Samuel Woodward Sentenced to Life for Murder

Samuel Woodward, a 27-year-old with ties to neo-Nazism, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of Blaze Bernstein, a 19-year-old Jewish and gay student, who he stabbed 28 times in January 2018. The court found that Woodward acted out of hate, motivated by Bernstein's sexual orientation and religious beliefs. Woodward's defense claimed he struggled with autism and did not plan the murder, but prosecutors argued that evidence of his affiliations with hate groups and a personal 'hate diary' demonstrated otherwise. Judge Kimberly Menninger emphasized that the crime required planning, dismissing Woodward’s claims of provocation, as there was no supporting evidence. Bernstein's family has initiated the #BlazeItForward campaign to promote healing in the wake of their son's death. Woodward will be eligible for a youth offender hearing after 25 years in prison, despite the gravity of his crime.