Jury in Samantha Woll Murder Trial Deadlocked; Judge Orders Further Deliberations

After almost two full days of discussions, a jury in a Wayne County courtroom in Detroit has reported that they are split in making the decision to convict or acquit. The defendant, Michael Jackson-Bolanos, stands accused of the murder of Samantha Woll, the respected synagogue president, within her Lafayette Park home. Despite their deadlock, Wayne Circuit Judge Margaret Van Houten has instructed the jury to persist in their deliberations.

Defendant Accused of Four Charges

Held on the charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, home invasion, and lying to police, 29-year-old Jackson-Bolanos is alleged to be the perpetrator of Woll’s brutal murder. Woll was discovered outside her home in the early hours of October 21, bearing eight stab wounds to her head and neck. The prosecution’s case has heavily relied on GPS phone data and surveillance footage which placed Jackson-Bolanos within the proximity of Woll’s residence during the supposed time of the murder. Furthermore, traces of blood were discovered on his jacket and backpack through DNA testing.

Prosecution’s and Defense’s Views

Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Ryan Elsey urged the jury in his closing argument to hold Jackson-Bolanos accountable: “(Jackson-Bolanos) is the one who killed her. Make him answer for it.” Conversely, defense attorney Brian Brown contends that his client found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Brown posed the question during his closing argument of why there weren’t more blood evidence. “Why isn’t there blood everywhere? Why isn’t there blood all in front of him? …The reason is because he did not kill Samantha Woll.”

Arguments Made During Closing Statements

Elsey, during his closing argument, proposed that Jackson-Bolanos planned to rob Woll after noticing her door was open while he was scouting cars in her neighborhood. It was during this alleged robbery that Elsey suggests Woll was fatally stabbed. The only recorded activity through her living room’s motion detector after her phone fell silent at 1:35 a.m. was at 4:20 a.m. This brief activation, coinciding with the time Jackson-Bolanos admits to being near her townhouse, Elsey claimed: “This is a coincidence he cannot overcome.”

Jackson-Bolanos Maintains Innocence

Jackson-Bolanos, who decided to testify in his own defense, insists he did not kill Woll. He admitted to lying to police during two post-murder interrogations out of fear of being wrongfully accused. He swore under oath that he happened upon Woll’s body when he returned to retrieve a stolen bag. He explained, “Once I realized I just touched a dead person, I grabbed the bag and I left. … I’m a Black guy out in the middle of the night breaking into cars, and I found myself standing in front of a dead White woman. That doesn’t look good at all.” Later, police discovered Woll’s blood on a black jacket and backpack in Jackson-Bolanos’ girlfriend’s apartment, invisible to the naked eye.