A man from California is on trial for allegedly killing a gay student from the University of Pennsylvania in what prosecutors call a hate crime. Samuel Woodward, 26, testified about meeting the victim, Blaze Bernstein, online and going to a park with him, after which Bernstein went missing.
Woodward said he struggled to make friends and mainly communicated online. He matched with Bernstein on a dating app and later reconnected. Woodward mentioned feeling awkward due to his conservative Catholic background.
Prosecutors claim Woodward, linked to a hate group, targeted gay men online and kept a journal of his actions. They found hate group materials among his belongings. Defense argues Woodward didn’t plan to kill and didn’t hate Bernstein, citing his autism and confusion about his se*uality from his upbringing.
Woodward admitted to reading material from the hate group and meeting its members. The trial, delayed by questions about Woodward’s mental state, has involved many witnesses. Bernstein’s body was found days after he disappeared, stabbed multiple times, in a park where Woodward said he last saw him.