SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — With his legs shackled and extra security in place, Samuel Woodward took the stand Thursday for the first time in the trial accusing him of viciously murdering Blaze Bernstein in 2018 because of the Orange County teen’s sexual and religious identity.
Prosecutors have argued Woodward lured Bernstein to a Lake Forest park and stabbed him 28 times because he was Jewish and gay.
Woodward’s attorneys have already acknowledged his responsibility for the 19-year-old’s death. But they have focused on the reasons behind the killing, saying they are “not black and white.”
See ABC7’s full report on Woodward’s testimony streaming here today at 5 p.m.
Prosecutors have said Woodward killed Bernstein after the former classmates reconnected in June 2017 and then agreed to hang out on Jan. 2, 2018. They accuse Woodward of intentionally luring Bernstein to a park in Lake Forest and of killing him within an hour of them meeting up. Bernstein’s body was found eight days after he was reported missing.
They say Woodward had joined Atomwaffen, a neo-Nazi group, and targeted gay men on social media and dating apps.
“The defendant brought a folding knife, his Atomwaffen mask, a device to bury, a shovel and a sleeping bag and picked up Blaze Bernstein,” a prosecutor said when the trial opened in April.
Samuel Woodward in 2018 booking photo.
Because of previous court outbursts, Woodward was offered an option during his testimony: Sit at the witness stand with two officers behind him, or have his legs shackled and arms free with just one officer behind him.
He chose to have his legs shackled. He was taken to another room out of the jury’s sight to be shackled.
His long hair covered his face as he sat on the stand and at one point his defense attorney asked him to push his hair back to show his face. It was the trial’s 26th day.
The defendant’s father, Sam Woodward, took the stand earlier in the day to discuss his son’s upbringing and any signs he may have observed of violent behavior and racist or anti-gay statements. He said he couldn’t recall his son making negative comments about gays or Jews.
But he did recall some angry outbursts or meltdowns in which he lashed out violently and would scream and destroy property. He also often wanted to be alone and not spend time with his family, his father said. By age 10, his father said, his son became obsessed with World War II, including weaponry and knives.
DEVELOPING: This story will be updated.
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