Defense in Bernstein murder trial puts blame on Woodward’s ‘internal struggles’ during opening statements

Defense attorneys for Sam Woodward did not deny the Newport Beach man with ties to an insurrectionst neo-Nazi group repeatedly stabbed and killed Blaze Bernstein, a gay Jewish former art school classmate, during a late night meetup six years ago.

Instead, Kenneth Morrison of the Orange County Public Defender’s office argued during opening statements Tuesday that his 26-year-old client’s actions were the result of a struggle to come to terms with his own sexuality and conservative upbringing, as well as symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder.

Woodward is facing a charge of first degree murder with a hate crime enhancement for Bernstein’s death. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Morrison claimed Woodward was not motivated by hate and that Bernstein’s killing was not a hate crime.

“The ‘why’ is the single most important issue you will need to decide,” Morrison told Orange County Superior Court jurors in a courtroom packed with about 50 relatives and spectators.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jennifer Walker painted Woodward as a prominent member of Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group that hosted “hate camps” and promoted sabotage in order to overthrow the government. She pointed out that he kept a sort of diary via email, in which he described catfishing and then ghosting gay men on Tinder.

“This is [expletive] hilarious,” Woodward wrote on May 14, 2017. “I tell sodomites I’m bicurious, which makes them try to convert me …. Get them hooked by acting coy, maybe send them a pic or two, beat around the bush and pretend to tell them that I like them and then kabam, I either un-friend them or tell them they have been pranked, ha ha.”

He and Bernstein had been classmates at the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, where the defendant was viewed as a pariah by most of his peers, according to Morrison, who said that was partly due to his then-undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder and staunchly conservative views, particularly in regards to sexuality.

Woodward grew up in a traditional Catholic household, with even his father telling investigators that he did not believe he would be willing to come out to relatives if he were gay, Morrison said. The defense attorney further claimed his client did pursue a romantic relationship with at least one male student at OCSA, Gabriel Morris.

The defendant and victim lost touch with each other after Bernstein began taking classes at the University of Pennsylvania and Woodward started attending Cal State Channel Islands. The defendant, described as impressionable and a history buff by many who knew him, continued to struggle to make friends into college. That made him an easy target for recruitment and indoctrination by Atomwafffen Division, Morrison argued.

Woodward had already catfished numerous other gay men on social media by the time he and Bernstein matched on Tinder in June 2017, Walker said.

Morrison pointed out that Bernstein told numerous other mutual acquaintances he had matched with his former art school classmate, despite being asked to keep the connection a secret.

Six months later, Woodward reached out to Bernstein and apologized for ghosting him. The victim warily accepted the gesture, and only agreed to meet with him that evening after Woodward mentioned he had gone through problems related to substance abuse, although investigators would not find direct evidence of such issues.

Cell tower data show Woodward picked Bernstein up at his home late on the evening of Jan. 2, 2018, before heading to nearby Borrego Park. From there, according to the data, Woodward apparently returned home for about an hour, then went back to the park for another hour. Details regarding what exactly happened during that time remain unconfirmed.

Bernstein’s mother, Jeanne Pepper, recalled from a witness stand on Wednesday the moment she realized her son had gone missing. They were supposed to go to the dentist’s office on Jan. 3, but he missed the appointment. She thought the 19-year-old had just slept in, until their housekeeper called and told her he wasn’t in his room that morning.

“She said the bed was made up when she walked in,” Pepper said. “I screamed at that moment. I ran to the car, and I called my husband.”

They found find their son’s keys, wallet and glasses when they got to their house. But his body wouldn’t be found for another six days. An examination of his social media accounts would lead his relatives to contact Woodward, who was believed to be one of the last people to ever speak to Bernstein.

Heavy rain that Jan. 9 would partially unearth Bernstein’s shallow grave in Borrego Park, not far from his family’s Foothill Ranch home. He had been stabbed 28 times, including numerous cuts to his neck and defensive wounds on his hands. And in the days that followed, a large amount of Nazi propaganda discovered on Woodward’s phone would cast him as a suspect in the case.

“Blaze fought for his life as best as he could,” Walker said.

The trial is expected to continue throughout the spring. Morrison repeatedly said he expects his client to testify in court.