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20/20 season 47 episode 12 takes up the story of a nineteen-year-old pre-medical student named Blaze Bernstein, who was brutally gashed and murdered in a park in Newport Beach, California. The 20/20 episode titled The Last Text narrates a chilling homicide fueled by a deep hatred for homosexuality, which took place on January 2, 2018.
It was after seven years of rigorous investigations that the Orange County Sheriff's Department could finally succeed in finding the real culprit. One of the crucial pieces of evidence in finding the murderer turned out to be a Snapchat conversation, which opened a chilling story that shook the entire community of Lake Forest, California.
The two-hour long, 20/20 season 47 episode 12 is set to make its release this Friday, January 3, 2025, at 9:01 pm EST on ABC. The official synopsis of the episode reads:
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When a teenager suddenly vanishes while home on college break, his sister sifts through texts and social media to help crack the case.
What is the story of 20/20 season 47, episode 12, subject Blaze Bernstein?
20/20 season 47 episode 12 narrates the story of Blaze Bernstein, who was a 19-year sophomore student at the University of Pennsylvania. As per a Patch article published on January 16, 2018, Bernstein completed his schooling at Orange County School before enrolling in the University of Pennsylvania to pursue medical science.
His father, Gideo Bernstein, was a chartered financial analyst and an equity partner at Leisure Capital Management. At the same time, his mother, Jeanne Pepper, was an ex-lawyer who had left her practice during the early 2000s to devote herself completely to her children. Both were natives of California, and they described their oldest child, Blaze Bernstein, as a sharp young man with a love for science and a zeal for art and culture, according to the Patch article.
20/20 season 47, episode 12 subject Blaze Bernstein came from a Jewish lineage, which was exhibited in his public profile. He was an avid speaker for LGBTQ+ rights and openly declared himself to be gay. Bernstein was an avid reader and writer, sharing a passion for cooking, poetry, psychology, and biochemistry. As per the Patch article, he loved writing and cooking, which he blended into his food-writing works.
Per the same outlet, Bernstein slowly became a recognized chef who was working as a managerial editor for Penn Review. Penn Review went on to publish his work titled Picking Marbles From the Dirt, which was showcased in the University's literary journal. The 19-year-old showed exceptional skills, both in his academics and in cooking. However, all of it was cut short when he came back home for a short vacation in Lake Forest, California, and was brutally killed.
The murder of 20/20 season 47, episode 12, subject Blaze Bernstein
During his winter break, Bernstein visited his family home in Orange County. However, the Bernstein family started a search when the 19-year-old suddenly disappeared on January 2, 2018. Investigators from the Orange County Sheriff's Department were soon called and embarked on a search operation. As per CBS News, it was on January 10, 2024, when the body of Blaze Bernstein was found buried in a shallow muddy grave in Borrego Park.
Bernstein had been stabbed 28 times in the body, which caused his death. Soon, the investigators realized that the death of Bernstein was somewhere related to his persona and advocacy for certain issues in public. Tony Rackaukas, from the Orange County district attorney, said that Bernstein's murder was a hate crime. During the investigation, the victim's sister, Beaue, provided major evidence to the investigators.
She went through her brother's Snapchat messages and discovered that the last person she contacted was her high school classmate, Samuel Woodward. He was brought up in a conservative environment that harbored extreme homophobia. As per an article in the Los Angeles Times, published on April 9, 2023, Woodward had been connected to a neo-Nazi Atomwaffen Division in Texas.
As per a Slate article published on January 31, 2018, Samuel Woodward was arrested on January 12, 2018. 20/20 season 47, episode 12 prime suspect Woodward came out with a completely different story, he told the investigators that Berstein had tried to forcefully kiss him in the car. The Atomwaffen gang had been known for its far-extremist agendas and violence connected to its members.
As per a Frontline article, the Atomwaffen group was related to the deaths of five people from 2017 to 2018. The DNA samples found at the murder scene matched Woodward. His trial took place before in the Orange County District Attorney. Attorney Jennifer Walker was behind the prosecution of the case.
As per CBS News, it was on July 3, 2024, when Samuel Woodward pleaded guilty to the murder of Blaze Bernstein. The Orange County, California jury found the 26-year-old Sam Woodward to be involved in the first-degree murder of Blaze Bernstein. As per a CBS News report dated July 4, 2024, the mother of the victim, Jeanne Bernstein, said,
"This was a great relief that justice was served and this despicable human, who murdered our son, will no longer be a threat to the public," "We are grateful to the jury for their service and their long days and weeks they spent in that service. Justice has been served."
It was on November 15, 2024, when Woodward was sentenced to life in prison without any chance of parole. The 20/20 season 47, episode 12 culprit currently serves his time behind bars, incarcerated at the Wasco State Prison in Kern County, California.
To know more about the murder of Blaze Bernstein, watch 20/20 season 47, episode 12, titled The Last Text, on January 3, 2025, at 9:01 pm EST on ABC.
