Tuesday was Samuel "Sam" Woodward's third day of testimony and day 28 of his trial. He testified about how he reconnected with his former Orange County School of the Arts classmate, Blaze Bernstein.
Woodward said he matched Bernstein on Tinder, a social media and dating app, in 2017 and at first was startled.
He said he unmatched Bernstein but re-matched on Tinder again six months later. He said they started communicating through Snapchat, another social media app.
The day ended as Woodward recounted how he picked Bernstein up from his home on January 2, 2018, and went to a park in Lake Forest.
Woodward is charged with stabbing his former classmate 28 times because he was gay then burying his body in a shallow grave in that park.
In addition, some of the questions during the first part of the day focused on Woodward's sexuality. He admitted having a short-term relationship with a woman but denied ever experimenting with men.
The defense asked about Woodward's internet search history, which included gay porn sites in 2015 and 2016.
Woodward said he used the websites as a source to gather graphic images and videos to antagonize other users of an online community he was a part of. He also spoke about being affiliated with Atomwaffen Division, a far-right neo-Nazi group, but did not admit to being a full-fledged member.
He said he wanted to be a part of a brotherhood and was looking for something meaningful.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Menninger appears to be growing more and more impatient - or frustrated - with the pace of Woodward's trial.
She has stated several times the defense's line of questioning is taking too long.
Prosecutors said Bernstein's murder was a hate crime. The defense says evidence will show Woodward did kill Bernstein but it was not because he was gay, saying Woodward suffered from mental health issues and his own sexuality.
If convicted, Woodward faces life in prison. The jury will take a break on Wednesday in observance of the Juneteenth federal holiday.
The trial will resume on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.