The parents of murdered student Blaze Bernstein say the white supremacist accused of killing him targeted him because he was gay and Jewish.
Samuel Woodward, who was a former classmate of Blaze’s from Santa Ana, California, is accused of stabbing Blaze 19 times then burying his body in a shallow grave last month.
Since his arrest, he has been linked to neo-Nazi Facebook groups and graphic, sexual and race-charged internet posts that he wrote have been revealed.
Woodward is due to be arraigned in California on Friday.
On Friday, Blaze’s parents told Today that they believe his allegiance to the hate group may have driven him to kill their son.
Asked if they think Blaze could have been targeted because he was Jewish, the teen’s lawyer mother Jeanne said: ‘Absolutely. He was also a gay man so he was also not a very big person.
‘[He was] a potential target for any crime.’
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Michele and Gideon Bernstein, the parents of murdered student Blaze Bernstein, said on Friday that they believe he could have been targeted because he was gay and Jewish
Blaze Bernstein, 19, was killed on January 2. His body was discovered a week later. He had been stabbed more than 20 times
Police have not yet offered any official motive for the murder.
Blaze was reported missing on January 2. His last known whereabouts was with Woodward at the Borrego Ranch Park.
Initially, Woodward told police they had gone together to the park, late at night, in his rented car.
He claimed Blaze wandered off into the park and that when he did not return later, he left.
A week later, Blaze’s body was found in a grave in the park after heavy rainfall unearthed much of the ground.
The teenager had been stabbed 19 times. Woodward was arrested shortly afterwards.
Samuel Woodward, 20, is accused of murdering Blaze who he briefly attended school. He is due to be arraigned on Friday
Woodward has been linked to neo-Nazi groups like the Atomwaffen Division
He regularly made right-wing social media posts including this one where he defended the Confederate flag
On Friday, Blaze’s parents said they are determined to learn why their son was murdered.
‘I want answers, I want to know what happened. I want to know the truth,’ his mother Michele said.
‘It’s sad that a young person is so filled with hate that they need to collaborate with other people of like mind and they could be doing something good.
‘Whether or not that has something to do with Blaze’s death has not been determined,’ she said.
Gideon, his father, added: ‘We ask ourselves every day. Why did this happen? We don’t have an answer.’
Among Woodward’s social media posts were repeated references to the Confederate flag.
Blaze’s parents said he was ‘not a very big person’ which made him more vulnerable
‘I want answers’: Blaze’s lawyer mother Jeanne said she still does not know what happened on the night her son was murdered
On Ask FM, he boasted about his religion and said he would want a gun and a bible with him if he was ever stranded on a desert island.
His now-deleted posts on iFunny were particularly anti-semitic, according to fellow users who viewed his profile.
‘Anti-Semitism and homophobia were certainly aspects of his ideology,’ one told The New York Post.
In one disturbing comment, written beneath a photograph of him posing with an Indian teacher, he wrote: ‘I would vigorously bone the living hell out of my English teacher, like holy f**k.
‘I don’t care if it’s miscegenation [interbreeding].
‘That babe would be pregnant as f**k year after year, around the clock, acting as a hub of genetic imperialism and giving life to half arab Saboteur-offspring to further my conquest and aims.’
Law enforcement sources previously suggested that Woodward may have attacked Blaze after he tried to kiss him.
The pair had studied together years ago at a performing arts school in Orange County.
Blaze went on to gain acceptance to the University of Pennsylvania. He was at home for winter break when he was murdered.