This conviction was for the 2018 stabbing death of Blaze Bernstein, a gay Student of University of Pennsylvania.
Woodward, 26, was found guilty of first-degree murder and received the enhancement due to the nature of the crime.
Blaze Bernstein, a gay, Jewish sophomore, had been home in Southern California visiting his family during winter break when he went missing.
After a week-long search, authorities found his body in a shallow grave at a nearby park.
The central question of the lengthy trial was not whether Woodward killed Bernstein but why and under what circumstances.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Jennifer Walker highlighted Woodward's affiliation with Atomwaffen Division, a violent, anti-gay, neo-Nazi extremist group.
With the hate crime enhancement, Woodward could face life without parole.
Ken Morrison, Woodward's attorney, attempted to show that his client did not plan to kill Bernstein and did not harbor hatred, aiming for a lesser charge such as second-degree murder or manslaughter.
Morrison, who intends to appeal after sentencing, argued that key rulings by the judge deprived jurors of the ability to consider evidence critical to a fair trial.
Bernstein’s family, in a statement reported by ABC News, conveyed that no verdict could “erase the pain of losing our son and the agony of waiting all of these years without resolution.”
“He was an amazing human and humanitarian and a person we were greatly looking forward to having in our lives, seeing wondrous things from him as his young life unfolded,” the family said.
Woodward and Bernstein had previously attended the same high school in Orange County and reconnected via a dating app months before the attack.
According to the trial, Woodward said he picked up Bernstein and took him to a nearby park.
There, he repeatedly stabbed Bernstein, claiming he did so because he thought Bernstein had used a cellphone to take his picture.
Prosecutors presented evidence showing Woodward's membership in Atomwaffen Division and his pattern of targeting gay men online.
He would contact them and then suddenly stop talking to them, while keeping a hateful, profanity-filled journal about what he did.
They also pointed out that Woodward had talked about wanting to do violent things in the weeks before the murder and had been chatting with Bernstein online.
“Hate will never be tolerated here in Orange County — and instead of a symbol to be revered by other haters, he is a symbol of how society will never tolerate those who terrorize the most vulnerable members of our society,” county District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
Morrison, the defense lawyer, argued that Woodward had trouble with personal relationships because he had undiagnosed autism for a long time and was confused about his sexuality.
This confusion, Morrison said, came from growing up in a strict Catholic family with conservative views, where his father openly criticized homosexuality.
The case faced delays in reaching trial due to questions about Woodward’s mental state and multiple changes in defense attorneys.
Woodward was deemed competent to stand trial in late 2022.
Bernstein, who was 19 at the time, disappeared in January 2018 after going out at night with Woodward to a park in Lake Forest, about 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
After Bernstein missed a dentist appointment the next day, his parents found his glasses, wallet, and credit cards in his bedroom and tried to contact him, but he did not respond to texts or calls.
Authorities launched an exhaustive search, and Bernstein’s family scoured his social media, discovering his communication with Woodward on Snapchat.
Woodward initially told the family that Bernstein had gone off to meet a friend in the park that night and did not return.
Days later, Bernstein’s body was found in the shallow grave.
He had been repeatedly stabbed in the face and neck.
Authorities searched Woodward’s family home in Newport Beach and found a folding knife with a bloodied blade in his room.
They also discovered a black Atomwaffen mask with traces of blood and numerous anti-gay, antisemitic, and hate group materials, according to prosecutors.
[SOURCE]
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