Man, 27, stabbed teen to death so his family would not find out about his double-life

Samuel Lincoln Woodward was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, without the possibility of parole, for the hate-fuelled stabbing of 18-year-old Blaze Bernstein

A 27-year-old man has been handed a life sentence with no chance of parole for the hateful murder of a former schoolmate in a horrific crime, which occurred six years ago. The perpetrator, Samuel Lincoln Woodward, was finally convicted in July over the fatal stabbing of Blaze Bernstein, who was just 18 at the time of his death in 2018.

During the sentencing on Friday, an emotional statement was delivered to the court by the victim's grieving mother, Jeanne Pepper Bernstein, in the presence of Woodward. Speaking to the court, she said: "This calm and earnest-sounding young man lied to us, the emphatic parents of the young man he had, less than 24 hours before, stabbed 28 times with a 6-inch blade and buried in a park by our home, he misled us to believe that Blaze had wandered off into a dark and vast park by our home that leads into the wilderness behind our house."

Woodward had studied at the same California school as his victim but had been radicalised by online neo-nazis into a dangerous and hate-filled ideology. One which was at odds with his identity and his desires, and ultimately triggered the horrific violence against gay Jewish 18-year-old Bernstein - an act that will see Woodward spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Bernstein's impact statement continued: "As the search began the next day tremendous law enforcement and resources came to our aid to search the forest, the park, and the internet for clues. His killer also showed up that day at the park and then went home to clean his car of any evidence...I'm so scared thinking that my child is injured, lost in the woods, or being held by an extremist neonazi group. Then we got the phone call on January 10, my father's birthday, they found my son's body in the mud in the park," she added, laying bare the extent of her family's ordeal.

"How could this be happening? No mother should have to bury her child... my heart was so broken and yet unable to accept the reality that he was no longer part of our world. I was not told the details of how he was killed because I was having trouble coping with the reality of his death.

"I will never forget hearing for the first time that Blaze had been stabbed 28 times while I was listening to the news while I was in the park where his body was found. I collapsed on the ground screaming. That was one of the many panic attacks I would have that first year."

Pepper added, "After my son's death, I thought I would never be happy again, but knowing the defendant will never be able to harm anyone again makes me happy.

"While Sam rots in prison we will be here on the outside celebrating the life of Blaze, and continuing to do good with others who work every day to make this world more caring, kind, and safe for the Jewish and LGBTQ communities," said Pepper.

The enhanced hate crime charges were based on allegations that Woodward murdered Bernstein due to his sexual orientation and Jewish heritage.

Evidence presented at trial showed Woodward's ties to a neo-Nazi faction called the Atomwaffen Division. Both the victim and the perpetrator had been students at the Orange County School of the Arts for four years. Bernstein, after graduating in six years, pursued pre-med studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Prosecutors contended in court that Woodward murdered Bernstein to gain notoriety within a neo-Nazi faction. Bernstein's defence team countered, suggesting the client's autism influenced the incident and claimed he was "over-charged."

"Samuel Lincoln Woodward should be held accountable for what he did," Ken Morrison, his lawyer, argued. "He should not be held accountable for what he did not do. This case was over-charged."

Woodward had reconnected with Bernstein after a long period of silence. On January 2, 2018, they set out for a camping trip where cannabis was consumed and Woodward began dozing off. He reported feeling an odd sensation in his legs and initially thought he'd wet himself, he testified in court.

Waking up fully, he found his trousers unfastened and Bernstein touching his groyne while appearing to record the interaction, he claimed. Panicked about his family, who disapprove of homosexuality, discovering the encounter, Woodward said he attempted to snatch the phone from Bernstein, who he alleged was attempting to "out" him.

Unable to retrieve the phone, he purportedly stabbed Bernstein repeatedly and destroyed the device.

The accused reportedly dug a shallow grave with his bare hands and left the body in the park where they were camping. His parents alerted the authorities about their son's disappearance when he didn't turn up for a dentist appointment.

Bernstein's body was discovered a week later.