Jury reaches not guilty verdict on first-degree murder charge in Samantha Woll case

In a mixed verdict that may land the defendant back on trial, a Wayne County jury has acquitted Michael Jackson-Bolanos of premeditated, first-degree murder for the death of Samantha Woll, the beloved synagogue leader and political activist whose fall 2023 stabbing death devastated the metro Detroit Jewish community and continues to torment her family.

The jury, however, deadlocked on the counts of felony murder and home invasion, but convicted 29-year-old Jackson-Bolanos of lying to police over his role in the death of Woll, who the prosecution argued was fatally stabbed in her Detroit home.

The lying-to-police charge is a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum sentence of two years.

Jackson-Bolanos' lawyer expressed frustration with the verdict.

"I think they should have acquitted him of everything," defense attorney Brian Brown said after the mixed verdicts were read, stressing the evidence supported an acquittal on the charges the jury was deadlocked on.

"It's somewhat of a small, partial victory — but it's not the victory that I was anticipating," Brown said.

More:Samantha Woll murder trial: Here are the 4 crimes the jury decided

Prosecutors have to decide by next week whether they will retry the case against Jackson-Bolanos on the two deadlocked counts. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for July 25.

“First, I want to thank the jury for their time, dedication, and attention to this case," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement following the verdict. "We were hopeful that a decision could be reached today, but we will press on for justice for the Wolls and will determine our next course of action at the pre-trial hearing.”

In a statement following the verdict, Woll's family said: "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. 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."

The family also said in its statement that the "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."

Jurors were escorted out of the courthouse by Wayne County sheriff's deputies after the verdict. The judge urged them not to talk to the media, noting the case may be retried on the two deadlocked counts. She did, however, tell them: "You are free to do what you want."

As the jurors exited the courtroom, the defendant turned around to look at them.

The jurors left without commenting. So did Woll's friends, who had looked on in suspense as the jury prepared to announce its decision. And that final decision came as an emotional blow.

With tissues at hand and lips pursed, some sighed as the verdicts were read. One person dropped their head into their hands and held onto the courtroom bench in front of them.

Since deliberations began last week, the jury three times told Wayne County Circuit Judge Margaret Van Houten that it was deadlocked on some of the counts. She sent them back into deliberations to try to reach a verdict, saying: "We don't want you to give up quite yet."

One of the jurors was dismissed on Monday due to a prescheduled vacation, so an alternate juror stepped in.

More:'I may have murdered my girlfriend': The story behind Samantha Woll's ex-boyfriend

The high-profile case has drawn national attention and much scrutiny. The defense has maintained that police arrested the wrong man and ignored other suspects, particularly Woll's ex-boyfriend. The prosecution argued Jackson-Bolanos was a thief, prowling in the night, who murdered Woll during a home invasion and fled to avoid getting caught. Her blood was later found on a jacket he had been wearing.

Jackson-Bolanos, who took the rare step of testifying in his own defense, told the jury that he was breaking into cars on the night he stumbled across Woll's body in front of her home, felt for a pulse and fled when he realized she was dead. He admitted to the jury that he initially lied to police when he said he never saw or touched her body, but that he only did so because he was afraid of being blamed for her death. He also said that he did not kill her.

The defense also accused the police of running a shoddy investigation and ignoring other potential suspects, primarily an ex-boyfriend who allegedly confessed during a panic attack to killing Woll, but then recanted. He was not charged and testified at trial under immunity.

The prosecution called Jackson-Bolanos a liar repeatedly, and urged the jury not to believe him, maintaining he killed Woll during a "crime of opportunity" and fled out of fear he'd be caught.

As for defense claims that police botched the investigation, ignored other potential suspects and handled Woll's ex-boyfriend with "kid gloves" — the prosecution said the ex-boyfriend never provided any details about her killing, that he convinced himself he had killed her under a state of delusion and that investigators found no evidence linking him to Woll's murder.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com