A court in California has handed down a sentence against Samuel Woodward, who was found guilty of the murder of Blaze Bernstein in 2018after the court imposed a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
It was determined that the crime was motivated by hatred towards the sexual orientation of the victim, who was gay. It was revealed during the trial that Woodward stabbed Bernstein more than 28 times before hiding her body in a park.
Blaze Bernstein, a 19-year-old, was reported missing after failing to show up for a dentist appointment. His family alerted the authorities after trying to contact him without success. However, a week later, police located his body in a park in Lake Forest, approximately 70 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles.
Investigations revealed that Bernstein had been in contact with Woodward via Snapchat prior to the tragic encounter.
Woodward with neo-Nazi ties
Prosecutors argued that Woodward had ties to Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi extremist group known for its violent and homophobic ideologies. Despite allegations about his mental health and possible undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder, the court found him competent to stand trial.
The final hearing was marked by emotional moments. Jeanne Pepper, the victim’s mother, expressed her pain in court: “No mother should have to bury her son… my heart was so broken and yet I was unable to accept the reality that he was no longer part of our world. ”.
Woodward’s defense attorney announced plans to appeal the verdict. However, the evidence presented during the trial was compelling; DNA belonging to Bernstein was found in Woodward’s rental vehicle, which contributed significantly to his conviction.
With information from BBC
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