Apparent stranger charged with murder of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll during break-in

A 28-year-old man was charged with the murder of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll Wednesday after he allegedly broke into her house two months ago, prosecutors said.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos was charged in the stabbing death of Woll after a person of interest was taken into custody Sunday, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy said during a press conference Wednesday.

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Jackson-Bolanos, of Detroit, was an apparent stranger to Woll, 40, Worthy said, adding there were “certainly no facts to suggest” it was a hate crime against the Jewish leader.

Instead, the fatal stabbing happened during a break-in, Worthy said. Woll’s front door “was ajar and unlocked, and a significant amount of blood was inside,” the prosecutor said according to the Detroit Free Press.

The suspect allegedly lied to detectives about the theft and attempted theft of cars the same day Woll was found dead outside her home on Oct. 21.

On top of the murder charge, Jackson-Bolanos was also charged with home invasion and lying to a police officer.

“This was an extraordinarily sad and tragic case,” Worthy said.

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Woll served as board president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue. She had returned from a wedding before the slaying.

Another person was taken into custody in November in connection to the homicide probe but was later released without being charged.

Woll was killed as the US has faced a wave of antisemitism following the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but authorities have stressed throughout the probe the stabbing did not appear to be motivated by bias.

“This is something that’s been ongoing since October the 21st,” Worthy said, noting that “investigations don’t usually happen in the 44-minute legal procedural-type TV shows. They take time, they take attention, they take energy, they take passion, they take experience.”

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Police became aware of Jackson-Bolanos over the past few weeks and continued to monitor him ahead of his arrest, Detroit Police Chief James White said.

His lawyer, Brian Brown, said he believes “it’s pretty significant” that cops arrested another person before zeroing in on his client, the Free Press reported.

“Truthfully, I think it was a lot of publicity this case was receiving, a lot of pressure on the Detroit Police Department to hopefully come up with somebody and my client maintains his innocence — and I think he was just a victim of circumstance and not an individual who perpetrated this crime,” Brown said.

A not-guilty plea was entered during his arraignment before he was returned to jail without bond.

Woll’s loved ones said through a lawyer that they “firmly believe” cops have “successfully solved this senseless crime,” the newspaper reported.

“We would also like to thank everyone for their support and prayers. Samantha’s death is an unspeakable tragedy that has affected not only her family and friends, but also those who knew her as a devoted, community activist, leader and bridge builder,” they said. 

“She was loved deeply and her light spread far and wide.”

With Post wires