ProPublica previously reported that Woodward was a member of the group and traveled to Texas to meet other members. Prosecutors plan to present evidence that connects Woodward to the violent neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division. On Wednesday, a preliminary hearing in the case was postponed because the defense team is continuing to review evidence obtained from Woodward’s phone and computer. “He has a lot of issues, I think, around sexual orientation.”

They believe Bernstein was killed because he was gay.īut Woodward’s attorney, Edward Muñoz, told BuzzFeed News his client was a victim himself. If he’s convicted, Woodward could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.Īfter reviewing Woodward’s computer and presence on social media, prosecutors said they found images and messages that were anti-Semitic, misogynistic, racist, and anti-government. Samuel Woodward, 21, has been charged with first-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement for killing someone because of their sexual orientation in the death of 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein.

A 21-year-old California man accused of killing his gay former classmate struggled with his own sexuality and autism spectrum disorder, which caused him to fall in with an online group of white supremacists, his attorney said Wednesday.