Blaze Bernstein Murder Suspect Posted About Guns And Torture On Social Media

By Dave Goldiner January 14, 2018

The suspect in the murder of college student Blaze Bernstein reportedly posted violent material on social media.

Samuel Woodward, who went to high school with Bernstein in suburban Los Angeles, praised the Confederate flag and said he would take a gun with him if stranded on a desert island, television station KCAL9 reported.

Woodward, 20, picked “waterboarding” as a new skill he hoped to learn, the New York Post reported.

Bernstein apparently went to meet Woodward at a park near his home on Jan. 3 and never returned. The University of Pennsylvania sophomore was later found in a shallow grave.

Woodward was identified by police from Bernstein’s SnapChat account and was linked by DNA evidence to the crime, police said.

He acted nervously when questioned by police, avoided touching door knobs and had unexplained cuts on him, they said. He listed “nerf games” as his occupation on a police form.

Bernstein’s heartbroken parents mourned his death by lighting Shabbat candles in his honor.

A funeral is planned for Monday for the popular premed student, who was home on winter break from the Ivy League school.

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

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