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
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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.
The charges against Michael Jackson-Bolanos
Michael Jackson-Bolanos was charged on Wednesday over the murder of Samantha Woll. These are the charges:
- one count of committing a felony murder during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of a larceny and/or a first-degree home invasion
- one count of home invasion
- one count of lying to a Peace Officer during a four year or more crime investigation
Friend of Samantha Woll speaks out after suspect named
On Wednesday, police named the suspect as Michael Manuel Jackson Bolanos, and announced charges against him.
“We’re hoping this time is different than the last they announced an arrest,” Sam Dubin, a friend of Woll, told Fox2 ahead of the announcement. “We’re optimistic that hopefully something will come of this.”
He added: “We are hoping from the detroit police department that they are transparent with what they are finding as to not leave us on edge and not leave us in the dark.
“Of course without compromising the investigation, but we truly value communication, especially in such a tough instance as this one.”
Unanswered questions in Samantha Woll’s murder
A motive in Woll’s murder has yet to be established.
DPD has ruled out an antisemitic attack, previously saying that an Israel flag at Woll’s home was left untouched. A source had initially told CNN that the murder was thought to have arisen from a domestic dispute, but the source did not elaborate on what led them to that belief.
However, during the press conference on 13 December, authorities seemed to walk back from that characterisation, saying that they believed there were no connections between the suspect and Woll previous to the killing. Chief White declined questions from reporters on whether the killing had been circumstantial or targeted, and if Woll had tried to defend herself.
He also did not elaborate on earlier remarks that there were no signs of forced entry. Authorities had initially described the main crime scene as the sidewalk where Woll’s body was found, noting that it was believed she was attacked inside her home but a larger amount of blood was found outside.
The chief of police has since said that Woll’s door was found “ajar and unlocked, and a significant amount of blood was inside.”
Ms Worthy declined to speak on potential motives behind the killing, saying that she didn’t want to jeopardise the future criminal trial.
The prosecutor also pushed back against suggestions that the previous unsuccessful arrest could impact the ongoing criminal process, but did not answer why that person of interest, who has since been exonerated, was arrested in the first place,
“We have to investigate every avenue even though we may think that we have the right person in custody — we know that we do today — we have to investigate any and all suspects or persons of interest that may come forward,” Ms Worthy said. “We don’t want to leave any stone unturned. And that means we may have to look at other people, even if it’s believed at the time that they’re not the right one for this case.”
The key piece of evidence that finally caught suspect in Samantha Woll’s murder
Chilling details have emerged around how police finally caught the suspect accused of killing Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll.
Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, was charged with felony murder, home invasion and lying to police on Wednesday – almost two months after Woll was found dead from multiple stab wounds outside her home in Lafayette Park.
So what was the piece of evidence that secured charges against Jackson-Bolanos?
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
The key piece of evidence that finally caught suspect in Samantha Woll’s murder
Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, is accused of killing the synagogue leader in a ‘crime of opportunity’
Michael Manuel Jackson-Bolanos maintains innocence, enters not-guilty plea
Jackson-Bolanos entered a not-guilty plea on the same day that he was publicly identified as the sole suspect in the investigation. His attorney told reporters that his client was innocent and the victim of circumstantial evidence, also noting the previous arrest made in the case.
“It’s pretty significant that they originally arrested an individual prior to arresting my client, I’m going to be looking at the circumstances around that,” Jackson-Bolanos’ attorney Brian Brown said, The Detroit Free Press. “Truthfully, I think it was a lot of publicity this case was receiving, a lot of pressure on the Detroit Police Department to hopefully come up with somebody and my client maintains his innocence — and I think he was just a victim of circumstance and not an individual who perpetrated this crime.”
Samantha Woll’s family thanks law enforcement after charges announced
After prosecutors identified the suspect, Woll’s family issued a statement thanking law enforcement for their work in the investigation.
“Our family is sincerely grateful to the hard-working women and men of the DPD Homicide Task Force who worked around the clock for weeks to thoroughly investigate this tragic crime,” Brian Legghio, the family’s attorney, said on their behalf. “Through their dedication and tireless efforts we firmly believe that they have successfully solved this senseless crime. We cannot thank them enough.”
In the immediate aftermath of the killing, Chief White had said that there were no signs of forced entry. However, the chief of police has since said that Woll’s door was found “ajar and unlocked, and a significant amount of blood was inside.”
Suspect in Samantha Woll’s murder previously convicted on car theft
According to the Department of Corrections, Jackson-Bolanos was convicted of receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle in 2019, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. He spent two years on probation and went on to serve four years in prison over a similar offence, the Free Press reports.
Jackson-Bolanos was arrested on 10 December after he came on law enforcement’s radar due to several car thefts in Woll’s neighbourhood.
Charges stemming from the Woll case were announced on the evening of 13 December, shortly before that deadline expired. Investigators had a 72-hour time limit to either charge him or let him go.
Prosecutor says previous arrest will not jeopardise case
Wayne County prosecutor Kym L Worthy pushed back against suggestions that the previous unsuccessful arrest could impact the ongoing criminal process, but did not answer why that person of interest, who has since been exonerated, was arrested in the first place,
“We have to investigate every avenue even though we may think that we have the right person in custody — we know that we do today — we have to investigate any and all suspects or persons of interest that may come forward,” Ms Worthy said. “We don’t want to leave any stone unturned. And that means we may have to look at other people, even if it’s believed at the time that they’re not the right one for this case.”
Officials say suspect did not know Samantha Woll, motive remains unclear
DPD has ruled out an antisemitic attack, previously saying that an Israel flag at Woll’s home was left untouched. A source had initially told CNN that the murder was thought to have arisen from a domestic dispute, but the source did not elaborate on what led them to that belief.
However, during the press conference on 13 December, authorities seemed to walk back from that characterisation, saying that they believed there were no connections between the suspect and Woll previous to the killing. Chief White declined questions from reporters on whether the killing had been circumstantial or targeted, and if Woll had tried to defend herself.
He also did not elaborate on earlier remarks that there were no signs of forced entry. Authorities had initially described the main crime scene as the sidewalk where Woll’s body was found, noting that it was believed she was attacked inside her home but a larger amount of blood was found outside.
WATCH: Samantha Woll murder suspect charged
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