Samuel Lincoln Woodward, 26, was convicted Wednesday of 1st degree murder for the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein in 2018.Jurors, who began deliberating Tuesday afternoon, also found true allegations that the killing was a hate crime, and that he personally used a deadly weapon -- a knife. Bernstein, who was openly gay, was killed the night of January 3 while hanging out with Woodward at Borrego Park.
Woodward stuffed snacks and drinks and marijuana into a sleeping bag and picked up Bernstein, who directed the two to Borrego Park, where the victim's mother said he had many lifelong memories, such as playing soccer as a youth.Woodward testified he took two hits off a heady strain of marijuana and felt he was nodding off until he felt a strange sensation on his legs and immediately thought he had gotten too relaxed and urinated on himself as he had done previously.