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California man convicted of murder in stabbing death of University of Pennsylvania student

By Natalie Reid Miller, WPXI-TV

Samuel Woodward FILE - Samuel Woodward leaves a court hearing at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, Calif., Aug. 22, 2018. Woodward has been convicted of murder in the killing of a gay University of Pennsylvania student in a 2018 stabbing for an act of hate. Woodward, 26, was found guilty Wednesday, July 3, 2024, of first-degree murder for the killing of Blaze Bernstein. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP, Pool, File) (Paul Bersebach/AP)

By Natalie Reid Miller, WPXI-TV

A California man was convicted of murder with a hate crime enhancement for the 2018 stabbing of a University of Pennsylvania student.

Samuel Woodward, 26, was found guilty of first-degree murder plus the enhancement for killing Blaze Bernstein, a gay, Jewish college sophomore, the Associated Press reports.

Bernstein was home visiting family when he went missing. His body was found a week later in a shallow grave at a nearby park.

Woodward and Bernstein attended high school together.

Whether Woodward killed Bernstein was not a question during the trial, but why. Prosecutor Jennifer Walker emphasized Woodward’s affiliation with a violent, anti-gay, neo-Nazi extremist group, the AP reports.

Woodward’s attorney claimed his client did not plan to kill Bernstein and did not hate anyone. He plans to appeal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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