New, Disturbing Details Emerge About Man Held In Killing Of Friend
NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA) -- CBS2/KCAL9 cameras were rolling Thursday outside the home of Samuel Lincoln Woodward, now a suspect in the murder of his friend, 19-year-old college student Blaze Bernstein.
"Can you tell us what happened to Blaze?" Woodward was asked.
One day after trying to hide his face and evade questions, Woodward was arrested, around 1:15 Friday, as a suspect in the killing.
Woodward, a high school friend of the victim's, was taken into custody after authorities said they matched DNA evidence to Woodward at the crime scene.
"We were able to today, through our crime lab, confirm evidence collected, through DNA that tied Mr. Woodward to Mr. Bernstein," said Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes.
Friends who knew them both are asking one question. Why?
Detectives said a conversation on Snapchat led the 19-year-old victim to meet up with 20-year-old Woodward at a Lake Forest park over a week ago.
The two attended the Orange County School of the Arts together.
Woodward told detectives that Bernstein walked into the woods that night and failed to return.
Investigators said they thought Woodward was being evasive and acted nervous during questioning. They also noted scratches on his hands and dirt under his fingernails. They said he made a point of trying to avoid touching anything and said he went to his girlfriend's home after Bernstein left him.
Detectives reportedly were not able to get a last name or address for the girlfriend.
KCAL9's Stacey Butler said several things were learned Friday evening from Woodward's social media footprint.
On one site, he defended the Confederate flag, saying it was a symbol or Southern pride and not hate.
On another site, he was asked what two things he would want if stranded on a deserted island and he said "The Bible and a Colt .45."
If he could learn a new skill, Woodward replied "Waterboarding."
If he was joking or not is unclear, but when asked about his attitudes toward human cloning, he had a terse reply
"Just one of me in the world is already bad enough," he wrote.
An anonymous poster wrote, "You are violence. It scares me."
Woodward replied, "I wouldn't fight anybody unless they attacked me."
Bernstein's parents are too devastated to talk on camera, but his mother posted a Tweet Friday evening.
"Revenge is empty. It will never bring back my son. My only hopes are that he will never have the opportunity to hurt anyone else again and that something meaningful can come from the senseless act of Blaze's murder. Now Do Good for Blaze Bernstein."
It's been reported that Bernstein's funeral will be held Monday.
