Trial For Man Accused Of Killing Blaze Bernstein Delayed Again: Report

LAKE FOREST, CA — A decision about whether the man accused of killing his former high school classmate and burying the body in a Lake Forest park is fit to stand trial was delayed Thursday, the Orange County Register reported.

Samuel Woodward is charged with the January 2018 killing of Blaze Bernstein, but all criminal proceedings against him are on hold until a judge determines whether or not Woodward is able to understand court proceedings and assist with his defense, the report said.

According to the report, Thursday's decision was delayed due to the defendant reportedly refusing to meet with a mental-health expert.

Questions about Woodward's mental competency were raised by a defense attorney mid-July, which led to a judge assigning two experts to evaluate Woodward.

According to the report, while Woodward met with one of the experts, he did not meet with the second. His mental-competency hearing was rescheduled for Oct. 21, the OC Register reported.

Woodward is accused of killing Bernstein when the two former OC School of the Arts met up in early 2018. Prosecutors said that Woodward killed Bernstein at least partly because Bernstein was gay.

He has been held in Orange County jail without bail since his arrest in 2018, and his trial has been delayed several times, according to the report.

To read more about the trial against one Orange County man accused of killing his former classmate, view the full article on the OC Register.

Read more on Patch:

Blaze Bernstein Murder: Arraignment Scheduled For Samuel Woodward

Blaze Bernstein Murder: Bail Set At Arraignment

Blaze Bernstein Murder: Hate Crime Charge Added