Student ‘was stabbed more than 20 times’

A19-year-old University of Pennsylvania student whose body was found buried in a shallow grave at a California park had been stabbed more than 20 times, according to The Orange County Register. No weapon has been found.

Carrie Braun, a public information officer for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, would not confirm to The Associated Press if Bernstein was stabbed but said “the condition of the body at the time it was discovered turned it from a missing person to a homicide immediately.”

Samuel Lincoln Woodward, 20, was arrested and taken into custody Friday on suspicion of homicide after DNA evidence linked him to the death of college sophomore Blaze Bernstein, Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes said.

Bernstein was home visiting his family in Lake Forest during winter break when Woodward picked him up on January 2 and drove with him to several places before winding up at a park. The two knew each other from high school, Barnes said.

Woodward was interviewed by investigators after Bernstein was reported missing by his parents on January 3.

A sheriff’s investigator wrote in court filings that Woodward appeared nervous, had scratched hands and dirt under his fingernails, and avoided touching doors with his hands while leaving the sheriff’s office building.

Bernstein may have been planning to sexually pursue Woodward, according to a 16-page search warrant affidavit obtained by The Orange County Register.

Bernstein texted two female friends about a June interaction with Woodward, according to the affidavit. Bernstein wrote that Woodward was about to “hit on me” and “he made me promise not to tell anyone”.

The affidavit also noted that Woodward told investigators that Bernstein kissed him on the lips at a stop before the park, and that he pushed Bernstein away.