On Thursday, a jury found Michael Jackson-Bolanos not guilty of first-degree murder in the case of Samantha Woll, a Detroit synagogue leader who died in October 2023. However, the jury was undecided on the charges of felony murder and home invasion. They did find him guilty of lying to the police.
A pretrial hearing will be held on July 25 to decide if new charges will be filed.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy thanked the jury for their efforts and said they would continue seeking justice for the Wolls. They will decide their next steps at the pretrial hearing.
The jury started discussing the case on July 9 after the closing arguments. By Friday, they were still unsure and were asked to keep deliberating on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday afternoon, the judge received a note saying they were still stuck, and an alternate juror replaced Juror No. 2 on Tuesday due to a vacation.
Jackson-Bolanos, 29, was charged with felony murder, first-degree murder, home invasion, and lying to the police after Woll was found stabbed outside her home. During the trial, he said he was checking cars for unlocked doors when he found Woll’s body. He touched her neck, saw she was dead, and then left without calling the police.
Jackson-Bolanos admitted he didn’t call the police because he was preoccupied with checking cars and wasn’t thinking clearly.
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Elsey criticized Jackson-Bolanos for lying and argued that his lies were linked to his motive for killing Woll. Elsey suggested that Jackson-Bolanos acted violently to avoid being caught.
Jackson-Bolanos’ defense lawyer, Brian Brown, argued that the evidence didn’t support the charges against him and suggested other possible suspects, including Jeffrey Herbstman, Woll’s ex-boyfriend. Herbstman had previously confessed on a 911 call that he might have killed Woll, but later said he was confused and delusional.