Michael Jackson-Bolanos pleads not guilty to Samantha Woll murder

Michael Jackson-Bolanos is thought to be a total stranger to Woll, the well-known Detroit synagogue leader

SAMANTHA WOLL UPDATE

A suspect has finally been arrested and charged with the murder of well-loved synagogue leader Samantha Woll almost two months after she was brutally stabbed to death at her home.

On Wednesday, 28-year-old Michael Jackson-Bolanos was charged with felony murder, home invasion and lying to police.

Local prosecutor Kym Worthy said at a press conference that the suspect had no prior connection to the victim and that the killing was not believed to be a hate crime.

Jackson-Bolanos maintained his innocence and entered a not-guilty plea on Wednesday.

At his arraignment, new details were revealed about Woll’s murder – and the evidence allegedly linking Mr Jackson-Bolanos to the crime scene.

Woll was stabbed eight times in the attack at her home in Lafayette Park on 21 October, prosecutors said. The attack began inside her home before she stumbled outside and collapsed in the street.

Prosecutors described her murder as a “crime of opportunity” when Mr Jackson-Bolanos was allegedly “prowling” the neighbourhood stealing from cars and came across her open front door.

Woll’s blood has allegedly been found on a jacket that the suspect was wearing on the night of the murder, the court heard.

Key points

• Michael Jackson-Bolanos charged with murder
• Detroit police find no evidence of hate crime in Jewish synagogue leader’s death
• First person of interest released without charge
• What happened to Samantha Woll?

[12 December 2023 22:01 · Graig Graziosi]

Prosecutor’s office receives warrant request in Samantha Woll murder case

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday that it had recieved a warrant request related to the Samantha Woll murder case, according to ClickonDetroit.com.

Obtaining a warrant is a necessary step toward bringing charges against a suspect.

A “person of interest” has been in police custody since Sunday.

[13 December 2023 00:00 · Graig Graziosi]

FULL STORY: Person of interest taken into custody in Detroit murder of Samantha Woll

A new person of interest has been taken into custody in connection to the murder of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll.

Detroit Police Department confirmed in a statement on Sunday that “a person of interest has been taken into custody in furtherance of the investigation into the murder of Samantha Woll”.

“In an effort to ensure the integrity of this ongoing investigation, no further details will be released at this time. Additional information will be released in the near future,” the statement read.

This marks the second person of interest in the case which has gone unsolved for almost two months, since the synagogue leader was brutally stabbed to death at her home in Detroit.

Read the full story:

[13 December 2023 02:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Deadline looms to charge new ‘person of interest’ in murder

Detroit Police are facing a looming deadline to bring charges against the second person of interest taken into custody for the murder of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll.

Police confirmed that a person of interest was in custody on Sunday, saying that more details will be released “in the near future”.

The individual has not been identified but two sources toldThe Detroit News that the man appears to be a total stranger to Woll and is not the same person who was arrested last month.

Under state law, an individual can only be held for 72 hours before police must charge or release them.

[13 December 2023 06:00 · Graig Graziosi]

WATCH: Person of interest in Samantha Woll murder in custody

[13 December 2023 08:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Police investigating the murder of Samantha Woll took a second person of interest into custody on Sunday.

That individual reportedly was seen near Ms Woll’s house on the day of her murder, according to the Detroit News, citing police sources.

The person of interest was reportedly known to police.

[13 December 2023 10:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Detroit police chief: New evidence led to detainment of second person of interest

On Monday, Detroit Police Chief James White explained that new evidence led them to detain a second person of interest related to the murder of Samantha Woll.

The second individual was taken into custody on Sunday and remained in police custody on Monday.

“The public must understand that in the context of complex homicide investigations, it is not unusual for there to be a number of suspects, persons of interest, investigative leads, and evidentiary follow-ups that must be thoroughly examined before investigators are ready to submit a warrant to the prosecutor’s office,” Mr White said in a statement, according to the Detroit News. “In this case, new evidence surfaced with respect to this particular person of interest that necessitated their arrest at this time.”

[13 December 2023 12:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Detroit police chief says department was watching second person of interest immediately after Samantha Woll’s murder

The second person of interest detained in the Samantha Woll murder investigation was reportedly known to police, according to Detroit Police Department Chief James White.

Mr White said Monday that the second person of interest was never a threat to the public and that police had been watching them since the murder.

“At no time was the community in danger, as this person of interest was under continuous investigation,” he said. “The person of interest was taken into custody within an hour of the new information surfacing because investigators were familiar with their whereabouts.”

The individual was taken into custody on Sunday. Police can legally detain a citizen for 48 hours before they must either bring charges against them or let them go.

[13 December 2023 14:00 · Graig Graziosi]

First person of interest said they felt ‘responsible’ for Samantha Woll’s death: report

The first person of interest detained by police investigating the killing of Samantha Woll reportedly told the police he felt “responsible” for the woman’s death.

The admission was reported by the Detroit News, citing four unnamed police sources.

The newspaper filed a FOIA request for bodycamera footage showing the interaction during which the comment was allegedly made, but that request was denied.

Detroit police has not charge that individual with any crimes.

[13 December 2023 15:41 · Graig Graziosi]

Warrant is ‘being reviewed'

The Detroit Police Department issued a warrant request to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday. The warrant is reportedly related to the Samantha Woll murder investigation.

“We have a warrant request from the Detroit Police Department and it’s being reviewed,” Maria Miller, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office, confirmed to CNN.

The warrant request was made just hours before police would have been forced to release a second person of interest.

[13 December 2023 16:42 · Graig Graziosi]

Detroit police ask for community patience as it moves forward with warrant

The Detroit Police Department issued a statement Tuesday urging the public to be patient after it requested a warrant from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office relating to the Samantha Woll murder investigation.

“While this is a very promising step in this investigation, the process of moving from the warrant submission to prosecution can be very involved. We continue to ask for the community’s patience in this matter while we proceed with the important work ahead,” the department said in a statement.