Jury finds Michael Jackson-Bolanos not guilty of first-degree murder in Samantha Woll's death, but deadlocks on other charges
(CBS DETROIT) – A jury Thursday acquitted Michael Jackson-Bolanos of first-degree murder in the October 2023 death of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll, but was deadlocked on charges of felony murder and home invasion. It reached a guilty verdict on a charge of lying to police.
A pretrial hearing to determine if charges are brought again is scheduled for July 25.
"First, I want to thank the jury for their time, dedication, and attention to this case. We were hopeful that a decision could reached today, but we will press on for justice for the Wolls and will determine our next course of action at the pre-trial hearing," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in a statement.
The jury began deliberations on July 9 following closing arguments. On Friday, the jury said it was deadlocked, and Wayne County Circuit Judge Margaret Van Houten asked them to continue deliberating on Monday and Tuesday.
After 3 p.m. Monday, Van Houten got a note from jurors that said they were still deadlocked. In addition, Juror No. 2 was replaced with an alternate on Tuesday because of a previously planned vacation.
Jackson-Bolanos, 29, had been charged with felony murder, first-degree murder, home invasion and lying to law enforcement in connection to Woll's death, who was found fatally stabbed outside her home in Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood in October 2023.
Woll's family issued the following statement after Thursday's hearing:
"We are stunned and deeply saddened by the outcome of this trial, as there is overwhelming evidence that Michael Jackson-Bolanos took our beloved Samantha's life. Samantha spent much of her life working toward justice, and it pains us that justice for Samantha has not yet been served. We will not rest in our pursuit of justice on her behalf.
"We remain extremely grateful to all of the law enforcement agencies and officers who worked tirelessly to collect and analyze the voluminous evidence in this case. We also express our deepest gratitude to the Wayne county Prosecutor's Office, especially Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Ryan Elsey and Dominic Degrazia, who handled this case with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity. Although we are displeased by the outcome, we thank the jurors for their service.
"This senseless tragedy leaves us with holes in our hearts that will never heal. But Samantha believed in a world of kindness and peace. We hope that as a society, we can continue to strive for good in Samantha's honor."
During the trial, he testified that, on the night of her death, he was walking around checking to see if cars were unlocked. While doing this, he came across Woll's body on the ground. He said he touched her neck to see if she was OK, and when he realized that she was dead, he left the area.
Jackson-Bolanos acknowledged that he didn't call the police after seeing her body, testifying that "my first reaction was to reach for my phone, but I had to consider where I was and what I was doing at the time," referring to how he was going into cars.
During closing arguments, Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Elsey honed in on Jackson-Bolanos' tendency to lie.
"Once he's (Jackson-Bolanos) caught, he has nothing but lies to offer. Nothing but lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie. But now that it's trial, he's got everything on the line. Ignore the other 50 times he lied, but believe him now. Don't believe him," Elsey said to the jury. "This is the common sense case for a conviction right here."
Elsey argued that the defendant's motive to lie was the same motive that he had to kill Woll. He discussed how Jackson-Bolanos made the decisions he did because he said he would "go down for a long time" if he was caught.
"And so what's the calculus once he's inside that house; doesn't expect to find somebody in that living room," Elsey said. "Snap decisions made to unleash an outburst of violence because he doesn't want anybody to ever be able to say that's him inside a place he has no right to be in. He doesn't want to go down for that. The same motive he had to lie is the same motive he had to kill her."
Jackson-Bolanos' defense attorney, Brian Brown, told jurors that "I can look at the evidence. I can use my common sense and come to the conclusion I know for a fact that Mr. Michael Jackson-Bolanos has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with the death of Samantha Woll."
Brown claimed that there were other suspects in Woll's murder, arguing that the prosecution used some of its case to defend Jeffrey Herbstman, Woll's ex-boyfriend.
During a 911 call in the weeks following her death, Herbstman confessed that he thought he had killed Woll, but said he couldn't remember, and later claimed he had been suffering from delusions.