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Michael Jackson-Bolanos in court
In July 2024, a Wayne County Circuit Court jury found defendant Michael Jackson-Bolanos not guilty of first-degree premeditated murder in the fatal stabbing of Samantha Woll, president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit.
The jury deadlocked on charges of felony murder and home invasion and convicted him on a charge of concealing facts or misleading police, which resulted in a prison sentence of 18 months to 15 years.
Now, after serving time for lying, Jackson-Bolanos, 31, is scheduled to be paroled July 1 from the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Currently, it's unclear what happens next in the case with Jackson-Bolanos since it's on appeal.
Samantha Woll
In August 2024, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Van Houten tossed the two deadlocked charges of felony murder and home invasion, saying the factual allegations were very similar to the counts Jackson-Bolanos was acquitted of. Therefore, the law required her to throw out the charges.
The prosecution argued that it should be able to retry Jackson-Bolanos on the deadlocked counts of felony murder and first-degree home invasion. Last October, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against the prosecutor's office, which is now awaiting a decision on its appeal before the Michigan Supreme Court.
On Thursday, Maria Miller, a spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, simply said: "The appeal is still pending." Woll's family declined to comment to Deadline Detroit.
Jackson-Bolanos's attorney Brian Brown, had insisted all along that his client was innocent of the slaying and criticized investigators for what he says was not a thorough enough job of clearing other possible suspects. He argued successfully before the Wayne County Circuit judge and the Court of Appeals that retrying his client on the deadlocked counts amounted to double jeopardy.
On Thursday, he told Deadline Detroit:
"I think the Court of Appeals got it right. I think the trial court got it right when they dismissed the case, and hopefully the Supreme Court will follow the law."
He said his client is looking forward to "opening up another chapter" and bettering his life after being released from prison.
On Oct. 21, 2023, Woll was found stabbed multiple times outside her townhome in Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood. Initially, some in the community feared it was a backlash to the Israeli-Hamas war that began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Later, Jackson-Bolanos was charged.
Prosecutors theorized that Jackson-Bolanos entered Woll's unlocked home to rob it at 4:20 a.m. on Oct. 21, but was surprised when he saw her. So, prosecutors say, he killed her to make sure she couldn't identify him.
Jackson-Bolanos testified in court that he was in the area looking for unlocked cars to break into when he stumbled upon her body and checked for signs of life, which explained why he had Woll's blood on his coat and backpack.
After the trial, Woll's family, through attorney Brian Legghio, issued a statement to the Detroit News:
"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. ... 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."
