A Michigan jury on Friday acquitted 29-year-old Michael Jackson-Bolanos accused of murdering Samantha Woll, 40, the president of a Detroit synagogue who was stabbed to death in her home last October.
Jackson-Bolanos, who was arrested about two weeks after the murder, was convicted of lying to the police over 40 times during his interrogation, a criminal offense with a maximum penalty of two years in prison. The police are now left without any leads in the investigation.
The high-profile murder attracted attention across the U.S. and drew considerable criticism. The defense argued the police arrested the wrong person and ignored other suspects, particularly Woll's ex-partner. The prosecution, on the other hand, claimed Jackson-Bolanos was a burglar who killed Woll during a break-in and fled to avoid arrest. Her blood was later found on a jacket he was wearing.
Jackson-Bolanos told the jury he was breaking into cars on the night he encountered Woll's body outside her home. He claimed he checked her pulse and fled when he realized she was dead. He admitted he initially lied to the police when he said he never saw or touched the body but claimed he did so out of fear of being framed for her murder.
The defense also accused the police of holding a flawed investigation and ignoring other potential suspects, mainly Woll's ex-partner, Jeffrey Herbstman, 41, a Detroit resident who called the police after her death and said, "I may have murdered my girlfriend."
He later retracted his statement, saying he had taken new antidepressants and suffered from hallucinations and a panic attack. He wasn’t charged and testified at the trial under immunity.
The prosecution repeatedly called Jackson-Bolanos a liar and urged the jury not to believe him, arguing he killed Woll during a "random crime" and fled out of fear of being caught.
Regarding the defense's claims that the police botched the investigation, ignored other potential suspects, and handled Woll's ex-partner with "silk gloves," the prosecution said Herbstman didn’t provide details about the murder and investigators found no evidence linking him to the crime.
" 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," Woll's family said. " 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.”
Woll, who had led Detroit’s Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue since 2022, was stabbed to death in her home. Local police said that after being stabbed, she went outside her home —where she succumbed to her injuries. Her body, bearing multiple stab wounds, was found near a trail of blood leading to her home.
The Wayne County jury acquitted Jackson-Bolanos of first-degree murder and failed to reach a consensus on the charge of home invasion but convicted him of lying to the police for initially claiming he never saw or touched the body.
His attorney expressed frustration with the verdict, saying, " I think they should have acquitted him of everything." The prosecution must decide whether to appeal the decision by next week.