he WAS arrested. How could the crime lab determine it was Blaze's blood BEFORE he was arrested??

Don't know if anyone else caught this - haven't read the last 100 posts...

 

[Nancy2441]

As a OC resident I would say it is probably more poor writing from the OC Register.

About 12 hours late when this was posted....

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/...ed-at-least-20-times-in-possible-act-of-rage/

Woodward was arrested Friday after crime lab technicians determined that blood found on a sleeping bag in his possession belonged to Bernstein, the Register learned.

But I thought the LE found these items (i.e. sleeping bag) when he WAS arrested. How could the crime lab determine it was Blaze's blood BEFORE he was arrested??

Don't know if anyone else caught this - haven't read the last 100 posts...

 

[Niner]

But - if the LE found all this camping stuff in the rental car - can't remember all that was there - when they arrested him - my question was - how did the crime lab find blood on the sleeping bag BEFORE SW was arrested when LE didn't have the sleeping bag until AFTER he was arrested....

:thinking:

 

[katydid23]

But - if the LE found all this camping stuff in the rental car - can't remember all that was there - when they arrested him - my question was - how did the crime lab find blood on the sleeping bag BEFORE SW was arrested when LE didn't have the sleeping bag until AFTER he was arrested....

:thinking:

Supposedly, this sleeping bag wasn't found in the rental car. It was apparently, rumored to have been found, during one of the searches of the property. He hd apparently thrown it in the garbage can and it was retrieved during the initial search of the property.

 

[2Hope4]

But - if the LE found all this camping stuff in the rental car - can't remember all that was there - when they arrested him - my question was - how did the crime lab find blood on the sleeping bag BEFORE SW was arrested when LE didn't have the sleeping bag until AFTER he was arrested....

:thinking:

IIRC< the camping stuff was in the rental car when LE talked to SW at the park. That was days before he was arrested, when Blaze was still missing.

 

[pamelado2]

From the same article:

In text conversations made in June, according to the affidavit, Bernstein told two female friends about his interaction with Woodward. In one conversation, Bernstein wrote that Woodward was about to “hit on me” and “he made me promise not to tell anyone … but I have texted every one, uh oh.”

That's what I quoted. How does that first sentence make a difference?

So what do you call that? Just joking around?

I think sharing exactly what is quoted there would be considered 'outing' these days, given the reach of cell phones and social media. IMO. It may only be among their peer group, but that would probably be the group that matters to SW.

It wouldn't be outing if everyone knew he was gay/bi. Maybe the issue was that it was Blaze - it could be they had a previous fling in HS and SW said it would never happen again OR they never got along and SW made it known he'd never be with Blaze. (JMO)

 

[pamelado2]

IIRC< the camping stuff was in the rental car when LE talked to SW at the park. That was days before he was arrested, when Blaze was still missing.

That doesn't mean the sleeping bag was included. The sleeping bag could have been the only thing he removed from the car after the murder because he knew it was the only thing used that night with potential evidence on it.

We also don't know how much blood or if any attempt was made to clean it up.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[kkdj]

But - if the LE found all this camping stuff in the rental car - can't remember all that was there - when they arrested him - my question was - how did the crime lab find blood on the sleeping bag BEFORE SW was arrested when LE didn't have the sleeping bag until AFTER he was arrested....

:thinking:

I don't think the sleeping bag was found amongst the camping gear in the rental car. I think LE did have it before he was arrested and had the blood/DNA tested on it.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/01...ed-at-least-20-times-in-possible-act-of-rage/
Woodward was arrested Friday after crime lab technicians determined that blood found on a sleeping bag in his possession belonged to Bernstein, the Register learned.

 

[JaneEyre]

I disagree. I don't approve of what SW did but unless you're a man who was born and raised in the type of culture that SW was apparently raised in you can't understand what SW may have been feeling.
And if the reports are correct that Blaze outed SW, well, then, I've lost a lot of respect for Blaze. That is a cardinal sin among gay men, you DO NOT, EVER, under ANY circumstances out someone and if this was done to SW out of spite that makes it all the worse. I AM NOT saying that Blaze "deserved" anything that happened to him so don't interpret my words like that but I am saying that I can understand SW's anger, resentment and his feelings and if this report is true I have a great deal of sympathy for him.

I was outed once out of spite and while I didn't murder anyone I did deliver a solid thrashing, as our British friends might say, to the offender. Outing me in the way that person did could have gotten me seriously hurt or killed because he outed me to a group of good ol' redneck boys who lived in our dorm who after learning of my sexuality made it quite clear to me that I was an abomination, a mistake and a "vile sinner" and that the bible commands gay men to be stoned to death Two of them were expelled from the university the following year for posting KKK recruitment posters and applications to join the Klan in our dormitory common room. In the interests of full disclosure, I attended the Univ of Texas.

JMO

When I was in high school, 25 years ago, someone outed a friend of mine. I confronted them (alone) and ended up getting "thrashed" by two people. Even then, had my friend or I committed murder, no one should have had sympathy for us. That's what I'm saying.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk