Found Deceased CA - Blaze Bernstein, 19, Lake Forest, 2 Jan 2018 #6 *Arrest*

[Seajay]

Hopefully once more information gets released the picture will become clearer. I am not convinced this was premeditated based on what we know so far. If it comes out that SW made contact with BB and initiated the idea of meeting up that night I will be more convinced of premeditation.

Like you, I am waiting for more information before I jump on the "premeditated" band wagon. In some ways, I think we've only scratched the surface.

 

[Jonesjones]

Like you, I am waiting for more information before I jump on the "premeditated" band wagon. In some ways, I think we've only scratched the surface.

I agree. I think there is a lot more to the story.

 

[Milenalee]

Apparently, SW went to church the day after the murder.

And he took communion, according to the family priest who was at the almost arraignment with the parents. Was that the priests' little way of telling us he confessed and the priest knows the real deal? I think you can't take communion if you haven't confessed, but maybe he confessed before the crime.

Eagle Scout is an impressive achievement. I think Sam has big problems, maybe spectrum disorder, maybe something else, because he went from bright kid, Eagle Scout, to dropping out of a not particularly exclusive college. A big change.


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[MsFacetious]

Hobby Lobby, where LE was called for a disturbance in the hour that BB was there w SW.

NO, not true. There was a disturbance at Hobby Lobby around 2-3am. Blaze's last text was 11-11:30pm. We have zero indication they were still at Hobby Lobby by 2am. I would think they were long gone by then.

Is there a media only thread of SW's social media that has't been scrubbed like ifunny?

There is NO social media of Sam's that has not been scrubbed.
There are FAKE social media of people pretending to be Sam.
Ifunny is a site where people are known to create fake accounts.
Sam's social media and that of his close associates were all scrubbed before the arrest.
The only reference we have to them now is the few things that were seen by MSM.

Oops I was trying to link the the previous poster but goofed.

This I funny site that was full of crap supposedly written by Sam allows you to create things that have nothing to do with the real person. It is notorious for being used to make fake things that the trolls hope go viral. None of this is authentic. It would have been removed long ago if it was.

I doubt it's a a site we should quote.

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Wanted to bring this forward again as a reminder.

Like you, I am waiting for more information before I jump on the "premeditated" band wagon. In some ways, I think we've only scratched the surface.

Obviously 20 stab wounds gives you plenty of time to stop, render aid and call for help. So at some level that falls under legal premeditation. However, I'm not convinced either that he actually set out with a PLAN to kill Blaze that night.

I believe that yesterday, Woodward's mother asked for privacy for both families:

"I would like it very much if everyone would respect our privacy and the privacy of the Bernstein family," she told NBC4 outside her home. "This is a time of great suffering and we would ask that you would respect that suffering. Thank you very much."

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/...ion-With-UPenn-Students-Murder-469639603.html

This also totally rubs me the wrong way. The Bernstein family is doing interviews, THEY are talking. They do not appear to wish for privacy!

Law enforcement asked the media to back off from the houses, however the Bernstein family has seemed anxious to talk about their beautiful boy. They have every right to do that and it may help them heal.

Mrs. Woodward can certainly ask for privacy for HER family. However, it seems presumptuous of her to ask for privacy for the victim's outspoken family. I think it's more a desire for no media attention, which of course I cannot blame her for either. :twocents:

I was a troubled kid too. Supposed to be a statistic. But I never hurt anyone.

Yeah, nothing is ever that black and white. But murder is not a "mistake". It's far past that. Once he crossed that threshold, he indeed became a dark menace to society. Which is why we imprison such people- to protect society from them, as I'm sure you'll agree.

He wasn't irredeemable until that point. Until he made a choice that took him over the threshold. Some decisions can't be taken back.

:twocents:

sbm

Add me to the list of "supposed to be a statistic" - written off by 12 years old.
I've never hurt anyone or even spent a night in jail & have never even smoked weed!
Of course that doesn't really match up to your accomplishments Gitana!
However, the point being that people can surprise us.
It's too bad that Sam didn't end up proving all of his doubters wrong.

Could also be plain old acne. We just don't know...

I agree it looks like acne and acne scarring. He has pretty bad acne in some pictures from a couple years ago. I can relate and that's what it looks like to me.

Agreed. Even if a "kiss on the lips" is true, how does one explain they just happened to have a great stabbing utensil on their person to murder someone?

I'm not in California so I don't know if it's normal there or not. However, my entire family carries knives. Not quite pocket knives but slightly larger. 3-4 inch blades. Could definitely kill someone if needed.

I'm not seeing a reason Sam would need to carry one, but him having one doesn't exactly prove he planned to use it either. Maybe he had some enemies and felt he needed it for his own protection? It doesn't sound like he was a terribly likable guy.

It's sad when your guilty until proven innocent.

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This is very true. I'm always torn about it. The line between protecting the public and protecting the right to freedom. That right is so unbelievably precious. Seeing false accusations resulting in no bail for years awaiting trial is sickening. People are losing everything just on someone else's story!

Yet... there are those murder cases where guilt seems certain, bail is given and they abscond. Our justice system isn't perfect but I don't have the answers. It's just all very sad and discouraging. Starting to think maybe it's not the right field for me. :thinking:

My opinion is that SW wanted Blaze to perform a sex act on him. When Blaze interpreted it as something more intimate - kissing, etc. - SW flipped because in his mind if he accepted those kind of intimacies it would mean that he (SW) was gay. One of the articles I read said that SW told authorities that he wanted to call Blaze a derogatory name during their encounter.

I could actually see this happening. This is actually not uncommon for people to "hook up" for casual sex. With a "no emotions" type of rule. No kissing, no cuddling, no attachment. Just wham bam.

This is also not uncommon in people who are uncomfortable with their sexuality. I've seen several situations where LGBTQ youth were okay with having sex with someone, but freaked out if it got emotional. To some people kissing is more emotional than sex itself. More "bonding."

So, when you are kind of in denial about the situation... it's totally reasonable that kissing might be off limits. If one person was more interested in an actual relationship I could see them pushing the issue. Obviously, not something to murder over but it's a dynamic I have seen in this age group.

Can you imagine all the teenage drama they have to sift thru? Not diminishing the murder, of course, or the possible motive and what led up to the murder, but they’ll have to review a lot of stuff that’s completely unrelated to find and ascertain the stuff that is related.

This is so unbelievably true. The crap you have to sort through to get to the tiniest relevant information is UNREAL. It's also absolutely sickening to see the way that these kids behave, talk, exploit and endanger themselves online.

You might be looking at a monster who committed a horrible crime. Yet you can't help but have some sympathy for what led them there... or how they got to the point of having zero respect for themselves. Then there is the headache you get from the lack of plain english.

It's an extremely conflicting place to be in, I assure you. It's worse the younger the person you are researching is. You are torn between "maybe all hope isn't lost" and "look what they are capable of."

We live in strange times, for sure. :facepalm:

 

[Milenalee]

Is there a media only thread of SW's social media that has't been scrubbed like ifunny?

It was all removed at the same time. Days later ifunny appears. Way more inflammatory than anything prior. Ifunny was all trolls. Don't believe any of it. It was never quoted in mainstream media because it's a site that is mostly used by trolls to create inflammatory memes.


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[Milenalee]

He was killed in the park.

But did The DA not say we do not yet know the exact time or place of the murder?

I agree the park is most likely place he was killed. In a car he'd be cleaning it for days and there would still be blood hidden all over the place.

I don't think it was premeditated in advance of meeting Blaze. Something they did or said set off his deep seated hatred of himself, his own attraction to men, his experience of rejection, etc and he went nuts. But legally they can call it premeditated if he thought about it minutes before doing it. I don't really understand how they prove these last minute premeditations.

I wonder if the attack started at another spot, and Blaze was running to the place you hop over the fence to go through the school lot and head home. It would be the logical way to head up the hill home. Then obviously from first blow to when he caught with him would count as time to premeditate.


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[Milenalee]

Here an interview with the mom of a mass killer. It applies to the discussion of what parents can and can't do about their troubled kids.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/columbine-...ld-relationship-son-warning/story?id=36891650



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[Tortoise]

I like the DA very much, he seems like a genuinely decent, caring man.

I must say however that I was a bit shocked at some of his answers. I'm not sure how necessary it was for him to give the heights of both SW and BB, which seems to me to be information likely to fuel rage in the community. That extra drama isn't necessary IMO. Or to make any mention of efforts to enhance the charges, maybe he didn't say it like that but that was my impression. Or to say that they solved the crime. It isn't solved until they've finished investigating and it's been tried in court. Innocent until proven guilty right, on the charges laid. I just think in his willingness to assist reporters he overstepped a few boundaries, not many, but a few. We don't need this information before trial, however much we want to know. It could bias a jury pool before the case even gets to court. IMO.

 

[JazzTune]

This also totally rubs me the wrong way. The Bernstein family is doing interviews, THEY are talking. They do not appear to wish for privacy!

Law enforcement asked the media to back off from the houses, however the Bernstein family has seemed anxious to talk about their beautiful boy. They have every right to do that and it may help them heal.

Mrs. Woodward can certainly ask for privacy for HER family. However, it seems presumptuous of her to ask for privacy for the victim's outspoken family. I think it's more a desire for no media attention, which of course I cannot blame her for either. :twocents:

( RSBM )

I'm always surprised at the different interpretations we all put on other people's words.

I didn't get that from SW's mother at all. I saw her words as genuine concern for the Bernsteins too and any possible intrusiveness from the media.

The Bernsteins are choosing to talk to the media. I assume they are choosing the time, place, and specific media source they wish to utilize.

Which I'm thankful for. We are all the richer for hearing their words. Blaze was an amazing young man.

I don't see her words as opposition to what the Bernsteins are choosing to do on their own. I hear her as cautioning the media to not be the aggressor or intrusive.

As for her own family's sake, it's very understandable that she would not want to grant interviews. Not only for emotional reasons but for legal purposes ( as mentioned wisely by others here. )

You're entitled to your feelings about this, but respectfully, it never once entered my mind to be upset with her choice of words...



JMO

 

[Really?]

Like you, I am waiting for more information before I jump on the "premeditated" band wagon. In some ways, I think we've only scratched the surface.

But where did the knife come from? Do people normally carry lethal weapons with them around those parts?

 

[pamelado2]

It was all removed at the same time. Days later ifunny appears. Way more inflammatory than anything prior. Ifunny was all trolls. Don't believe any of it. It was never quoted in mainstream media because it's a site that is mostly used by trolls to create inflammatory memes.


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I just wanted to comment on this as I've seen it mentioned a couple times. IFunny was scrubbed also, but a few people had saved some posts from SW (I believe 2-3) and one person had posts of their own with pics of SW - 4 IIRC. Everyone was looking at the TAG Saboteur, not his account (which had been removed). None of the posts under the tag were his (who tags themselves on their own post?)
Recently IFunny removed the tag Saboteur and now the only tag is Sab.
The only posts you can see there are opinions of people who knew SW from his internet persona. According to them he left long ago and removed his posts at that time.

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[CrimeDawg123]

But where did the knife come from? Do people normally carry lethal weapons with them around those parts?

Many. many people normally carry knives with them, yes. But not with the intent of them being used as lethal weapons.

 

[Trident]

But where did the knife come from? Do people normally carry lethal weapons with them around those parts?

Lots of people carry knives, in every area of the country. One year my hubby and I gave all of our blended family Swiss Army Knives.

 

[DAnthrplgst]

But where did the knife come from? Do people normally carry lethal weapons with them around those parts?

That's a very good possibility, guys from the south will sometimes carry a pocket knife with them, it's useful for all sorts of jobs. I'm not a southern guy myself but I happen to carry a pocket knife wherever I go.
This is the one I carry: https://www.gerbergear.com/Knives/Folding/Swagger-Knife_31-000594

 

[Seajay]

But where did the knife come from? Do people normally carry lethal weapons with them around those parts?

I do. I come from an outdoorsy family. Hunting, fishing, camping. I'm oldest of 6. We all carry knives in our pockets or purses. I have a 4 inch buck knife and a Leatherman. I was a Girl Scout leader who taught knife safety and usage for building fires for camping or for uses around a campground.

None of us ever stabbed anyone though. To my knowledge neither did any of my former Girl Scouts.

 

[Cryptic]

But where did the knife come from? Do people normally carry lethal weapons with them around those parts?

As a former resident of the area, I would say that it would be unusual, perhaps very unusual for average suburban youths to habitually carry either a fixed blade knife or a large pocket knife with a locking blade (I suspect the murder weapon was one or the other).

There are, of course, exceptions. One of which could be a former Eagle Scout. In addition, it was trendy at one time to have one of the "clip on" spyderco type knives largely as a fashion accessory.

 

[DAnthrplgst]

I do. I come from an outdoorsy family. Hunting, fishing, camping. I'm oldest of 6. We all carry knives in our pockets or purses. I have a 4 inch buck knife and a Leatherman. I was a Grl Scout leader who taught knife safety and usage for building fires for camping or for uses around a campground.

None of us ever stabbed anyone though. To my knowledge neither did any of my former Girl Scouts.

I dunno man, I heard Girl Scouts can be pretty gangsta. LOL just kidding.

 

[Seajay]

I dunno man, I heard Girl Scouts can be pretty gangsta. LOL just kidding.

That cracked me up, thanks for the giggle.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

Just adding to these posts.

I was raised in a suburban/metropolitan area, and much of my extended family are country types – farmers, ranchers, oilmen, country lawyers.

In both instances, pocketknives and smaller, sheathed knives were nearly ubiquitous. Every guy seems to have one in his front pocket; women, too. They are very useful. I also carried a knife for years. We gave them as gifts. Still do.

I quit carrying one when I wasn’t able to legally carry them into places I had to go while on the job.

I do. I come from an outdoorsy family. Hunting, fishing, camping. I'm oldest of 6. We all carry knives in our pockets or purses. I have a 4 inch buck knife and a Leatherman. I was a Girl Scout leader who taught knife safety and usage for building fires for camping or for uses around a campground.

None of us ever stabbed anyone though. To my knowledge neither did any of my former Girl Scouts.

As a former resident of the area, I would say that it would be unusual, perhaps very unusual for average suburban youths to habitually carry either a fixed blade knife or a large pocket knife with a locking blade (I suspect the murder weapon was one or the other).

There are, of course, exceptions. One of which could be a former Eagle Scout. In addition, it was trendy at one time to have one of the "clip on" spyderco type knives largely as a fashion accessory.

 

[Gussified]

The DA spoke this morning in a press conference and said that it was possible that Sam was eligible for bail and that he might get it. That came from the horse's mouth on TV. Several hours later, the judge denied bail. Sam's attorney said they would revisit the subject of bail on Feb 2. This was all on TV.

Point of clarity...

As I understand it, the judge did not ‘deny bail’. The arraignment was postponed until Feb 2nd (reportedly at the request of the defense). The judge simply said SW will CONTINUE to be held without bail until then. At that point, the question of bail will be revisited.

Basically, they kicked the can down the road.

Regardless, there was never a $2 million bail.