Closing arguments begin in Orange County hate crime murder trial of Samuel Woodward

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- After more than two and a half months, the murder trial against 26-year-old Samuel Woodward inches closer to being sent to a jury.

They will soon decide if Woodward killed his former Orange County School of the Arts classmate, Blaze Bernstein, because he was gay.

"This is a person focused on hate," Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said during closing arguments.

"And the irony is not lost on me that we're trying this case during Pride month, which further exemplifies, we all know as a society, this is an issue," she added.

Walker told jurors they have all the facts to convict Woodward of first-degree murder, including a hate crime enhancement, based off Woodward's own testimony and DNA evidence.

"He was brutally murdered and buried within an hour and a half," she said.

Walker stated Woodward stabbed and killed, then buried, the 19-year-old after picking him up from his home on Jan. 2, 2018.

She argued Bernstein's murder was premeditated and Woodward was confident his body would never be found.

"He already had his bags, he was already talking to Atomwaffen people about going somewhere else, and he thought he was going to get away with it. It's only by the grace of God that rain happened and they found his body," Walker said.

However, the defense wants the jury to consider a lesser crime including voluntary manslaughter.

Woodward testified smoking strong marijuana and going into a state of terror after catching Bernstein touching him inappropriately and holding a phone.

Defense attorney Ken Morrison previously said Woodward feared he was being recorded and killed Bernstein.

He said Woodward acted rashly and under intense emotion, which obscured his judgment.

Woodward denied killing Bernstein because of his sexuality.

He also said his affiliation to Attomwaffen, a far-right neo-Nazi group, did not have anything to do with the murder.

Walker said he committed a first-degree hate crime murder and the only verdict the jury should consider is guilty.

"He's not as smart as he thinks he is and he's not smarter than you guys," Walker said. "You guys have been here for three months looking, observing, listening, carefully and conscientiously looking at everything; and with those 28 stab wounds he took away a beautiful life."

The jury was sent home on Friday and will return Monday afternoon.

Morrison is set to begin his closing arguments.

The jury could begin deliberating sometime next week. If convicted, Woodward faces life in prison.