Left Alone | 48 Hours Full Episodes | Forensic Files

My story is evil. Sort of getting a taste of hell, but it's a story that needs to be told.
My name is Victoria, but it's not my real name. I'm going to take you to a really dark
place. I was 19 years old. I was an absolute rocker chick. That night I was with a few friends. We
were gearing up to go out and look at Christmas lights. As I was going home that evening, I [music] know it was just
after midnight. I was pulling into my complex. I noticed my gate was wide open. It [music] was extremely dark in the
parking lot and the lights in over my carport [music] were um glitching [music] and
I thought I had heard the sound of possibly somebody coming through the gate. It was
that sound of tires going over like a rail. just the sound. I had taken my dog and um [music] stuck
her inside my jacket and then folded her up real tight cuz it was very cold outside.
And as I got out, I just had the weirdest feeling that I was being watched. [sighs] And
as I got up to the sidewalk, I saw a shadow go in front of a light. And as I did that, a guy just came up uh
and Fastly approached me and he kept saying, "Excuse me, excuse me. I'm lost. Can you help me find where the beach
is?" And then a second person comes up. He had a cigarette in his hand. And I [music] see this in slow motion in my
head. I see him flicking it. And I said to myself, "Watch where it lands." And then bam, I got pounced from the
front and from the back. He slammed a gun to my head. And he's just like in my ear, "I'm going to kill
you so bad. I'm going to throw you off the cliffs. I'm going to mutilate you and throw [music] you down the cliffs."
And I fought with everything I had in my soul to not be a missing person or to have a toe tag at the end.
Victoria's story is a miraculous tale of survival. But even nearly 25 years after the
attack, it's not over. which is why she's not using her real name on camera. [music] I've been referenced as Jane Doe
for many years. I just remembered thinking, I don't have a tow tag. I lived through that night.
A warning. Some of the details of Victoria's ordeal are difficult to hear. With sheer will, Victoria survived a
series of terrible events, beginning with the assault on that Christmas Eve. Her attackers came out of nowhere. One
she thought was Hispanic. The other an intimidating Asian man who, according to Victoria, was the one calling the shots
that night. Bam! I got sandwiched like a bear trap. He gouged me in the eyes. as hard as he could and [music] he
slammed a gun to my head. He tells me, "Bitch, you're going to die tonight. I'm going to effing kill you."
And at that [music] moment, my little puppy dog, who was caught in between all this, bit him so hard in the
wrist, and he says, "What the f was that?" They both [music] kind of broke free for a second. I threw my dog in the
bushes as I ran because I didn't want her to get killed. And then my hair got pulled back. And
then they both jumped on top of me and just started beating me. And he just takes his gun and he slammed it into my
mouth. And he takes my hair and he turns me to the side and he says, "Do you see
that?" And it was the Hispanic man with his gun pointed at the windows of my neighbors.
And the Asian guy says in my ear, "The first one, >> the first one, the first one
>> that hears you, they're going to get their head blown off and you're going to
watch. >> The first one." >> So, it's your choice. And [sighs] I heard this really loud
smack, what I thought to sound like maybe a bowling ball being dropped on cement.
When I came to the door was opened and they threw me in. And then he asked me where the cliffs
were. Take us to the cliffs. Do we need to go to the cliffs? He's trying to get me to pick out where
I'm going to be thrown to. And as we were going, I I had this flash of my funeral.
So I zoned out of that and I said to myself, there's two guns, silencers are on them, and
nobody knows I'm missing. So it is going to be game on from this point. And I need to think of everything I can
cuz all I have is my mind. That's my only weapon. So I'm like, there are no cliffs around here. I don't
know where there are any cliffs. They ended up pulling over in front of someone's house
and the Asian guy said, "Bitch, take your clothes off." And he took his gun and showed me that it was loaded.
And he put that into my ear and told me not to get any ideas cuz he will have no
problem splattering my brains in this car. And proceeded to rape me for the first time.
And then he proceeded to say, "I needed a beach girl for my Christmas present to
myself because I'm gonna throw you down. I'm going to make sure the cops see you." He had a specific role for me.
And I felt like my only chance to live was to rewrite that role. just so happens that I have in my wallet
a friend of mine's newborn baby picture that she had mailed me and I remembered saying that I had a a kid I
had a baby and you're going to let me out so I can go and see my son and he says [ __ ] you
think I'm going to let you go after you've identified me and I said you poked my eyeballs out with contacts
in them. I can't see right now and then it got real quiet and I just thought, did they buy that?
Did they buy that? >> Victoria was desperately trying to gain their sympathy. Yet, the assault
continued for what felt like hours. The two men taking turns raping her at gunpoint in the back of the car. And
when things couldn't get worse, they did. The man in charge became even more sadistic.
And I'm like, "This guy is psychotic. He is an animal." I just remember thinking,
"At this point, I would rather die than continue where where I'm at right now." And he rips the door open, rips me out
by my hair. I'm naked. He's got me with a gun to my head right here. Right here.
And so I'm on all fours like this. He's telling me, "Bitch, keep your head down.
Keep your head down." Right as he goes to pull the trigger, the other guy throws a jacket on me real
quick and he goes, "What the are you doing, man?" And the friend says, "She's cold, man."
And here I am on the ground going, "Oh my god, the guy has caved. He feels something
for me. And it was that pivotal moment. He comes down to me and he said, "One, two.
By the way, [ __ ] merry effing Christmas. Run. I just kept thinking evil has crossed my path. I was
kidnapped. I was tortured and I was left for dead. By the grace of God, I knew the right words to say and I
ended up getting away. I was like, "Oh my god, did I really make it? Am I not in a car?"
Victoria was suddenly free, running for her life. A family took her in and called 911. But before she went to the
hospital, Victoria returned with investigators to the initial crime scene. They were looking for evidence.
Victoria was looking for something she had left behind. I got out and I'm calling for my dog,
Shasse, Shasse. And I didn't hear anything and I'm like, "Oh my god, I probably killed her when I
threw her." And I'm crying now because I'm thinking she's dead. And [sighs] I heard this screech sound. Y
like this. And I saw her and I'm like, Shassy, come here, girl. And I look over and
these officers are at the end of the sidewalk balling and jumping up and down and saying, "She found her. She found
her." It was a perfect moment. We got to the hospital. We went into the waiting room.
You know, it was kind of all confusing because at 12 years old, I didn't understand what was happening and no one
was saying anything and all we knew was just that my sister was hurt. I had red marks going across each one of
my eyes where apparently his nails had gone in and uh cut the backs of my eyes. I had a semi- dislocated shoulder. I had
dislodged part of my hinge in my jaw. Majority of my teeth were extremely loose. I lost a lot of hearing from the
head trauma. I was in so much pain that on a scale from 1 to 10, I would have registered a thousand.
I guess the way you could explain it is it took the air out of my lungs. It was just devastating.
Nothing that any child that age should have to see. She was always the strong one and always
our rock and now she was made into nothing. Now she's the one that needed us. They took me
into hiding at my grandmother's house in Huntington Beach. I wanted a shower. I wanted to be clean.
And I remembered my mom and she just lost it. >> My mom couldn't do it. It was just too
It was too hard for her. So, I took her, you know, but I just had to reassure her. It's okay. I'm going to get you
clean. We're going to make you beautiful, you know. And just if you've ever watched a horror movie and seen
a murder scene in a shower, that is what it looked like. All this stuff was was touching my foot,
my ankles, like something. It reminded me of when I was in the beach. That seaweed would wrap up around your
ankles. I was like, "What is that? What is that? What is that?" She said, "Don't look down. Don't look
down." >> As I [music] washed her hair and as I tried to smooth it out, just chunks of hair came out.
And by the time we were done, probably half of her hair was on the floor of [music] the shower. had just been held
on there by the blood that was in her hair. [music] That day made me an adult. It was a nightmare
and it's still a nightmare and there's not a day that I don't think about it. My sister's so brave
and she was so strong and got me through the worst day of my life, which was Christmas Eve.
I was assigned Victoria's case on Christmas Eve of 1990. Well, when the case was first assigned
to me, I looked at it and I realized we really had a problem here. These were two violent offenders, I felt certain
that they were going to continue to assault. And so, I set everything else aside on my desk to work this one.
>> I remember sitting there and them asking me, "What was the shape of the brow?
What was the face shape? What did their hair look like? We post the composite drawings uh
through the news media on television. Just about any place we could distribute the composite drawings we did, hoping we
get somebody to to recognize them. But investigators had something else. DNA. Evidence collected from Victoria's
body at the hospital and from the jacket she was wearing that night yielded profiles for two men. And there was
another clue, something Victoria remembered her attackers discussing. I know that they were saying
show the respect to Sons of Samoa and and really playing into that as though they were part of that gang. And I saw a
smug, self-centered psychopath. He carved SOS onto my rear end. I know. I've heard of SOS before. They
were a really bad gang. >> I thought that they had uh had screwed up by telling her that and not killing
her. I thought that was a real viable lead. I knew we'd get these guys. I was in a 90% certain range that we get them
real quickly. Detective House told me people like this who do heinous acts will slip up one day
and I'll be there when that day happens. I felt like my whole life was completely
dominated by this attack. And it really beat me down because I thought I survived it. [music] And the realization
was that my journey had just begun. They broke her. They broke her spirit. She just was different.
She didn't smile. She didn't laugh. I remember when I would knod off to sleep. I was back in the car again.
I would wake up screaming and I would shake like a seizure. I was in the moment every time I closed
my eyes. So why would I want to close my eyes? I'd have to talk to her and talk to her
to get her to realize you're okay. You're safe. You're safe. Things that set me off would be the break of a car,
a door shutting, the phone ringing, knocks on my door, TV, the news. Somebody passed by a window, and I I
heard this this quick move and the shadow. They're coming to get me again. They're coming to get me again.
>> I would double check all the windows and doors for her over and over cuz she was
too terrified. [music] How in the world am I going to get past this? >> This one was at the top of the pile for
a very long time. I thought there was enough information immediately to have these guys in jail in a few weeks. We
worked at Sons of Samoa Angle for about a year. There was nothing. There was no rumors on the street. There was no gang
intel. There was no one matching the descriptions. [music] So, I had to come to the conclusion that it was a false
lead. What didn't we have in this investigation? We did not have a license plate. We did not have fingerprints.
Nobody else saw the bad guys coming or going. What we had was a lot of nothing, but we knew we had to work the DNA.
And in 1990, DNA evidence was just starting to become popular. And so, we had this good DNA evidence that would
tie us to somebody. We just didn't have a big enough data bank to make the connection. It was incredibly
frustrating. After the days turned into weeks and turned into months, >> I'd have to tell her, "No, we got
nothing." >> And then years went by. >> Case had gone cold and actually gone to the point to where we weren't actively
doing a lot with it. Knowing that they were still out there made me fear for every single person on
the street in the daytime walking amongst two demons cuz they were out there and nobody knew who they were.
For my sanity and my health, I was going to leave the state and start over fresh.
It was amazing. It felt like the weight of the world lift off my shoulders. Eventually, I made it to where it wasn't
with me every day. I could sleep through a whole night. I was regaining some of my inner peace.
And I think with that, allowing myself to feel [music] again. I had made a phone call to an old friend
and [music] the day he showed up, he never left and then I ended up having twins. It's
the highlight of our lives. In one day, I received a phone call that I waited for for 18 years.
>> I said, "Yeah, we got him." We finally got a DNA hit. [music] This was the best
part of the story. >> Yes. Yes. >> To know that one of them was caught. >> Just to confirm that she could identify
him, we arranged to send the photo lineup to her. >> So the moment I looked at this lineup, I
immediately knew. >> And she goes, "Number one, no. Number two, no. Number three, no. Number four,
no. >> Number five was him." That's the face I see every night when I go to bed before I fall
asleep. That's the nightmare I have. I don't have to look at number six. >> When I [music] saw his face,
>> I said, "You're caught. It's you and I've caught you and you're going to go down."
>> Please welcome from Huntington Beach, California, Joe Son. >> The name to the DNA was a man named
Joseph Sun. rather than going and hiding and staying away from the limelight, he was in the
MMA >> and now he's in command on the ground. >> It all came together. That's why he was
doing all the wrestling type moves with me. >> Oh, now he's working the choke. He's got
around. He's no longer armed. >> Joseph's son was in the DNA database only because he had a conviction after
he kicked in the door of a former roommate's car. As part of his plea deal, son had agreed to submit his DNA,
and that's what led to the hit in Victoria's case in 2008. But investigators couldn't believe what
else they found. He was an actor with a role in a Hollywood blockbuster. Austin Powers: International Man and Mystery.
I had his movie sitting on my rack. I remember running over to there and just destroying it because I thought, "Are
you serious? He's in my home." So, we're trying to give you your opportunity to tell us what happened
that night. >> I've never done anything like that. I have no idea what you're talking about.
>> Completely denied the crime. Completely denied any contact with her whatsoever.
>> That's nasty. That wasn't me. >> We knew that he was lying to us. I prefer confession, but sometimes a lie
is just as good. >> Despite Sun's denials, there was that DNA. So in October 2008, he was charged
with multiple counts of rape and kidnapping and then the case was handed off to another DA brand new to the
sexual assault unit. It was my first day. I had been on the job in sexual assault for maybe
half an hour. I just pulled a case down by random and it's the Joseph Sun case. I cannot believe the horrors that this
woman had to go through. This is my entire case load. I'm never going to survive.
This is a case that you have to work for. You have to fight for to make sure she gets justice.
I was glad we had Joseph's son, [music] but I wanted to find the second suspect.
You know, he's dangerous. You know, he's out there. That was my priority number one.
[music] When I got this case, it kept me up at night. We had identified one of the suspects
who had assaulted Victoria and I knew there was another one out there. And that's really where I focused my
initial energy. So, we decided to put Joseph's son's picture out on a bulletin along with the sketch of the second
asalent and we put it out to the media. >> We weren't getting anything. I mean, nothing. And we're going, come on. You
know, this somebody has to know this guy. And then a couple of days into it, we get an email from a man who wanted to
be anonymous. >> He told us he didn't know anything about the crime, but he knew Joseph's son in
high school, and he knew one of Joseph's friends, and the sketch looked a lot like that friend. It's a couple of
months of hard detective work and they were able to put together a very good profile about who this individual was
and where he was living >> and his name was Santiago Gayan. >> We still need to identify him. We still
have DNA evidence for the second offender. So, we need to get his DNA and compare that.
>> Two Huntington Beach detectives set up surveillance outside of his apartment complex. They were there for maybe 30
minutes [music] and they saw Santio Gaiton walking out of his apartment drinking a bottle of sun-kissed soda and
throwing out the trash. Finishes his last drink from the bottle and puts it on top of the dumpster. The detectives
get out of the car, they grab the bottle, they bag it, they grab the trash, they take that with them,
>> and what do you know? Was a DNA match. >> So Santio Gaiton is arrested. That was
the best night's sleep of my life. >> Mr. Gaiton had minimal criminal history. He had moved out of state and
essentially had tried to start a new life for himself. He had a wife. He had a couple of children. He was like anyone
else you might meet. So, we've identified the suspects. Now is when the real work begins. Anytime
you have a case that's 18 years old, you know there's the potential for things to
go wrong. Memories fade. Evidence gets lost. So, I wanted to make sure that I dotted my eyes and I crossed my tees.
Let's get ready. Let's get ready for trial. >> But things did go wrong. Very wrong.
Deputy DA Scarbor made a sickening discovery. It had taken police so long to track down the suspects. The statute
of limitations for rape and kidnapping had run out. It was like my stomach had hit the
floor. There was the very real likelihood that we were going to have to dismiss the case and they were going to
walk out of the courthouse scot-free. >> Oh my god. >> I spent the weekend looking for
different ideas and different angles. I reread through the entire case file and so a light went off. Why don't I
charge torture? There was no other way to describe the defendant's conduct other than they had
tortured her. Because torture carries the possibility of life imprisonment. There is no statute of limitations.
There was still going to be an opportunity to bring Victoria justice. One of my absolute best days,
bar none. Santiel Gaiton's attorney ultimately approaches me and says his client is
willing to plead guilty. >> I agreed that a plea deal would be acceptable, but he needed to confess
what he did. He confessed to everything and they gave him 17 years. Son decided that he wanted to go to
trial. He wasn't going to confess to anything. Then let's get ready to go. >> An actor from the Austin Powers Movies
goes on trial in Orange County this week for charges of a violent rape. >> The trial took place in August of 2011.
Victoria was essential to this prosecution. >> I had a job to do. My job was to put
away what I considered one of the biggest monsters ever. >> I was terrified for my sister cuz I knew
that she was going to have to see him. My biggest concern about going in the courtroom
was making eye contact. I didn't want him to be able to wink at me or do anything that would give him
the sensation that he was doing something to me again. So, I didn't allow him eye contact.
>> The testimony was heart-wrenching to hear. The jurors were horrified >> and they needed to hear every single
detail. >> There were jurors who had tears in their eyes. >> There wasn't a dry eye in the whole
courtroom. >> Joseph's son did not testify during the trial. At various times throughout the
case, he would attempt to yell out, "That's a lie. They're making this up. [sighs]
>> When I was waiting for the jury to make their decision, in my head, I thought,
"Was everybody affected? Did they believe me? Did they see the evidence?" DNA is DNA.
>> There are no guarantees in a jury trial. >> What if 99% of them feel one way and one
doesn't? The jury deliberated for a few hours before they reached the verdict. >> He was guilty.
Guilty of torture. I just thought you son of a [ __ ] Now you're the one who has your hands
behind your back. Have a little taste of my life and what you put me through. Joseph's son was sentenced to seven
years to life in prison, which meant that theoretically he would one day be eligible for parole. But then just one
month later, guards made a gruesome discovery. No one was safe around Joseph's son.
No one's safe. >> [music] >> In my [music] career, I have dealt with what I think is some of the worst
of the worst that humanity has produced. Joseph's son, I think, deserves a place
at the top of that list. Joseph's son was convicted and sentenced. He was transported to state
prison. Within a very short time of being there, he murdered his cellmate. The fact that the cellmate died of
punches, kicks, and blows It just sounded exactly like the person that I was with that night who did the
same thing to me. >> Under California law, if you're serving a life term in prison and you kill
somebody in prison, that could be a death penalty trigger. And so it would be possible for them to
file a death penalty case against Joseph's son for this. And if so, Victoria would need to come and testify
at the sentencing to say, "This is the crime he committed against me. He's bad enough a guy to warrant that level of
punishment." Honestly, in the very beginning, I didn't think he deserved to live,
but there was a lot more to it than that that I had to think about. I didn't know
if I had enough energy to do this battle. I understood they wanted to put him to death.
I mean, he [music] killed somebody. They tried to kill me. He's an animal. But I just felt at the end of the day
that I was done. I had a life to live and I wasn't interested anymore. So, prosecutors dropped the death
penalty for Joseph's son's upcoming trial. But Victoria's ordeal was still not over. It's hard to believe, but once
again, she found herself in a fight for her life. I had noticed in May of 2014 that I wasn't feeling [music] that
great. I shared with my husband that and he said, "Get to the doctor immediately."
He just had a bad [music] feeling. I was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. I think you
for a minute or so lose your faith that why is this happening to my sister so many times? Why is she
being attacked in different [music] ways? Why can't she just have a beautiful happy life? Why now does this have to
come in? I needed to get in immediately. and start getting treatment. >> When she got diagnosed, I told her, "I'm
going to shave my head because I didn't want her to go through it alone." And I wanted to make her feel that I
supported her. [music] To shave your head for someone in my heart meant that I'm traveling with you.
It made me feel like I wasn't the only bald person in the room and it made me feel like I had someone
like me there. >> Can you see? I apologize. >> I've managed to bounce back pretty good.
>> I'm in remission and I'm just going to stay in that light for as long as it allows me to.
She has that something in her that allows her to bounce back even when bad things happen to her. It's quite
remarkable of her to do that. I don't know if it's in her DNA or in her karma or in her personality. The way she was
raised, I have no idea. For her to not only survive, but to survive well and do well is is it's a
miracle. It's miraculous stuff. I chose the name Victoria because I find that it's more rewarding and more healing to
be called Victoria because it was a victory. It was [music] an epic victory. There is happiness after tragedy.
It's okay to be happy again. I've had my kids. We're in a good place. I'm healthy again.
And I rock out every chance I get. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey.
[music] >> [music] >> It was a stunning summer night. The moon was out. Beautiful full moon.
I'm still afraid during full moons. Not really afraid of the moon, but just that something bad
could happen during a full moon. On August 28th, [music] 1996, I went out on a date with my Zach.
It was [music] the very first time he'd asked me out on a date. And a part of me
just thought, why would I go on a date with you? You're my Zach. You're my friend. But then I thought, absolutely.
We just started driving up the canyon. I remember feeling that little twinge of excitement when
you realize you really have a crush on someone and that they have a crush on you.
Zach Snar made me laugh and that connected us from the very beginning. In high school, we just [music] it
seemed like we had every class together and he'd always have some smart eloic remark to make when I walked in [music]
the classroom. And I think I started to look forward to those comments to see, well, what would
he say about me today? While we're driving, I remember thinking, I'm going to get a kiss
tonight. Zach's going to kiss me tonight. Zach turned into this parking lot and he
said, "Well, I've got a surprise for you." And then he pulled out his photography
equipment. And Zach was going to teach me how to take pictures. He loved black and white pictures. And
[music] we were going to get pictures of this full moon tonight. We went down a cement pathway
probably a hundred yards and I think it [music] was about that time that a white truck pulled up.
And in Utah at 9 8:30 at night, [music] cars pull up in the mountains. You don't think anything at all.
The man in the truck started walking toward us and he asks me, "Do you know where this path goes?"
And I answered back saying something like, "Oh, I don't know. We've never been here." Or, "I'm not sure."
And that's when I turned my back. And I don't know if Zach turned his head, too.
But I hope that Zach turned away because that's when the man pulled out a gun and
just open fired. [screaming] He aimed at us and let every single bullet out of his gun.
>> [music] >> I screamed [sighs] a loud shriek, bright bright lights, pungent acidy smell in the air, and my
ears just started ringing. I don't know where the first bullet hit me, but my body just [music] fell down.
Then it's silent for a minute, and then I remember thinking, "This is over now. This is over.
And it turns out that the man is reloading his gun and he's getting bullets out of his pocket and putting
them in his gun when then three or four more shots and they feel really close and I can feel
the speed and almost just wind brushing by. Then he stops finally. I don't dare move at that point.
All I could think of in my mind was hearing my dad saying, "If a grizzly ever attacks you, you need to hold still
and play [music] dead." And so I held my breath and I didn't close my eyes and I stayed as still as I
could. And when he moved my body, I just let it move with him because I needed to
be dead for him. When he touched me here on my hips, that was the first time I was really afraid.
That's when I thought, well, he's going to rape me. And that [music] terrified me much more
than what he had just done to us because I didn't have a concept of what being shot was. But everybody's afraid to be
raped. [music] But he didn't. Instead, he was looking for money, I assume, and he reached in all my
pockets. His face is this close to me, and he's breathing on me. And then the man ran up the mountain.
And I know he's gone for sure when I hear Zach's car start up. I yelled Zach's name
and it was so quiet. And I yelled again, "Zack." And it was the worst silence that I've
ever heard in my whole life. Well, I couldn't walk. I couldn't stand. But my arms were moving and my left leg
was moving. And I realized the closest way to get to the road was up the mountain side.
It felt so vertical that I just felt like I kept climbing up and then I'd fall back down.
I could feel cars driving by. I could feel the wind brushing against my face. I knew I was
so close to the road, but I have no idea how I got to the top. And uh I kneled on the side of the road
and waved my arms like this to the first car and it didn't stop. Our [music] plan was to get there in time to watch
the moonrise. All of a sudden, in the headlights in front of us crawled out from the side of
the brush, this woman covered in blood. It was like a horror movie but much worse because it's real.
She was in shock but she was able to hold a conversation. The victim told me [music] her name was
Iette Rodier and um that she and her friend had been shot. I wanted to help the person below, but I
was afraid to go down there. At this point, it was getting a little scary because we didn't know if the
person who had shot her was still lurking in the area. She was in and out of consciousness.
And every once in a while, she kept saying, "When is the help coming?" And uh we just kept saying they're they're
coming. They're coming. I remember getting in the helicopter on the gurnie, you know, facing straight
up to the sky. And one of the first things this paramedic in the helicopter says is,
"Well, you know, this is a beautiful night and we've got a pretty short flight, so
let's just enjoy this." And it was a beautiful night. And I do remember looking out at the sky and
being up in the air and feeling safe. And it's probably the last moment of peace I felt
for a long time. [music] I was shot at least four times and then several bullets grazed my head.
One of the bullets came and hit this shoulder and just dug a chunk of skin out. One of them came to my side and [music]
actually did expand and open up this entire left side. Then one came in behind it up higher and
came all the way through my torso to my inner thigh and that's where it got lodged.
And the fourth came right across my head. After the surgery, a social worker came in and she asked me
for Zach's [music] parents' number. We were all in bed. It was quarter to 1 in the morning and our doorbell rang.
My daughter uh got up and answered the door and she came in the bedroom and she said, "There's two detectives here and
they want to talk to you guys." And I sat straight up in bed and I said, "Zach's not home."
And it's like it hit me, "Zach's not home." So I think I at that instant I knew something was wrong.
I went in [music] there and I first thing I said was, "What's happened to my son?" And they said, "Well, your son was
involved in a shooting tonight." I was in such shock. I was hearing what they were saying, but it just wasn't
registering. And and I remember finally saying, "Are you telling me my son's dead?" And they just kind of looked at
me like, you know, it just was not real to me. and I just said, "I have to go to the
hospital. I have to go see a vet." I remember her leaning in and just hugging me
and feeling her arms around me. And I'm pretty [music] positive the first thing out of Sigh's mouth was, "We
are so glad [music] you lived. And that's still hard to think about because I felt horrible at that moment that I
had lived. And I would have given anything to switch and to let Zach be there and let
them be hugging their own son. It was a couple days after Zach was murdered that we were [music] sitting
out. I remember sitting out on the porch and my dad came out and said, "They caught him. They caught him." And we all
ran inside and the news was on. after allegedly shooting and leaving the two young people for dead at Little Dell
Reservoir. [music] >> There were all these reporters and all these flashes going off.
>> Murder suspect was [music] taken off to jail. >> Here's Jorge Ben Venudo, total stranger.
I remember just looking at him thinking, who who is this? You know, why why? >> Investigators say [music] George Benuto
had developed a fascination with death in recent weeks. Jorge Benvonuto was an [music] immigrant from Uruguay.
From what we've learned about him, he was just a loner. It took the police a couple of days to
find him. They knew immediately who it was because he had taken my brother's car and left
his car behind. He also had my brother's wallet. >> They [music] believe he abandoned his
truck at the scene and took Snar's Ford Bronco. The afternoon that they caught him, Ben Venudo had gone to a gas
station and was buying cookies with the last of Zach's money. The gas station attendant recognized him because his
picture had been all over the news. The police arrested him just behind [music] the gas station. He was sitting eating
the cookies. He just looked like this normal kid, you know, this young kid. and I just would
stare at his picture for hours. The policeman told us that he was 19 years old. They told us he had come from
Uruguay. He was living he lived in New York for a while and then moved out to Utah. And that he had bought a gun a
couple of weeks before and um apparently somebody had robbed his house. It made him very angry.
On the way to the interview, I was trying to understand what type of individual I would be talking with.
[music] During my conversation with Ben Venudo, he began offering his reason for
shooting these two young people. And part of his explanation was that he was tired of living himself, that he wanted
to do something. so bad that he would have the courage to then kill himself. But he said that in fact he'd lost his
nerve after he had shot both of these individuals. He had a real power trip with the
firearm. This made him feel powerful and somehow uh in control of things. When I described to Ben Venuto that he
had only completed killing one of the two individuals, the surprise was visible on his face. Uh he was almost um
disappointed that this gun that he treasured and thought so highly of let him down.
[music] He had told them, "I just wanted to watch someone die. I want to see what
it feels like to kill someone. I mean, they [music] could have taken a knife and run it through my body. I
don't think it would have been as painful because that's when we realized how it was a thrill kill. It was a
totally random thrill kill. I remember he was smiling and just looking into the camera.
Just made you sick. It just made me sick just to see him. In a way, I wish they would have just shot him right then and
there. I remember the next morning waking up in my room and it was a beautiful morning
and I remember the sun coming in through my window and the house was just silent
and I remember thinking it was it was a dream. What a horrible horrible nightmare.
And then [music] my bedroom door opened and my friend came in and she was just balling. And I that's when I knew that
oh my word this really happened. And it just seemed [music] so impossible that Zach could be gone
because honestly Zach was [music] just bigger than life. He had he had such a light about him that there was just no
way that anyone could have taken him from us. The funeral I remember being in our
church. Just the amount of people there was staggering. I mean, just there. It was standing room only. It was a
beautiful tribute for Zach. Iette was there and I remember she could barely walk. [music] She got out of the
hospital just long enough for the funeral and then she had to go back, but she was very weak. And I remember just
just she felt so bad. She felt so guilty. And here we are. We we just looked at her and she was such a
beautiful miracle for us. We were so grateful that she had survived. Walking out afterward behind his casket
[music] was painful was really when I just wanted to crawl up in a ball and hide from everybody and just not be
the girl that lived. I didn't want to be that [music] person right then. I just wanted to hide and be Zach's friend.
Our [music] house was so full of people and one day all of a sudden people quit coming
and it hit me so hard one day he's really not coming home and I found [music] out through
experience there is such a thing as a broken heart. You know, you hear of a broken heart, but it is a physical pain.
I never realized that. It hurt me to breathe. And I would look around and see all
these people [music] getting on with their lives. And I would think, how can they walk? How can they do what they're
doing? And how can they laugh? And how can they be happy? Because for me, life was basically over. I felt like it was
over. Before the shooting, I would say I [music] was a very trusting person. I was someone who
really thought everyone else in this world [music] was kind and generous and giving.
And after the shooting, I was terrified of everyone. Didn't trust. I didn't want to
socialize. Didn't want to leave my house. My mom made sure that someone was with me 24 hours a day in my room. I was
so afraid that this man was going to come and finish the job. I remember one night just feeling so
desperate for help and I went and I just became so angry. All a sudden, Ben Venudo had the power to make me who I've
always been a happy person. I I couldn't even smile. And I remember I went and I kicked a
hole in my wall in my apartment because I was just so angry. I think I really hated Jorge Benvveno when
it was like a [music] cancer spreading through my whole body. I wanted to hurt him.
I [music] wanted to hurt him. I can't hurt Zach. >> Well, it was pretty obvious that the
Snars thought the appropriate sentence was the death penalty. And they made that very clear to us.
Bob Stodd came in our home and I just looked at him and I said, "Kill him." >> We understood that and we told them, of
course, that that's what our goal was. Our object was to seek the most appropriate punishment. We certainly
felt that the death penalty would be an appropriate punishment. We were going after that.
>> I always knew I would have to testify at some point. And it scared me to get ready for it.
But there's no way you can really prepare to be in the same room as the man who shot you.
[music] I will never ever forget that day in court. Just knowing I was going to see Jorge
Benonuto for the first time scared me to death. At the beginning of the case, we had a preliminary hearing, which is
like a mini trial, and that's where I had to testify. The courtroom was packed. When they brought him into the
courtroom, I just felt like he sucked the air right out of there. Kind of. It's like I'm
looking at the person who who murdered my son. He didn't look [music] at us and I was
like, "Look at me." You know, look at me. This this boy had a mother. This [music]
this boy had a family who loved him. And he just didn't even look at us. When I saw him in the courtroom, I
realized he has no soul. And he stood there and pleaded not guilty. I don't remember actually walking to the
stand, but I do remember [music] sitting there and having to point him out and lifting my finger. And I remember
watching my finger and it just shook while I'm pointing at him that this is the man [music] who did it.
She looked so afraid [music] and she was trying so hard to be brave. I was amazed [music] that she could get
up there and look at him after what he had done to her. But she did it. She did it.
I imagined a lot what Zach would have done and he would have been so strong and so
brave during it. And so I just tried to be as [music] strong as Zach could have been.
Afterwards, she just [music] fell and she was just sobbing. I wanted him to get the death penalty.
Like he didn't have the right to live. We were ready to go to trial. We were ready to ask for the death penalty. We
had a good case. This is the kind of case that we would have won. But on the other hand, it's a very
difficult process. We have to convince the [music] jury beyond a reasonable doubt. 12 jurors. Even if one disagrees,
the death penalty is not given. And there will be countless appeals, countless habius corpuses. They'll have
to appear at different hearings. They'll see it in [music] the newspaper. They'll
see it on television. Ben Venuto said he shot them because he wanted to see what
it felt like to watch them die. >> And it won't be over for another 20 to 25 years.
Jorge did not want to die. So that is why Jorge Benvonuto decided to to ask for a plea bargain. He would accept a a
sentence of life without possibility of parole if he was not given the death penalty in a trial.
My family was very torn about it. Would it be giving up on Zach if [music] we if we took this plea bargain?
At the time, there was an execution going on in Texas. And I remember the [music] the crime had
happened 20 years before, but these protesters were protesting the [music] fact that they were going to,
you know, end his life and that he had changed his life and that he was truly sorry.
And I remember just thinking, I don't want that to happen to Zach. I don't want 20 years from now protesters out
there talking about what a great person Jorge Ben Venudo is. I I couldn't stomach the thought. And so that's why
we as a family decided to take the plea bargain. I know a lot of people were really
shocked the fact that we plea bargained. Um it was on talk radio. We had phone calls. The media, why would you do this?
I said, I do not want my son's trial turned [music] into a freak show. He deserves more dignity than that.
Having him just spend the rest of his life in prison is fine with me and I can [music] just know he's there in prison
forever. >> High drama in a Utah courtroom today as a killer is sent to prison for life
without parole. >> George Ben Bonuto killed a teenage boy and injured his friend.
It's like finally it was really over. When we walked out of the courtroom the day the man that [music] shot us, the
day he was sentenced, I was sure I was never going to see him again. I was never going to have to be in the same
room as him [music] again. And then the man that shot us filed an appeal that said he was depressed when
he made that deal. And because he was depressed when he made that deal, he should get out of it.
I remember [music] thinking of all the people to claim you're depressed and you should get out of consequences,
how dare you [music] >> [music] >> The good thing about the appeal is I got to make a victim statement and I wanted
Jorge Benvon to hear me. [music] I wanted him to know what he had done to us. And I turned right to him and looked
at him and I said, "Jorge, what was it like watching someone die?" [music] And I just stopped and waited. and he looked
up at me for one brief second and then [music] dropped his head again. That is the only time he's looked at me. And
then I said, "Was it worth it?" I didn't get an answer. Surprise, surprise. It was [music] like being kicked in the
stomach so hard. It's just indescribable how that felt. I could not believe [music] that he
could do that to us again. I know the name of the man who shot [music] me and who killed Zach, but I
don't say it out loud. I refuse to give him that power or [music] respect, and I've never said his name out loud, and I
never will. I've had five [music] operations total. It took about three years for me to
officially be out of hospitals. The most painful part has actually been the nerve damage. To not have sensation
on the right side of my body can be really painful sometimes. I would much rather have a surgery every
other week than have to feel the survivor's guilt. I would go over to the cemetery and
there would be the sweetest notes and little things on Zach's grave from Evette and and you could read her pain
that she felt so guilty for having survived. I didn't want to intrude. I didn't want
to force her to be part of our lives. I thought maybe it was too painful for her. But I really wanted her in my life
and our whole my whole family felt this bond towards her. Whenever I'm with her,
I think you were with my son and he was happy that night with you [music] >> and the stands. really
>> is the most consistently loving person that I could ever ask for in my life. And she's a person that knows how I
feel. I feel selfish about it, but I really value when she tells me that she's happy
that I'm here. I don't deserve it, but I appreciate it a lot. [music] I tried for [music] so long to be that
girl I was when I was 18. And it was actually my mom who finally one day said, "You know, you're going to
just need to mourn the event you were. She's gone and you won't ever be her again, but
[music] you have the chance to be someone a lot different and a lot better." Will you hold those? Speaking
of baseball. Speaking of baseball, >> I went to college to be a news anchor. >> Are you still recording? And I thought
that was going to be my happy ever after. Is that okay? >> But after the shooting and going through
the court process, I realized that the law is where a lot of good can happen for people. And I decided to go to law
school and am now able to help people in the law side of the criminal justice system.
>> I work entirely with victims of crime. And while I don't tell my story with them and they don't know what's happened
to me, >> I do feel like I'm able to give them a sense of compassion that maybe other
people can't, and that means the world to me. >> What's your favorite part on a horse?
I'm 32 years old. I have a [music] darling 7-year-old daughter. >> You get that, huh? I was married at one
point and my ex-husband and I tried really hard to [music] have that work and and it didn't unfortunately, but he
is the father of my daughter and together I think we're raising a pretty good kid. So,
I feel really lucky in my life. I miss Zach and I [music] I think about him all the time, like all the time.
[snorts] But I don't dwell on his death anymore. I dwell on his life. I have three children. My oldest is
Zachary Taylor Davis. [music] I wanted to name him after Zach. Sometimes it just brings tears to my eyes cuz, you
know, not only is he named after him, but I think he looks a [music] lot like him.
Every time I look at the moon, [music] I think of Zachary. He's the man in the moon to me. And I can never look at the
full moon without thinking of that night [music] that he saw the beauty in that full moon.
It's been 14 years since I was with Zach last. And I think of him every single day.
I can imagine his laugh. I would love to see him again and just run to him and hug him.
And it's interesting. I think I'll I I want to say, "Wasn't that night so scary?"
and have him look at me and say, "Yeah, it was." And he would know what I was talking about.
[music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> Like many things in life, the facts of this case are not simple. They're not
[music] black and white. >> It's easy to forget how symbolic this trial was of a greater problem in the
world. >> You will hear strong, compelling evidence that explains the real reason
for this very sad and tragic [music] killing. It's been 6 years. Is it still hard to
believe that Blaze [music] is gone? >> It took a while for it to set in, but I'm at peace with it. Maybe that's
all that we were supposed to have. >> Happy birthday, dear. [music] >> There were like 19 years with so many
moments of brilliance and beauty. [applause] >> Blaze was very creative. Definitely when we were little kids.
[music] >> Did you want cheese? >> Sure. >> We were like attached at the hip. >> I think of him as somebody whose
potential for life [music] was completely obliterated. >> Bla1 Bernstein was gay and his killer
was a member of a neo-Nazi group. >> Undercover officers made their move on Sam Woodward. What have you learned
about neo-Nazis? >> They're everywhere now. >> They're all over the internet. >> They're here in Orange County.
>> I believe that this was a hate crime. >> The 26-year-old's appearance has changed
dramatically from the time of his arrest back in 2018. At the trial, Sam looked [music] like a spitting image of Charlie
Manson. It was absolutely terrifying to look at. The evidence will show you that
the defendant killed Bla1 Bernstein because he was gay. He was gay and Jewish. >> Hate crime or crime of passion. The
difference is the possibility of parole. >> Bla1 Bernstein was found with 28 [music]
stab wounds. The prosecution has a bit of a higher bar here because [music] they also have to show that Sam murdered
Bla1 because of his gay identity. He had developed his long-standing beliefs against Jewish people and gay people.
>> What happened that night was not a hate crime. >> We knew that he was going to present
some story of what happened that night. >> Not the targeting of someone because of
his sexual orientation. What kind of story could he come up with? >> Sam Woodward never planned to kill Bla1
Bernstein. >> Homophobia, sexual repression, hookup culture. It almost never ends [music]
the way that this story ends. >> We don't have any control over what the outcome is.
>> He could be innocent. We'll let a jury decide. >> [music] [music] [music] >> The why is the single most important
issue you will need to decide. Not who is responsible for the death of a young man, but exactly why he was
killed six years ago. >> For Jeannie Pepper and her husband Gideon Bernstein, those six years were
painfully marked by CO delays, shifting lawyers, and legal strategies. >> Slow justice is no justice.
It's not fair to victims, and it's not fair to the deceased. Finally, came April of 2024. Jeanie and
Gideon were more than ready for their day in court. >> We're impatient. We want to get on with
our lives. >> But not before telling the story of their firstborn child, Bla1 Bernstein,
how he lived, and why they believe he died. Murdered because of who he was. Targeted by hate. It's not safe for you
to be a lot of different minorities. Now, >> the victim in this case, and nobody
disputes that he was a victim, >> was stabbed to death. >> Ken Morrison would defend Samuel
Woodward, charged with firstdegree premeditated murder. Morrison squared off against prosecutor Jennifer Walker.
>> And where we start is with who was killed, Bla1 Bernstein. [music] And He was 19. He was gay and Jewish.
>> The silent, ghostly presence in the courtroom was Blaze. That slender, curious, playful young man
with a big world. [music] Images that refuse to fade. >> Are there pictures or things that
[music] flash through your mind that you think of Blaze? >> Always every day. It [music] was just weeks after Bla1's
death that we first met Jeanie and Gideon. Wounds raw. They [music] shared bittersweet memories of the son they
described as magical. [music] >> And the first time I saw him and I looked in his eyes, there's something
about this baby. He's he's going to change the world someday. Hey, >> that's going to be the intro.
>> What do you miss most about Blaze? >> Yeah, that's it. >> His quirky personality.
>> He was different. >> He liked to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. >> I call him the unicorn.
He was magnificently creative. It was [music] late summer 2016 and Bla1, who'd already achieved so much,
was headed to an Ivy League school here in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania. [music] There'd be new
friends, mentors, and challenges, and Blae seemed ready for it all. >> He really hit his stride.
>> A creative writer thinking about a [music] career in medicine. He was finding himself.
[music] >> Then came winter break, sophomore year. Blae headed home. He was really looking
forward to being with us, too. >> There were holiday celebrations and Hanukkah candles. The budding chef
cooked up a gourmet meal. And then sometime on the night of January 2nd, 2018, Blae secretly left his parents'
house. It would be the last time. that night. When did you realize that he was missing?
>> We didn't >> I didn't know that night. >> We didn't even know. We thought he slept
in and the next day we were >> I I had my aha moment when I was at the dental appointment.
>> The next day, Blae was due to meet his mother for that dentist appointment, but
Blae never showed up and wasn't answering his cell phone. >> I called Gideon. He asked me if Blae had
ever come home the night before and I screamed out, "I don't [music] know." >> Rushed out of the office and came home.
>> We both did. We flew home >> and checked Bla1's room. >> His wallet, [music] his retainers,
his keys, >> those are all still at the house. >> His glasses. >> Yeah. All of that stuff was at the
house. But your thought was, >> well, it was just so highly unusual. >> He wanted to spend time with us. I just
kept texting and calling him and leaving messages all day. Where had he been? We
didn't know. >> They called police and tried to log on to Blaz's social media accounts.
>> We just jumped on his computer. This was a big challenge for us. >> But with the help of family and friends,
they logged on to Bla1's Snapchat. That's where they discovered the night he disappeared, [music] Bla1 had sent
his home address to someone. Sam Woodward, a seeming stranger >> who never heard the name.
>> Never heard the name before. >> Gideon and Jeanie were panicked and baffled. Who was Sam? So Gideon messaged
Sam. Please pick up. Sam got on the phone. The Bernsteeen recorded the phone conversation and would share it with
police. and we just cracked in a snap account and saw that you had been uh trying to find him. So, you're the first
real clue to the to the puzzle here. >> Sam's pieces of the puzzle began with him meeting Blae near the Bernstein's
home. >> I picked him up at 11. >> And he said he drove him here nearby Bergo Park with its thick brush and
twisting paths and that once there they parked. >> Okay. And then did he get out of the car
or what happened? Yeah, he got out of the car and uh I got out of the car, too. >> And Sam added, Blae, claiming he was
going to meet a friend, walked down a path and vanished into the darkness. >> I shouted out, "Blaze. Blaze." But I
didn't see anything. I I didn't hear anything. >> Sam explained to the Bernsteeen how he
knew Blae and why he says they were getting together. It was more of a spur of the moment kind of thing. Yeah, dude.
Let's hang out. Since you and I were friends when we were at OSHA, >> OSHA, the Orange County School of the
Arts, where Rya, Blae, and Sam were once classmates. Rehea's high school memories
of Sam were about to come flooding back with a vengeance. >> I got a call from my mom. Rehea, did you
hear? And I said, "What?" And she said, "Blaze is missing." And then my mom said, "Reya, he was with
this guy named Sam Woodward." I screamed in the phone, "He what?" And she was like, "Do you know this guy?" And I
said, "Yes, I know this guy. He's crazy." How different were Sam and Blae. >> Oh, they were so different. Probably as
about as different as you could be. >> Hauntingly different, says Bla1's oldest friend. So when that word began to
filter across Orange County that Bla1 hadn't come home and that Sam Woodward might be a person of interest, [music]
it chilled Rehea to the bone. Her memories of Sam impossible to shake. >> Well, hello ladies.
>> He was drawing guns in his notebook in class. >> Did you say anything? >> No.
>> But you thought, >> "This is terrifying. >> [music] >> The spotlight was on Sam Woodward, whom
Rehea remembered from high school. >> He was very quiet, very withdrawn, didn't really talk to people.
>> Sam Woodward, odd man out, says Rehea. You know, everybody has their click, but
I don't think he identified with any of them [music] really. >> And as far as anyone knew, the last
person to see Bla1 Bernstein alive. [music] The only reason I could think of Sam
meeting up with Blaze is because either number one, he wanted to hook up with him or two [music] because he was
planning to murder him. And as for that story Sam told that on the spur of the moment he and Blae had decided to hang
out, it didn't come close to adding up for Rehea. >> He had a reputation of being what?
>> Racist, homophobic, sexist. >> It was Rehea who was there when Blaise's sexuality was still a secret until along
a glistening California beach, he bravely confided in his oldest friend. So you guys were kind of walking down
the beach alone together and he came out to you. >> Yeah. >> Rehea, who would later also come out,
stepped up when it mattered most. >> All I could do was be a good friend and love him unconditionally.
>> Did you get the sense that Blae had told anyone else that he >> I don't think that he did. He was kind
of upset to say it. >> Something that clearly was a big secret for him. Yeah, you know, coming out to
yourself is a really mature, difficult thing to do. >> And what did you tell him? I told him,
"It's okay. If you like boys, that's totally fine. Love her, you love." >> While he hadn't yet told his parents,
[music] Gideon and Jeanie sensed Blae might be gay. >> We went up to him and said, "Listen,
whatever your situation [music] is, we we embrace it. We love you. We don't care.
>> But in those first days of 2018, it wasn't just love. It was also an unimaginable fear that consumed [music]
Jeanie and Gideon. As the search for Blae began, Orange County cops spoke with Sam. He
repeated what he'd told the Bernsteeen on that phone call. that he had picked Bla1 up, driven to Barago Park, and that
then Blae had vanished. By January 5th, the search had become massive. >> We're out here conducting a search for
Bla1 Bernstein. >> We're here today to get your help to find our son. >> Please keep your eyes open for my baby.
I want him home with me now. >> Search and rescue teams and helicopters searched the wilderness area. And we
printed up thousands and thousands of flyers that people in the congregation put up. Everybody's looking.
>> Shalom. >> Rabbi Arnold Rockas coordinated the search from University Synagogue where
Bla1 was an active member and a role model. >> Please join me in honoring Bla1 Bernstein. [applause]
>> Bla1 embraced his Jewish heritage and confronted its haters. Not only were 6 million Jewish people
systematically murdered throughout Europe in concentration camps >> at such a young age to see someone with
so much talent is a beautiful thing, a good heart, a good soul. That's what Blae had.
>> Everyone was somehow hoping for [music] good news, including, it seemed, Sam Woodward.
>> Okay. So, is this the best number to reach you at? >> Uh, yes, sure it is. On that call that Gideon had recorded,
Sam sounded deeply concerned. >> You know, I want to fly Blaze as much as you do.
>> But Blae was nowhere to be found. Anxious hours stretched into sleepless nights.
>> I really didn't know if we would ever find him. >> As the days passed, >> you know that
>> it became more and more difficult. >> And I thought, we're never going to know. We're never going to know what
happened exactly. We're never going to figure it out. Um, [music] yeah, that's what I thought. I immediately
thought, "He's dead. He's dead." >> Just from hearing that he was with Sam. >> Yes.
It was day seven since Blae last left home. A family, a community was beyond frustrated. Detectives had searched
Bargo Park over and over, but they decided to give it one more look. In the pouring rain, a detective stood right
over there. And hidden under a large tree branch was a mound of dirt. Under the wet, caked earth lay blaze
Bernstein. >> If not the rain, we would have never known what happened to him. So the rain
uncovered his face. >> Leia and Richard Bernstein [music] are Bla1's grandparents.
>> We just loved him. I wish I could write like he wrote. >> I wish I could cook like he cooked.
Where's Blae? Yeah, he's in front. >> 48 Hours met them [music] just a few months after Blae was murdered.
>> I think the world lost a beautiful soul. >> I always [music] think of him before I
go to sleep. Their grandchild, once brimming with life and possibility, had been horrifically slaughtered with a
knife. And then the funeral happened and it was shattering. >> The grief stretched across Orange
County. >> We're hugging them right now. We're all hugging them. This is our big giant hug
to them. >> Just want to know why. >> I don't I don't even want to know because I'm not going to like that
answer. [music] 3 days after Bla1 Bernstein was found, butchered, and broken. >> Can you tell us what happened to Blaze?
>> No comments. >> Investigators confronted his one-time classmate, Sam Woodward.
>> Were you there when he disappeared >> at his parents' home? >> No comments. Undercover officers made their move on
Sam Woodward this afternoon. As he pulled out of his Newport Beach driveway and went down the road, they pulled that
car over and arrested him. >> Sam Woodward was charged with murder with the personal use of a knife.
>> Then Orange County DA Tony Rakus. >> How did Bla1 Bernstein die? >> He was stabbed multiple times in the
neck. >> What does that tell you? Well, it tells me that there was a lot of hate
>> for Bla1's parents. >> The details of his murder were too much to even imagine.
>> I just try not to think about what that really meant. I don't think that I that
I physically can deal with the trauma of what's happened. As [music] police gathered evidence, the
violence that happened in Burggo Park was revealed. With Blaz's body, his battered [music]
phone inside Sam Woodward's car. Blood. >> The blood on the headliner uh belonged
to both Sam Woodward and Bla1 Bernstein. >> Bla1 Bernstein's blood was in Sam Woodward's car.
>> Yes. Yes. >> And then they went on to search the house. >> Yes. What kind of forensic evidence did
they gather? >> There was a knife. The knife had blood on it. Bla1 Bernstein's blood on the knife.
>> At his arraignment, Sam Woodward would plead not guilty. Investigators would continue to search
for what happened that night in Bergo Park. They would soon come to believe that Sam
had a dark and frightening secret. He was involved in this extreme neo-Nazi organization Otaman division which does
expect its members to explicitly target members of the Jewish and LGBTQ community. Sarah Moore monitors hate
crime [music] working for GLAD, one of the most prominent gay rights organizations in the country. She's kept
a close eye on the small but violent group Adamwin. These are their propaganda videos posted between 2017
and 18. >> They want to kind of blow up the world as it is. They want to create something
entirely new. >> And the new thing is what >> in their mind it would be a white ethnostate.
>> And there's either no Jewish or no LGBTQ or no people of color in that society.
>> How does Adam Moffin recruit? >> They recruit primarily online. just a click away and exactly where Sam,
whom Ryarovski remembers had trouble making friends, found some strangers who welcomed and encouraged him.
>> Did you consider yourself a neo-Nazi? >> I just consider myself a Nazi. >> This man does not want his identity
revealed. But he says he was once a member of Adam Waffen and that he came in contact with Sam [music] the year
before Blae was murdered. It was like a camaraderie type of feeling, common interest.
>> And those interests were hating other groups, hating Jews, hating gays, hating
blacks. >> Yeah. Oh, yeah. >> How involved was Sam Woodward and Adam Waffen? >> I [snorts and clears throat] know that
he was involved. involved enough, say investigators, to wear the Adam Waen mask, give the
Nazi salute, make a pilgrimage to Colorado to meet neo-Nazi leader James Mason, and travel to Texas to attend
Adam Waffin's version of a corporate retreat. They call it Hate Camp. At Hate Camps, members will get kind of a 101
training on how to be a violent extremist. And that bitter January 2018 [music] when news broke that Bla1 had been
stabbed to death allegedly by a member of Adamwaffin [music] as Orange County mourned.
>> Neo-Nazis reportedly cheered. >> Everyone celebrated him like he killed a gay Jew,
>> which [music] in their mind is sort of a jackpot. Gh. It's disgusting. There were people [music] congratulating
this accused killer for what he has done, killing my son, congratulating him. >> Had you ever heard of Adam Waffen?
>> No. >> Before this, >> but we should have because we're a perfect target for that group.
>> Because of [music] Sam's involvement in Adam Waffen. 7 months after Bla1's murder, prosecutors upped [music] the
ante, adding a hate crime enhancement, a murder motivated by prejudice. As the [music] story unfolded that the
murder was related to homophobia and anti-semitism, well, then the anger in the community
ratcheted up. >> For some, it brought back the darkest of times. >> It must seem like all of this hate was
behind you. That's something in the past. >> You can't forget it. >> You can't forget it. Never.
>> It's a murderous echo from her past. All too [music] real for Grandma Leia, a
Holocaust survivor. Once a little girl forced by Hitler's Nazis to wear a yellow star.
>> Yes, we did wear this dress. >> It's a horrible irony that what you escaped is
>> is following me. Sam Woodward was locked up in the Orange County Jail. He would begin his
yearslong journey through the justice system. It included a revolving door of defense lawyers who raised questions
with the court about Sam's mental health and his ability to defend himself. In 2022, Sam Woodward was found
competent to stand trial. Investigators say they also mined Sam Woodward's phone and social media
activity. And along with the Nazi propaganda, they found something else. Sam had visited gay dating and porn
sites. And he had exchanged flirtatious messages with Blae. >> So they matched twice on Tinder. Lewis
Keane, a reporter for The Forward, would cover the case and report on the conversations between Sam and Blae.
>> Blae admits that he's gay. Bla1 says, "I think you're hot." And Sam says back to
Blae, "You're not too bad looking yourself, Bla1." So, they kind of had this flirty interaction.
>> Maybe Sam was like closeted and wanted to hook up. Rya moved to New York City
where she lives as an openly bisexual woman. She still wonders about Sam's intention and blazes that tragic night
in Bergo Park. The defense may argue that Blae made a move on Sam and Sam freaked out.
>> Okay. And if you freak out, does that excuse you stabbing somebody? >> April 2024.
Stuff is getting real. The jury's being picked. >> Finally, Sam Woodward headed to trial.
Over time, the case had taken on even greater meaning. There's a lot at stake here because it's not just about getting
justice for Blaze, but it's also about what precedent this is setting for other LGBTQ plus people who have been or might
in the future be in similar situations. Bla1's parents steadied themselves to relive the night that shattered their
lives. >> I know that a lot of things will be said that are probably [music] untrue because
that's what happens in a criminal trial. I have an opportunity to defend [music]
Blaze and that's what I will do. Please come to order. Superior Court is now in session.
>> The people call Genie Pepper. >> It's the final thing that I have to do for my son is be there and make sure
that there is some form of justice. >> Good afternoon, Miss Pepper. >> It took more than 6 years for Jeanie and
Gideon to get this day in court. I just want to thank you for being here and I'm
I'm sorry that the circumstances, >> but it comes with terrible memories of the day they lost their son, Blae.
>> You remember where you were when you got the phone call? >> I do remember that. Yes.
>> And why does that stand out in your mind? >> Because it was the beginning of hell.
The couple have to come face to face with their son's killer. But the killer, Sam Woodward, doesn't seem to want to be
seen. >> Can I ask you to move the hair out of your face a little bit? Maybe pull the hair on the right side of
your head away so we can see [music] you, please. Thank you. Even before he took the stand, Sam
Woodward was already an eerie presence in the courtroom who got everyone's attention. Sam looked like Charles
Manson, >> so you couldn't really see his face. >> No, you couldn't really hear him all the
time. >> Reporter Lewis Keane. >> If you're in the jury, he looks extremely menacing.
>> Do you want to look him in the eye? >> Not really. I don't care. He's meaningless to me. And
>> can I nag you one more time to move your hair out of your face a [music] little
bit for us? >> Blaze, we love you and we want you to come home. >> Back when they were frantically
searching for Blae. >> Please keep your eyes open for my baby. I want him home with me now.
>> Sam Woodward told them he didn't know anything about what happened to their son. I didn't see where he went.
>> I searched all over for him. I couldn't find him anywhere. >> But his looks have changed dramatically.
And so has his story. >> Do you remember what you were thinking when you were driving the knife down
again and again and again? an anger like nothing I'd ever felt in my whole life.
There's absolutely no question Sam Woodward killed Bla1 Bernstein. >> The evidence will show that Samuel
Woodward is guilty of homicide. >> The question for the jury is >> why this homicide was committed. Sam's
defense attorney said in opening arguments that we were going to hear from Sam about something that happened
that night that provoked Sam into killing [music] Bla1. >> The challenge for defense attorney Ken
Morrison is to prove voluntary manslaughter, that Woodward acted impulsively. >> There was no cold, calculated decision
to kill. And the knife, according to the defense, it wasn't ever meant for murder. From
the time Sam was a boy scout, Sam was never without one. >> Did you ever carry a pocketk knife with
you in your pants pocket? >> Yes, I would almost all the time. >> Did you have a knife in your pocket when
you were with Bla1 Bernstein? >> Yes, I did. >> The [music] killing happened in less
than an hour. Prosecutor Jennifer Walker argues this was premeditated murder and
a hate crime. >> You'll see the cell phone evidence, the DNA evidence, the defendant's words, the
defendant's hate. >> In the nearly 3 months at trial, Walker painstakingly put on more than 20
witnesses, including the same former Adam Waffen member who spoke with us, now a witness for the prosecution, who
still wanted his identity [music] concealed. Do you recognize that? >> Yes. >> What is it?
>> There's a picture of Samuel Woodward. >> All to build the case for the added hate
charge and a greater sentence. >> The difference is the possibility of parole. If it's no hate crime, then it's
25 years to life with the possibility of parole. If it's a first-degree premeditated murder and a hate crime,
Sam faces life in prison without possibility of parole. The facts of this case are not simple.
>> The defense uses a timehonored tactic, [music] suggesting the victim is not as
innocent as he appears. >> You will learn that Bla1 Bernstein was not killed because of who he was,
but because of what he did. Tell us what happened. >> In Sam Woodward's version,
>> Sam, can you pick your head up? Move your hair. Bla1 was toying with him and threatening to out him. Once they were
in Bergo Park, Sam says he smoked a joint. >> Eyes started nodding off. >> Sam says he thought Blae took a
compromising picture. >> I saw my pants unbuckled. I could practically like feel something
somewhat close to my leg. And he had his phone in his hand. He tells us that he believes that Blae
is taking a photo of his privates. I just came undone. I went in a state of just terror and I asked, "What are you
doing? What are you doing?" And >> no photo was ever found. So there's no evidence that Blae actually took one.
>> What were you afraid of? I grew up in a home with my mother and my father and I love them more than I
can imagine. My father though, he there's no way, not a chance people like him, just even thinking about the look
on his face if he saw something like that, if he'd heard about something like that that got out somehow,
I couldn't fathom that. Sam grew up in an ultra-conservative Catholic household. He had parents who
believed homosexuality was a sin. But Sam also seemed to have really conflicted feelings about his own
sexuality. What you come away with is just immense sadness of all these external forces
coming to bear on his life. He did what he did and what he did can't be undone. >> Any idea how long it took to stop
stabbing Bla1? >> No idea. No. >> It was one of the most awful things I've ever heard. And you know that Blaz's
parents are sitting there for months of this trial. They've been hearing their son is accused of sexual assault.
You can't really imagine what that's like. Genie Pepper walked out of the room. >> For the prosecution, the only predator
in this story is Sam Woodward. >> He has a 6-in knife out. And Blaze is the predator. Blaze is the problem here.
That's what's being sold to you by the defendant. He was interested and fixated on hate.
Adam Waffen division had that outlet for him. >> Only two people know what really
happened that [music] night. Sam Woodward has had his say. Bla1 Bernstein isn't alive to tell us.
>> You should find him guilty of the first-degree murder with the hate crime. It's the only reasonable conclusion.
Do you have any hesitation? Do you have any doubt? >> Now it's up to the jury. >> The passage of time has been doubly hard
for Bla1's grandparents, Richard and [music] Leia. Still waiting for justice for the grandson they loved and lost.
I miss him all. Everything about [music] him. He was loving and caring. He was handsome, too.
>> Blae [music] and his exceptional appetite for life. I try to treat him as just a normal kid, you know, and [music]
he to he turned out uh [snorts and sighs] [gasps] sorry >> he turned out well. >> On July 3rd, 2024, the jurors [music]
began their deliberations. >> I don't want him to die. I want him to suffer every day of his [music] life.
>> Is there a part of you that wants to look that young man in the eye? >> No. >> Why not?
>> Because he's a footnote in history. >> Whether footnote [music] or headline, grandparents, parents,
rabbi, oldest friend. It felt like forever. I was nervous and I felt anxiety because I was not sure what the
verdict was going to be. 2,364 days after his arrest, Sam Woodward's fate is on the line. Living and dying in
prison or someday possibly walking free. >> It's my understanding that you do have a
verdict. Is that accurate? >> We have. It took the jury 8 hours. >> The verdict being read, there's no way
to describe what it's like. Sort of the emotional intensity of the moment. >> We, the jury, find the defendant, Samuel
Woodward, guilty of the crime of first-degree murder. >> But as soon as the jury says guilty, I
heard Jeie say, "Oh, thank God. guilty of murder. But was it hate? [music] Did Sam target Bla1 because he was gay?
The jury [music] spoke again. >> We the jury find it to be true that the defendant, Samuel Woodward, committed
hate crime, first-degree murder. >> Outside the Orange County courtroom, all that pain and uncertainty overflowed.
Good afternoon. My name is Todd Spitzer. I'm the district attorney of Orange County.
>> The current DA offered thoughts on love and law. >> We don't care who you love or who you
want to be with. You deserve to be a free person with free will and love who you love and that needs to be protected.
We are thrilled [snorts] with the verdict which holds Samuel Woodward accountable for the
brutal, violent, [snorts] painful murder of our son, brother, grandson, cousin Bla1 Bernstein on January 3rd,
2018. >> His parents will never get to speak to him again and that loss is incalculable.
The Woodwards also lost their son. He's going to prison. >> When the verdict was that the murder was
a hate crime, that essentially [music] meant that there is the proof that Blae was murdered because he was gay and
Jewish. Simple as that. >> FA who Bla1 first came out to [music] on that California beach. In my head, I was
telling Blaze, "We finally got him." Like, you know, case [music] closed. >> And says the prosecutor, Sam Woodward,
should pay the maximum price. >> He faces life without possibility of parole, and that's what we'll be asking
for. >> Thank you. >> Experts who monitor Adam Waffen say it has largely dissolved, but that the
threat of hate groups remains [music] today. You said, "Love who you love." It sounds so simple, but it's not.
>> Mhm. Just because you're accepting of yourself, that doesn't mean that everybody's going to see the same way as
you do. You know, >> can you picture Blaze if he was alive today? No, I don't think I can.
>> Can you still hear his [music] voice? >> No. >> That's kind of sad. >> Yeah. >> For Jeanie and Gideon, every day brings
reminders of what might have been. >> I think about Bla1 all the time because when I see things, I think to myself,
what would Bla1 be doing now? They founded what they call [music] a kindness movement promoting positivity
and random acts of kindness in Bla1's name. >> Blaze it forward was a response to
Blaz's death. And in Berago Park, where Blae took his last breath, there is this
hundreds of handpainted stones, most left by total strangers in the memory of Bla1 [music] Bernstein.
This pile of stones has grown and grown and grown. >> Yes, it's great to [music] see the
messaging. It's always positive >> and they're getting sent to us from all over the world. Still, [music]
>> still >> the silent stones speak of tolerance and Bla1 Bernstein's transformation into a
kind of martyr. His murder a marker of rabid hate. His spirit an inspiration to LGBTQ plus
people wherever they live and with whomever they love. >> Blaz's life mattered and [music] he has
a legacy. to create good news, >> to inspire people to be better, to be kinder, and to work on repairing the
world. Because [music] it's not too late and we can make it better. >> [music] [music]
[music]

48 Hours looks back at the horrific stories involving young victims. Watch the YouTube mini-marathon, which includes "My Name is Victoria," "Full Moon" and "The Life and Death of Blaze Bernstein."

00:00 My Name is Victoria 41:47 Full Moon 1:22:04 The Life and Death of Blaze Bernstein

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Victoria survives a brutal attack while Bla1 Bernstein's murder highlights the dangers of hate crimes.

Key points

A Miraculous Tale of Survival. Victoria's story is one of survival against all odds after a brutal attack.
The Moment of Escape. In a pivotal moment, Victoria's attackers let her go, giving her a chance to escape.
Identifying the Attacker. Victoria identifies her attacker from a lineup, bringing a sense of closure.
Guilty Verdict. The jury delivers a guilty verdict, bringing a sense of relief and justice.
A Tragic Twist. Joseph's son murders his cellmate shortly after being sentenced.
The Pain of Loss. The speaker describes the overwhelming grief and physical pain of losing a loved one.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

At this point, I would rather die than continue where I'm at right now.

10:38WatchJan 17, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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