Blaze Bernstein Murder: Bail Set At Arraignment

LAKE FOREST, CA — The murder of Blaze Bernstein, the University of Pennsylvania student killed at a Lake Forest park, rocked Orange County in January.

20-year-old Samuel Lincoln Woodward pleaded not guilty Friday to killing a gay former high school classmate whose body was found buried in a shallow grave at a Lake Forest park, and a judge set his bail at $5 million.

Woodward had been jailed without bail since his arrest Jan. 12. The usual bail for first-degree murder is $1 million, but Orange County Superior Court Judge Sheila Hanson set Woodward's bail at $5 million, citing in part his attempts to evade surveillance efforts by sheriff's deputies prior to his arrest. The judge also noted Woodward changed his appearance by dying and cutting his hair while he was under surveillance

While researching the law to consider whether 19-year-old University of Pennsylvania student Blaze Bernstein was killed because he was gay, prosecutors realized they could not attach a special circumstance allegation to the first-degree murder charge for the Ivy League student's accused killer.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas called it a "glaring omission" in the law that murder defendants who kill because of animus toward women or homosexuals cannot get the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. The law does allow for capital punishment for killers motivated by race or religion. Rackauckas said it appeared to him lawmakers "intentionally left out" other protected classes such as gays and women.

If prosecutors find out that Bernstein was killed because of his sexual orientation, then they could file a hate crime allegation against Woodward, which allows a judge to tack on more years in prison if the defendant is convicted. Because Bernstein was stabbed to death, Woodward already faces 26 years to life in prison if found guilty.

Rackauckas called the office of Sen. Janet Nguyen, R-Garden Grove, to help amend the law. Nguyen's district includes Santa Ana, where the D.A.'s office is located, but it does not include Lake Forest where Bernstein's body was discovered in a shallow grave.

A message left with state Sen. Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, who is the state minority leader, was not immediately returned. Sen. John Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa, whose district includes Lake Forest was not immediately available for comment, but Rackauckas' chief of staff, Susan Schroeder, said her office doubted he would support a change in the law.

Nguyen noted that she recently worked with Rackauckas' office on a law to punish anyone who dumps a body.

Samuel Lincoln Woodward was the last known person to see Woodward alive. He is accused of fatally stabbing the 19-year-old Bernstein late the night of Jan. 2. Bernstein's remains were found dead one week later in a shallow grave at Borrego Park.

Woodward and Bernstein were classmates at the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana and reconnected through the social media platform Snapchat. Bernstein was home from college on winter break when he went missing and was found murdered and buried in a shallow grave one week later.

According to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, Woodward picked up Bernstein from his parents' Lake Forest home about 11 p.m. Jan. 2, and drove him to a shopping center on Portola Parkway in Foothill Ranch. Later, the two went to Borrego Park in Lake Forest, he said.

At some point, Woodward stabbed Bernstein multiple times, then buried the body in a dirt perimeter at the park, Rackauckas alleged. The body of Bernstein was discovered after a torrential rain uncovered his remains, his Grandfather disclosed at Blaze's candlelight vigil.

Rackauckas declined to discuss a possible motive for the killing, but a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Orange County Register has alluded that Bernstein may have tried to kiss Woodward, who responded by killing him in an act of rage.

The district attorney conceded that the case remained under investigation, and said prosecutors were reviewing whether the killing could be considered a hate crime.

Bernstein's parents -- Gideon and Jeanne -- issued a statement last month noting the possibility the killing may have been a hate crime.

"Our son was a beautiful, gentle soul who we loved more than anything," the Bernsteins said. "We were proud of everything he did and who he was. He had nothing to hide. We are in solidarity with our son and the LGBTQ community. There is still much discovery to be done and if it is determined that this was a hate crime, we will cry not only for our son, but for LGBTQ people everywhere that live in fear or who have been victims of hate crime."

In late January, ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative news site, reported that three people who knew Woodward said he was part of the Atomwaffen Division, an armed fascist organization that aims to overthrow the government through guerrilla tactics and terrorism.

Atomwaffen Division has been linked to four other murders and a bomb plot over the past eight months, according to ProPublica.

A tribute to Blaze Bernstein and a Communal Call for Kindness will be held Sunday, Feb. 25 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Photo by Jae C. Hong/Associated Press