Michigan prosecutors charge man with break-in, murder of prominent Detroit Jewish leader
In Michigan, prosecutors have officially filed charges against Michael Manuel Jackson-Bolanos, a 28-year-old man, in connection with the October murder of Samantha Woll, a prominent leader of a synagogue in Detroit. The charges include murder and breaking and entering, as announced by prosecutor Kym Worthy in a press conference held on Wednesday. The decision to press charges comes after Detroit police detained a “person of interest” over the weekend. Notably, a different individual had been considered a “person of interest” last month but was released without facing charges.
Samantha Woll, aged 40, was discovered dead outside her home, located east of downtown Detroit, on October 21. The tragic incident occurred shortly after her return from attending a wedding. Investigators suspect that the attack took place inside her residence, even though there were no apparent signs of forced entry. The discovery of her body was made by an anonymous caller who contacted emergency responders around 6:30 a.m. The early morning emergency dispatch, heard on the police scanner, described the death as suspicious and mentioned the presence of a trail of blood at the scene.
Samantha Woll held a position of high regard as the president of a synagogue and was actively involved in politics. She had previously worked for Democratic U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin and contributed to the political campaign of state Attorney General Dana Nessel. Prosecutor Worthy emphasized that there was no evidence to suggest a connection between Jackson-Bolanos and Woll or any indication that the motive behind the murder was rooted in antisemitism. Worthy acknowledged the complexity of the case, stating, “This was an extraordinarily sad and tragic case. This takes time. We never want to rush to judgment.”
As of now, it remains unclear whether Michael Manuel Jackson-Bolanos has secured legal representation to speak on his behalf in response to the charges filed against him.