GUILTY CA - Blaze Bernstein, 19, Lake Forest, 2 Jan 2018 #8 *Arrest*

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patch.com

Psychiatric Expert On Accused Hate-Crime Killer's Mindset: Trial

Samuel Woodward engaged in (neo-Nazi) ideas for at least 3 months in Texas, she said on the stand. "For a time, he believed those things."
patch.com patch.com

A psychiatric expert testified Wednesday...

[She] also discussed how Woodward was so frustrated with his job as a bagger at Bristol Farms that he repeatedly stabbed a mattress when he got home.

"When he becomes emotionally overloaded he has a meltdown," [she] said.

During Wednesday's testimony, [she] explained why the defendant has denied homosexual tendencies despite evidence to the contrary.

"He has trouble with the idea of his parents abandoning him,"...
 
www.ocregister.com

Sam Woodward became disillusioned with hate group, psychiatric expert testifies

The prosecution contends Woodward was still following Neo-Nazi’s groups ideals when he killed Blaze Bernstein.
www.ocregister.com www.ocregister.com

On Thursday afternoon, the prosecution played for jurors video of investigators interviewing Woodward in the midst of the search for Bernstein.

Woodward, during that interview, said Bernstein tried to kiss him before walking off to meet an unknown friend, claims that he never mentioned during his actual trial testimony. Asked about apparent injuries on his hands, Woodward told the investigators an apparent made-up story about taking part in a “boxing ring” with people he met online.
 
Friday, June 28th
*Trial continues (Day 34) (@ 9am PT) – CA – Blaze Bernstein (19) (Jan. 2, 2018, Lake Forest; found Jan. 9, 2018; he was stabbed 19 times in his neck; 14 times on the left, 5 on the right & 1 stab wound in his left knee) – *Samuel Lincoln Woodward (20/now 26) arrested (1/15/18) & charged (1/17/18) & arraigned (11/9/18) with 1 count of felony murder with a hate crime enhancement for killing someone because of their sexual orientation & sentencing enhancement-personal use of a knife. Plead not guilty (again on 11/9/18). $5M bail, bail revoked (11/9/18). In custody of the Theo Lacy jail.
Trial began on 4/9/24. Court DARK on Fridays.
Judge Kimberly K. Menninger presiding. Prosecutor DA Todd Spitzer & Senior Deputy DA Jennifer Walker; Defense attorney assistant public defender Kenneth S. Morrison (from the Orange County Public Defender’s Office).
State rested their case (I think) on 5/7/24. Defense began on 5/8/24.
Court hearings from 2/2/18 thru 2/29/24 & Jury Selection Days 1-14 (3/6 thru 4/4/24) & Trial Day 1-31 (4/9-6/25/24) reference post #419 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...ake-forest-2-jan-2018-8-arrest.618349/page-21
6/26/24 Wednesday, Trial Day 32: Defense witness: Martha Rogers, psychological expert continues on stand. No other info available. Trial continues on Thursday, 6/27/24.
6/27/24 Thursday, Trial Day 33: Defense witness: Martha Rogers, psychological expert continues on stand. Prosecutors played for jurors video of investigators interviewing Woodward in the midst of the search for Bernstein. No other info available. Trial continues on Friday, 6/28/24.
For more info see post #423 & 424 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...ake-forest-2-jan-2018-8-arrest.618349/page-21
 
Now wondering if the defense is finished? Since they are meeting on a Friday - which are usually dark - maybe going over jury instructions, etc. - closing arguments - maybe Monday would be nice! :)
 
www.cbsnews.com

Closing arguments in Blaze Bernstein murder trial are underway

Sam Woodward admitted to stabbing Bernstein multiple times in 2018, but has pleaded not guilty to murder with an enhancement for a hate crime.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com

Closing arguments in the Blaze Bernstein murder trial began Friday...

(...)

Orange County prosecutor [JW] maintained to jurors Friday that Woodward stabbed his former high school classmate Blaze Bernstein, because he was gay and buried his body at Borrego Park in Foothill Ranch.

"To dig a grave in that terrain and bury and clean up and murder someone in an hour and half..that is not someone who is just going oh..something happened and I need to figure it out. That is determined," [JW] said.

(...)

The defense will begin its closing argument Monday afternoon. The jury is expected to begin deliberating sometime next week
 
here's another article on Friday's closing

mynewsla.com

Prosecutor Makes Closing Argument in Hate-Crime Killing Trial - MyNewsLA.com

A prosecutor argued Friday that the man charged with the hate-crime fatal stabbing of a former gay classmate in Foothill Ranch planned the killing and went to great lengths to cover it up, so jurors should convict him of premeditated murder. Samuel Lincoln Woodward, 26, is charged with murder...
mynewsla.com mynewsla.com
 
Monday, July 1st:
*Trial continues (Day 35)-CLOSING ARGUMENTS! (@ 1:30pm PT) – CA – Blaze Bernstein (19) (Jan. 2, 2018, Lake Forest; found Jan. 9, 2018; he was stabbed 19 times in his neck; 14 times on the left, 5 on the right & 1 stab wound in his left knee) – *Samuel Lincoln Woodward (20/now 26) arrested (1/15/18) & charged (1/17/18) & arraigned (11/9/18) with 1 count of felony murder with a hate crime enhancement for killing someone because of their sexual orientation & sentencing enhancement-personal use of a knife. Plead not guilty (again on 11/9/18). $5M bail, bail revoked (11/9/18). In custody of the Theo Lacy jail.
Trial began on 4/9/24. Court DARK on Fridays.
Judge Kimberly K. Menninger presiding. Prosecutor DA Todd Spitzer & Senior Deputy DA Jennifer Walker; Defense attorney assistant public defender Kenneth S. Morrison (from the Orange County Public Defender’s Office).
State rested their case (I think) on 5/7/24. Defense began on 5/8/24 & ended on 6/27/24. Closing arguments started 6/28/24 with prosecutors & will continued on 7/1/24 with defense.
Court hearings from 2/2/18 thru 2/29/24 & Jury Selection Days 1-14 (3/6 thru 4/4/24) & Trial Day 1-33 (4/9-6/27/24) reference post #425 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...ake-forest-2-jan-2018-8-arrest.618349/page-22
6/28/24 Friday, Trial Day 34: Defense rested their case on 6/27/24. Closing arguments by Senior Deputy DA Jennifer Walker. Trial continues with defense’s closing arguments on Monday, 7/1/24. Jurors will be able to consider first- and second-degree murder as well as voluntary manslaughter.
For more info see post #430 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...ake-forest-2-jan-2018-8-arrest.618349/page-22
 
abc7.com

In Blaze Bernstein trial, defense says Samuel Woodward's actions not motivated by hate

Samuel Woodward's defense team has already conceded his involvement in Bernstein's death but denies the act was motivated by hate.
abc7.com abc7.com

July 1, 2024

Closing arguments in Samuel Woodward's trial for the murder of Blaze Bernstein are focusing not on whether he killed his former classmate - but why he did.

Woodward's defense team has already conceded their client's responsibility for Bernstein's death in January 2018 but has sought to counter prosecutors' claims that it was a premeditated act motivated by hatred for the victim being Jewish and gay.

Instead, defense attorney Ken Morrison described the killing as a spontaneous act.
[.....]
The defense wants the jury to consider a lesser crime including voluntary manslaughter.

"You need to try to get into Samuel Woodward's mind at the time and at the moment that he stabbed Blaze Bernstein," Morrison said.


Closing arguments are expected to continue on Tuesday.

Walker will get one final rebuttal before the case is handed over to the jury to deliberate. If convicted, Woodward could face a sentence up to life in prison.
 
Tuesday, July 2nd:
*Trial continues (Day 36)-CLOSING ARGUMENTS & VERDICT WATCH! (@ 8am PT) – CA – Blaze Bernstein (19) (Jan. 2, 2018, Lake Forest; found Jan. 9, 2018; he was stabbed 19 times in his neck; 14 times on the left, 5 on the right & 1 stab wound in his left knee) – *Samuel Lincoln Woodward (20/now 26) arrested (1/15/18) & charged (1/17/18) & arraigned (11/9/18) with 1 count of felony murder with a hate crime enhancement for killing someone because of their sexual orientation & sentencing enhancement-personal use of a knife. Plead not guilty (again on 11/9/18). $5M bail, bail revoked (11/9/18). In custody of the Theo Lacy jail.
Trial began on 4/9/24. Court DARK on Fridays.
Judge Kimberly K. Menninger presiding. Prosecutor DA Todd Spitzer & Senior Deputy DA Jennifer Walker; Defense attorney assistant public defender Kenneth S. Morrison (from the Orange County Public Defender’s Office).
State rested their case (I think) on 5/7/24. Defense began on 5/8/24 & ended on 6/27/24. Closing arguments started 6/28/24 with prosecutors & will continued on 7/1/24 with defense.
Court hearings from 2/2/18 thru 2/29/24 & Jury Selection Days 1-14 (3/6 thru 4/4/24) & Trial Day 1-34 (4/9-6/28/24) reference post #432 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...ake-forest-2-jan-2018-8-arrest.618349/page-22
7/1/24 Monday, Trial Day 35: Defense closing arguments by Kenneth S. Morrison. And rebuttal arguments for State will continue on Tuesday.
Jurors will be able to consider first- and second-degree murder as well as voluntary manslaughter. Rebuttal for State continues on Tuesday, 7/2/24.
For more info see post #435 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...ake-forest-2-jan-2018-8-arrest.618349/page-22
 
tweet from @thislouis 4 days ago:
"Walker is pointing out that there's no way the murder could have happened near a park bench as Sam described — the blood would have been too hard to clean up.Instead, she says, it must have happened in the foliage area — a sign Sam lured Sam to a spot under false pretenses."

Note: This is a direct quote. I think it is fair and logical to assume he meant "lured Blaze" not "lured Sam".

tweet from @thislouis 23 hours ago:
"Morrison briefly shows a picture of a penis that Sam sent to another guy in college. Sam denied it was his but photos of the dorm's bathroom floor in the background corroborate it.On the same 2017 day that Sam sent the picture, he wrote a "hate diary" about catfishing gay guys."

tweet from @thislouis today:
"Ken Morrison, Samuel Woodward’s defense attorney, is trying to keep things light during a slow, methodical closing.To explain the idea of “homosexual OCD,” Morrison references a Seinfeld episode where George panics because “it moved” while he was getting a massage from a man."

... you can't make this up...
 
Last edited:
tweet from @thislouis 2 hours ago:
Lead prosecutor Jennifer Walker begins her rebuttal by mocking Morrison’s closing arguments: “I don’t have cartoons, Seinfeld or Abraham Lincoln.”

tweet from @thislouis 1 hour ago:
Six and a half years after Blaze Bernstein’s death, and following nearly three months of trial proceedings, a jury will now begin deliberating on whether Samuel Woodward is guilty of first degree murder, a hate crime and use of a deadly weapon.
 
www.foxla.com

Blaze Bernstein trial: Jury deliberations continue

Samuel Woodward is charged with murder with a sentencing enhancement for a hate crime based on the sexual orientation of the victim, 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein.
www.foxla.com www.foxla.com

After hearing more than two days of closing arguments, jurors began deliberating Tuesday...

[The defense] argued for the defendant to be convicted instead of voluntary manslaughter, but acquitted of hate-crime allegations. Jurors may also consider second-degree murder.

(...)

[The prosecutor] argued to jurors that the evidence points to Woodward planning to attack Bernstein in a "ceremonial" killing to win the prestige of the neo-Nazi group. She said he wore a sweater with a skull image on it to "strike fear" into the victim, and that it had Bernstein's blood spattered on it after the attack.

(...)

[The prosecutor] said Bernstein was rightly "shocked" to see Woodward seeking males on the dating app and sent a link to his public profile to a few fellow classmates from the school of the arts.

[The prosecutor] said Bernstein kept his promise not to share the details of their conversations with others.

"Blaze Bernstein is not here to defend himself against these allegations," ...

...for jurors to reject first-degree murder, "You have to believe a liar."
 
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