Blaze Bernstein Suspect Charged With Murder In Brutal Stabbing

Blaze Bernstein on a recent trip to Iceland. Image by Facebook

By Dave Goldiner January 17, 2018

Prime suspect Samuel Woodward was charged with murder Wednesday in the killing of inspirational California college student Blaze Bernstein.

The ex-high school classmate of Bernstein faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted in the brutal stabbing death, which took place after the two met near their homes in an affluent Los Angeles suburb on January 3.

Woodward was expected to be arraigned later Wednesday.

Police sources told reporters that [Bernstein was stabbed more than 20 times.] Woodward admitted being angered when Bernstein kissed him hours before the killing.

A police press release noted that Woodward, who weighs 185 pounds, was linked by DNA evidence to the killing of Bernstein, who is 50 pounds lighter.

Bernstein, 19, never returned home after meeting Woodward and his body was found days later in a shallow grave in a nearby park.

The slain teen, who was on winter break from the University of Pennsylvania, was recalled in glowing terms by friends and relatives.

His parents have asked if the killing should be probed as a hate crime, especially since Wooodward reportedly used an anti-gay slur to refer to Bernstein during his interrogation by police.

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 goldiner@forward.com, or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

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