DETROIT - On December 13, 2023, Michael Manual Jackson-Bolanos, 28, of Detroit was charged by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in connection with the homicide of Samantha Woll, 40, of Detroit. Ms. Woll was the Board President of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue. The defendant and Ms. Woll did not know each other. There were no facts to suggest that the homicide was a hate crime.

On October 21, 2023, at approximately 6:38 a.m., Ms. Woll's lifeless body was found lying outside of a neighbor's apartment located in the 1360 block of Joliet Place in Detroit. She was discovered by another neighbor who was walking past the apartments. This neighbor immediately returned to his home and called 911. Detroit police officers responded to the scene and observed Ms. Woll's deceased body in a pool of blood. They also observed that she had multiple stab wounds on her body. The front door to her home was ajar and unlocked, and a significant amount of blood was inside. Blood from the inside of the home led outside of the home. The medical examiner determined that Ms. Woll's death was caused by multiple sharp force wounds with a straight edge cutting instrument, and the manner of death was homicide.

The exhaustive investigation by the Detroit Police Department has included witness interviews, review of hours of security footage, cellular data, and forensic evidence. As a result, Defendant Jackson-Bolanos has been identified as the perpetrator of Ms. Woll's homicide. It is alleged that he committed a home invasion when he entered her house and stabbed her multiple times causing her death. It is further alleged that he lied to the police by making statements he knew were false and misleading relating to the investigation of the case.

Michael Manual Jackson-Bolanos was charged with: Felony Murder during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of a larceny and/or a first-degree home invasion and First-Degree Premeditated Murder. These charges carry a penalty of life in prison without parole. He is also charged with one Count of Home Invasion which a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and one count of Lying to a Peace Officer during a 4 year or more crime investigation.

He had a jury trial before Judge Margaret Van Houten that began on June 10, 2024, and concluded today. The jury found the Defendant not guilty of First or Second-Degree Murder and guilty of Lying to a Police Officer, a two-year misdemeanor.

The jury was deadlocked on the charges of Felony Murder and Home invasion. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Thursday, July 25, 2024, before Judge Van Houten for the remaining counts. Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Elsey, assisted by Assistant Prosecutor Dominic Degrazia prosecuted the case. The defendant is represented by attorney Brian Brown.

At the time of the partial verdict Prosecutor Kym Worthy said, "First, I want to thank the jury for their time, dedication, and attention to this case. We were hopeful that a decision could be reached today, but we will press on for justice for the Woll family and will determine our next course of action at the pre-trial hearing."

Today a pre-trial hearing was held before Judge Van Houten. The defense filed a motion to dismiss the case and the Court gave the Prosecution a week to file a responsive brief. The court set a new court date of August 9, 2024, for the parties to argue the motion. Judge Van Houten did not alter the defendant's bond, he is remanded to jail.

#####