The man accused of killing a 19-year-old Ivy League student pleaded not guilty to homicide charges on Friday during an arraignment hearing in Southern California.
Samuel Woodward, 20, is being held on $5 million bail at the Orange County Correctional Facility in Santa Ana on suspicion of murder after authorities say he killed Pennsylvania University sophomore Blaze Bernstein last month.
Police believe that Woodward stabbed Bernstein more than 20 times and buried his body in a shallow grave at a neighborhood park not far from the college student’s family home in Lake Forest.
Samuel Woodward (L), 20, pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Friday after being arrested for Blaze Berstein’s (R) death last month
Lawyers for Woodward tried to have the bond reduced to $1 million, as is standard in similar cases tried in California, according to ABC 7 News.
But prosecutors argued that Woodward was a flight risk and posed a legitimate threat to the community. The judge agreed and set the bail for the higher amount.
If freed on bail, Woodward would have severe restrictions on his freedom of movement, including wearing a GPS monitoring device, and would have to relinquish his passport.
Police believe that Woodward stabbed Bernstein more than 20 times and buried his body in a shallow grave at a neighborhood park
Bernstein, who grew up in Orange County and was visiting his family on winter break, was missing for a week after going out with Woodward the night of Jan. 2, according to authorities.
Authorities searched for him with help from drone pilots and found his body at the park after rain partially exposed it.
Bernstein was gay and Jewish and authorities are investigating the possibility of a hate crime.
‘A hate crime or a special circumstance allegation requires that level of proof, so we’re looking for that evidence, and if and when we find it, we will amend the charges and file that,’ said District Attorney of Orange County Tony Rackauckas.
Bernstein was gay and Jewish and authorities are investigating the possibility of a hate crime. Pictured: An Atomwaffen Division propaganda poster
Authorities say the two men both attended the Orange County School of the Arts but they did not know if they were friends at the time.
According to a court filing obtained by the Orange County Register, Woodward told investigators that he became angry after Bernstein kissed him the night they went to the park.
At college, Bernstein was studying psychology and was recently chosen to edit a campus culinary magazine.
Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil for Bernstein and his funeral.
If convicted of the charge and enhancement, Woodward could face as much as 26 years to life in prison.
Evidence of Woodward’s alleged neo-Nazi leanings began to surface shortly after his arrest, with at least three people close to the 20-year-old telling the ProPublica news site that he was active in a neo-Nazi organization called Atomwaffen Division. The name translates to ‘Nuclear Weapons Division’.
Two of the sources who revealed Woodward’s background to ProPublic were his friends and one used to be a member of Atomwaffen Division.
The neo-Nazi group that Woodward was allegedly a member of has filmed itself burning the American flag and the constitution.
The group’s website describes the Atomwaffen Division as ‘a Revolutionary National Socialist organization centered around political activism and the practice of an autonomous Fascist lifestyle’.
The website’s ‘Who we are’ section reads: ‘As an ideological band of comrades, we perform both activism and militant training (hand to hand, arms training, and etc.).
‘We spread awareness in the real world through unconventional means (and it has worked).
‘We often go hunting, adventuring, and a group favorite is urban exploring. We have various specialists in the group ranging from many occupations… Joining us means serious dedication not only to the Atomwaffen Division and its members, but to the goal of ultimate uncompromising victory.
‘As it must be emphasized: no keyboard warriorism… if you don’t want to meet up and get things done: don’t bother.’
One source described Woodward as ‘as anti-Semitic as you can get’. Woodward reportedly joined Atomwaffen Division in 2016, attended group meetings in Texas and there completed a three-day training camp.
The training camp armed members of the group with hand-to-hand combat, camping, survival and firearm use skills, the former Atomwaffen Division member told ProPublica.
Bernstein, who grew up in Orange County and was visiting his family on winter break, was missing for a week after going out with Woodward the night of Jan. 2
The website said it had also obtained pictures of Woodward at one of the group’s meetings. In one, Woodward can reportedly be seen doing a Nazi salute.
Woodward is trained to use assault rifles and handguns and has organized Atomwaffen Division members in California, it is claimed.
The Atomwaffen Division has also been connected to murders in Florida and Virginia. It was founded in 2015 and consists of about 80 members.
The former member who spoke with ProPublica said the group has grown since the explosive ‘Unite the Right’ protest – which left one protester dead – in Virginia last summer.
Joanna Mendelson, a researcher at the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism told ProPublica: ‘Their rhetoric is some of the most extreme we have seen.’