SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS) — A 27-year-old man was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the hate crime killing of a gay former classmate in Foothill Ranch six years ago.

Samuel Lincoln Woodward was convicted of fatally stabbing 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein on January 3, 2018.

The victim’s mother, Jeanne Pepper, read an emotional statement at Friday’s sentencing hearing:

“This young man with a calm and serious voice lied to us, empathetic parents of the young man he had less than 24 hours ago was stabbed 28 times with a 6 inch knife and buried in a park near our home, misleading us into believing that Blaze was near our home “He said he was walking towards a dark, wide park next to our house, which led into the wilderness beyond.”

“When the search began the next day, tremendous law enforcement and resources came to our aid, searching for clues in the woods, the park, and the internet. The killer also came to the park that day and then went home to clean his car. The evidence…I believe my child was injured, lost in the woods, or an extremist neo-Nazi.” “I am so scared, thinking that he is being held by the group. Then, on January 10, on my father’s birthday, we received a call that they found my son’s body in the mud in the park,” he continued.

“How could this be? No mother should have to bury her child… I was so heartbroken that I couldn’t accept the fact that she was no longer a part of our world. I wasn’t told in detail how she was. She was killed because I had a hard time coping with the fact that she was dead. I first heard the news in the park where her body was found.” “I’ll never forget hearing about Blaze being stabbed 28 times. He collapsed screaming. I had so many panic attacks my first year.”

“Knowing that he died in such a horrible, horrible way, stabbed to death by someone claiming to be my high school classmate, is the worst, most painful thing that has ever happened to me,” he said.

“When I think about his last moments, I am so horrified I was having panic attacks just thinking about it. Sleepless nights.”

“I never thought I’d smile again or be happy again, but today I stand here relieved and happy because this sociopath will never leave Orange County or kill someone else’s children again… We’ll be here while Sam rots in prison. Pepper is out there with Blaze.” “He celebrates his life and continues to do good to others who work every day to make this world more compassionate, kind and safe for the Jewish and LGBTQ communities.”

In development of the hate crime, Woodward allegedly killed Bernstein not because he was Jewish, but because of the victim’s sexual orientation; But jurors were also given evidence of the defendant’s involvement with a neo-Nazi group known as the Atomwaffen Division, which they considered a model of bigotry.

Friday’s sentencing hearing was postponed because Woodward did not leave his jail cell. His lawyer later said that his client was ill. The hearing, which was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., did not begin until 2 p.m. and was held without Woodward.

Woodward and Bernstein attended the Orange County School of the Arts together for four years. Bernstein graduated after six years at the school and became a pre-med student at the University of Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, Woodward transferred to Corona Del Mar High School, where he graduated and attended Cal State Channel Islands before dropping out during his second semester.

Woodward spent five days testifying during the trial, often taking about 30 seconds to answer yes or no questions. Woodward’s attorney, Ken Morrison of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, presented evidence that his client’s autism-related issues made him so hungry for companionship that he was easily lured by a neo-Nazi group.

Woodward said he reached out to Bernstein on New Year’s Day 2018, hours after exchanging a long text message with his brother’s best friend, Dylan Gronendyke. When she went to the parking lot alone to give her parents the impression that she was going out with friends, Gronendyke encouraged her to return to college and not give up trying to make friends.

Almost a day passed before Bernstein responded to Woodward, and the two agreed to meet on the night of January 2, 2018. Woodward packed snacks, drinks and marijuana into his sleeping bag and picked up Bernstein, who directed the two to Borrego Park. The victim’s mother said he has many lifelong memories, such as playing football in his youth.

Woodward testified that he took two hits of an intoxicating strain of marijuana and felt himself nodding until he felt a strange sensation in his legs and that he immediately thought he was so relieved that he had urinated on himself, as he had done before.

According to Woodward’s statement, when he took action he noticed his pants were undone and the victim’s hand was on his crotch. He testified that Bernstein also photographed or videotaped the encounter.

This triggered panic in Woodward, who said his family, who opposed homosexuality on religious grounds, would find out about this. The defendant said he fought to get the phone call from Bernstein, who he claimed made remarks to the effect that he would “throw out” Woodward, who had a reputation for homophobia in high school.

Woodward said that when he couldn’t get the phone, he acted violently and stabbed Bernstein multiple times, then smashed the phone.

Woodward said he dug a shallow grave with his hands and left the body in the park.

When Bernstein failed to show up for a dental appointment, which was unusual and unreachable, his worried parents began searching for clues and contacted authorities. Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said the victim’s body was found on Jan. 9, 2018, in an area of ​​the park that had been previously scanned, but recent rain made it easier to see it.

Morrison told jurors that evidence of his client’s autism was not presented as an attempt to excuse the crime, but to help jurors understand his state of mind and help them reject hate crime allegations and accept a lesser charge of murder.

“Samuel Lincoln Woodward must answer for what he did,” Morrison said in his closing remarks. “He should not be held responsible for what he did not do. Exaggerated accusations were made in this case.”

Morrison described his client as a lifelong struggler who didn’t realize he had autism until he was 18, often too late for prescribed interventions. His defense attorney argued that the disorder made it difficult for him to communicate and led to social awkwardness and loneliness, and that late diagnosis made him particularly vulnerable to influence by a fringe, extremist group such as the Atomwaffen Division.

Morrison said Woodward became disillusioned with the group when he ran out of money for food and a motel after a two-month trip to Texas in the summer of 2017 with the man who recruited him.

Morrison argued that although Woodward and Bernstein did not interact much while they were classmates, there were projects on which they worked together, and that Woodward considered him a “quiet guy.” Morrison said the defendant was surprised to learn Bernstein was gay when they reconnected through a dating app in June 2017, and was amazed at how comfortable Woodward was with the victim’s own sexual orientation, while the defendant struggled with his own.

Walker argued to jurors that the evidence showed Woodward planned to attack Bernstein in a “ritualistic” killing to gain the prestige of the neo-Nazi group. He said that he wore a sweater with a picture of a skull on it to scare the victims, and that Bernstein’s blood was splashed on it after the attack.

When Bernstein’s panicked parents searched their missing son’s social media for clues, they called Woodward, who lied to them about what had happened to their son, according to the prosecutor. Woodward also began searching for information about DNA and even got a haircut to change his appearance as the search for Bernstein made headlines, Walker said.

He brushed aside Morrison’s claims that Bernstein betrayed Woodward’s wish to keep it secret that the pair had matched on a dating app. Walker said Bernstein was rightfully “shocked” to see Woodward seeking men on the dating app and sent a link to her public profile to several of her arts school classmates.

Walker said Bernstein kept his promise not to share details of his meetings with others.

Copyright 2024, City News Service, Inc.

ABC7.com staff contributed to this report.