SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on the killing of a University of Pennsylvania student in California (all times local):
2:10 p.m.
A court hearing for a California man charged with the murder of a University of Pennsylvania student has been postponed.
Twenty-year-old Samuel Woodward’s initial hearing scheduled for Wednesday was continued to Feb. 2 along with a discussion about bail. He’ll remain jailed in the meantime.
Orange County prosecutors have charged Woodward with killing 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein, a former high school classmate.
Bernstein was home from Pennsylvania on winter break when he disappeared Jan. 2. His body was found buried in a park a week later, and Woodward was subsequently arrested.
The district attorney says the case remains under investigation and there could be additional allegations.
___
9:48 a.m.
A Southern California prosecutor says the investigation is continuing into the killing of a University of Pennsylvania student even though a murder charge has already been filed against the suspect.
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckus told reporters Wednesday that investigators are looking for evidence that would support making the legal case a hate crime.
The current complaint alleges 20-year-old Samuel Woodward murdered 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein and that a knife was used in the crime.
In an affidavit obtained by the Orange County Register, Woodward told investigators he was angry after Bernstein kissed him the night they went to a park.
Bernstein’s parents say the killing may have been a hate crime against their gay son.
Authorities say Bernstein was visiting his parents during winter break when he went to a park with Woodward Jan. 2. His body was found in a shallow grave there a week later. Woodward was arrested soon after.
Rackauckus says both had attended the Orange County School of the Arts. The district attorney says Woodward communicated with Bernstein by Snapchat on Jan 2 and then picked him up at his parents’ house.
___
8:44 a.m.
A murder charge has been filed against a suspect in the death of a University of Pennsylvania student whose body was found buried and stabbed in a Southern California park.
A complaint filed in Orange County Superior Court Wednesday morning alleges 20-year-old Samuel Woodward used a knife to kill 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein.
District Attorney Tony Rackauckus has scheduled a news conference to discuss the case.
Authorities say Bernstein was visiting his parents during his college’s winter break when he went to a park with Woodward Jan. 2. His body was found in a shallow grave there a week later. Woodward was arrested soon after.
___
5:49 a.m.
Prosecutors plan to announce charges in the killing of a University of Pennsylvania student found buried in a Southern California park.
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckus has scheduled a news conference Wednesday morning to announce his decision on charges for 20-year-old Samuel Woodward, suspected of killing 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein.
Authorities say Bernstein was visiting his parents on winter break when he went to a park with Woodward Jan. 2. His stabbed body was found in a shallow grave there a week later. Woodward was arrested soon after.
In an affidavit obtained by the Orange County Register, Woodward told investigators he was angry after Bernstein kissed him the night they went to the park.
Bernstein’s parents say the killing may have been a hate crime against their gay son.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.