New Details About The Friend Arrested For Killing Blaze Bernstein — And His Bizarrely Violent Social Media Posts
He was the last person to see Blaze alive.
The friend suspected of killing Blaze Bernstein and burying him in a park was arrested Friday after his DNA matched evidence at the crime scene.
Samuel Lincoln Woodward allegedly murdered Bernstein, who was discovered in a shallow grave in Borrego Park, California after he was reported missing a week prior.
Woodward was the last person to have seen Bernstein before his disappearance and “appeared nervous” when interviewed by investigators. Detectives reported he was “breathing heavy, talking fast and visibly shaking.”
Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes said detectives used Snapchat to link Woodward to the case as he had dropped Bernstein off at the park the night the 19-year-old went missing.
Woodward was arrested on suspicion of homicide after investigators received DNA test results that matched his blood to the scene.
“We were able to today, through our crime lab, confirm evidence collected, through DNA that tied Mr. Woodward to Mr. Bernstein,” said Barnes.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Woodward was found to have scratches and abrasions on his arms and dirt under his fingernails.
His story, which Barnes said detectives found somewhat inconsistent, was that the cuts were from a “fight club” he was a part of and the dirt underneath his nails was from falling into a “dirty puddle.”
Detectives also noted that Woodward avoided touching anything, pulling his jacket sleeves over his hands and fingers.
Woodward claimed to have dropped Bernstein off at the park around midnight on Jan. 2 and then returned to the park an hour later after he failed to respond to Snapchats. Woodward reportedly left to go to his girlfriend’s house, whose name slipped his mind during an interview, and drove back to the park around 3:40 a.m. after Bernstein still hadn't responded.
Bernstein’s parents reported him missing when he didn't show up for a dentist appointment
“We believe Mr. Woodward was acting alone,” Barnes said. An autopsy on the body is scheduled for Wednesday.
KCAL’s Stacey Butler found some interesting things about the suspect via his social media accounts.
On one of those accounts, he listed “waterboarding” as a new skill he would like to learn. Another showed him claiming the Confederate flag was not racist, but a symbol of southern pride.
He was asked about his thoughts on cloning on one site, to which he replied, “Just one of me in the world is already bad enough.”
An anonymous commenter wrote, “You are violence. It scares me." When asked about cannibals, Woodward said, “They’ve got the right idea.”
Woodward replied to the comment, saying “I wouldn't fight anybody unless they attacked me.”
Bernstein’s parents, Jeanne Pepper and Gideon, are devastated but relieved their son has been found.
“As a parent myself, I put myself in the shoes of the Bernstein’s,” Barnes said. “I cannot imagine the grief they must now face.”
On Wednesday night a candlelight vigil was held near where Bernstein’s body was found. Over 300 people attended. A small memorial was made for the boy as well, with painted stones, photos, and flowers placed where his body was uncovered.
“Revenge is empty. It will never bring back my son,” the slain boy’s mother, Jeanne Pepper Bernstein, said in a tweet. “My only hopes are that he will never have the opportunity to hurt anyone else again and that something meaningful can come from the senseless act of Blaze’s murder. Now Do Good for Blaze Bernstein.”