In a verdict that resonates with the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ rights, Samuel Lincoln Woodward, a 26-year-old from Newport Beach, has been found guilty of the first-degree murder of Blaze Bernstein, his former high school classmate. The 2018 crime, described by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office as a hate-motivated murder, has culminated in a conviction that includes a hate crime enhancement, with Woodward facing a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Details about the conviction can be found in a statement by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.