Timeline: The Blaze Bernstein murder case

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A look astatine the 2018 disappearance of Blaze Bernstein and the grounds that led to Sam Woodward's apprehension and condemnation successful the hatred transgression murder.

Jan. 2, 2018

Blaze, a 19-year-old Ivy League student, was spending the holidays visiting household successful Orange County, California, erstwhile helium went missing the nighttime of Jan. 2, 2018.

Jan. 3, 2018

After Blaze failed to amusement up to a dentist assignment and didn't respond to texts and calls, his parents, Jeanne Pepper and Gideon Bernstein, checked his room. They didn't find Blaze but recovered his wallet, keys and glasses inactive astatine the house.

They searched Blaze's machine and societal media accounts for clues. On Blaze's Snapchat, they recovered messages from Sam Woodward, who had been Blaze's precocious schoolhouse classmate. The messaging showed that the nighttime Blaze went missing, helium had sent his code to Woodward. Gideon Bernstein reached retired to Woodward, who claimed helium had picked Blaze up and driven to section Borrego Park. Woodward said that Blaze past walked disconnected successful the acheronian to conscionable different friend.

"I didn't spot wherever helium went," Woodward told Gideon Bernstein. "I searched each implicit for him ... I couldn't find him anywhere."

After that call, the disquieted Bernsteins filed a missing person's study with police.

Jan. 6, 2018

Law enforcement repeatedly combed Borrego Park. By this point, quality of Blaze's disappearance had already dispersed crossed Orange County.

The Bernstein family, inactive hoping for bully news, held a property conference, asking the nationalist to support looking for their son.

Jan. 9, 2018

After days of searching, investigators recovered Blaze buried successful a shallow sedate successful Borrego Park aft dense rains helped uncover his body. He had been stabbed much than 20 times. Blaze's damaged telephone (pictured) was besides recovered successful that grave.

Investigators believed Woodward was the past idiosyncratic to spot Blaze earlier helium disappeared. Woodward had told them what helium told the Bernsteins — that helium met up with Blaze, who past walked disconnected successful the park. Investigators served a hunt warrant astatine Woodward's home.

Jan. 12, 2018

Sam Woodward was arrested connected Jan. 12, 2018.

Jan. 17, 2018

Woodward was charged with murder with a sentencing enhancement of idiosyncratic usage of a knife.

Later successful 2018, then-Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas told "48 Hours" that investigators had recovered a weapon successful Woodward's home.

"The weapon had humor connected it," Rackauckas said. "Blaze Bernstein's humor connected the knife."

He besides said they had recovered humor successful Woodward's car.

"The humor connected the headliner belonged to some Sam Woodward and Blaze Bernstein," Rackauckas told "48 Hours" analogous Tracy Smith.

Feb. 2, 2018

Woodward was arraigned and pleaded not guilty.

Aug. 2, 2018

The Orange County District Attorney's Office added a hatred transgression enhancement to Sam Woodward's archetypal charges.

Sam Woodward astatine a proceeding connected Sept. 17, 2018.

Prosecutors claimed Woodward killed Blaze with premeditation due to the fact that Blaze was gay. If convicted, Woodward present could look beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole. Authorities accidental aft examining Woodward's phone, laptop and societal media accounts, they recovered grounds of Woodward's engagement successful Atomwaffen, a neo-Nazi violent group.

April 9, 2024

In the opening statements of his trial, the prosecution told the assemblage that Woodward killed Blaze due to the fact that helium was gay. Defense Attorney Ken Morrison conceded that Woodward killed Blaze but argued that the execution was not premeditated and alternatively was a lawsuit of voluntary manslaughter. He argued that Blaze did thing that provoked Woodward to termination him and told the assemblage Woodward would attest astir what happened the nighttime Blaze was killed.

April 10, 2024

Jeanne Pepper and Gideon Bernstein attest

"I cognize that a batch of things volition beryllium said that are astir apt untrue," Jeanne Pepper told "48 Hours." "Because that's what happens successful a transgression trial…I person an accidental to support Blaze and that's what I volition do."

Blaze Bernstein's parents were among 23 witnesses who testified for the prosecution.

June 20, 2024

When it was the defense's turn, Woodward told the assemblage that connected the nighttime helium killed Blaze, Woodward had smoked a joint. He said that Blaze had been taunting him and threatened to retired his sexuality. Woodward accused Blaze of intersexual assault. There is nary grounds of this.

Woodward testified that helium past stabbed Blaze to death. He said that helium routinely carried a weapon with him since his days arsenic a Boy Scout.

July 3, 2024

The assemblage recovered Sam Woodward blameworthy of first-degree execution with the hatred transgression enhancement.

"He faces beingness without anticipation of parole," Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said aft the blameworthy verdict. "And that's what we'll beryllium asking for."

Nov. 15, 2024

Sam Woodward was sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole.

Blaze's Legacy

After their son's murder, Blaze's parents were determined not to fto hatred win. To grant their son, they started a question called "BlazeItForward" inspiring acts of kindness.

At Borrego Park, wherever Blaze was tragically killed, determination is present a tribute to Blaze. To this day, radical from each implicit the satellite proceed to permission stones successful his memory.

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