The man charged in the alleged fatal hate crime stabbing of a former gay classmate in Foothill Ranch testified Thursday that he was high on marijuana when he realized the victim had unbuttoned the suspect’s pants and was touching him before the attack.
Samuel Lincoln Woodward, 26, is accused of killing 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein on January 3, 2018.
Testifying in his own defense, Woodward said that after the pair reconnected and spoke on Snapchat, Woodward suggested they get together, so Bernstein sent him his address where Woodward picked him up. The two then went to nearby Borrego Park, where Woodward opened a sleeping bag filled with snacks, drinks and marijuana, he testified.
Woodward said he took a “few hits” of an intoxicating strain of marijuana that relaxed the nervous defendant.
“I kept tuning in under the influence,” Woodward said.
He said the marijuana helped distract him from “how ridiculous I must have looked,” explaining that others saw him acting outrageously while under the influence.
Woodward, who has been diagnosed as autistic, previously testified about his difficulties developing romantic relationships or friendships, and his difficulties communicating with others. The tall, shaggy-haired and bearded suspect often looked down as he testified, prompting his attorney, Ken Morrison of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, to remind him to move the hair back from his face or look up.
Woodward testified Thursday that he felt something on his leg, which made him think he might have urinated on himself, as he had done in the past while under the influence of the strong marijuana.
Woodward felt himself “falling asleep” as the feeling continued, but then, “I opened up and literally looked next to myself. I saw a hand on my crotch while my pants were loose.”
He added, “I looked straight up and (Bernstein) had his phone in his hand. … His hand was on the inner part of my thigh.”
Woodward, who had been staring down, was persuaded by Morrison to make eye contact with the lawyer. He admitted that it was “very difficult” to talk about Bernstein touching his genitals.
“Sam, please look at me,” Morrison said. “Do you think Blaze Bernstein deserved to die that night?”
“No,” Woodward said.
The defendant said he was “undone” when he realized Bernstein was touching him as they lay on the ground in the park.
“I went into a state of… terror,” he said. “I remember asking, ‘What are you doing? … I remember asking over and over again, ‘What are you doing?’
Bernstein said, “Like calm down… or it doesn’t matter,” Woodward testified. “All I remember is him telling me something that sounded like ‘It’s already done’ and ‘I got you, I got you.’
Woodward will continue to testify Thursday afternoon.
