Samantha Woll was my friend. Her murder trial was a painful circus.
It has been a week since the verdict was announced in the trial of Michael Jackson-Bolanos for the brutal murder of my dear friend Samantha Woll. The jury deadlocked on Jackson-Bolanos’ felony murder and home invasion charges, found him not guilty of premeditated murder and guilty of lying to the police.
Despite my discomfort in attending her trial, I felt compelled to bear witness to Sam’s whole story. I came in open to hearing all the evidence, with the hope of making sense of her untimely death. I, along with her family and friends, sat through four and a half weeks of a trial filled with horrific, graphic images. I reluctantly learned about the minutiae of cell phone tower data, video extraction and the physics of blood spatter.
We who knew and loved her understood that there was no verdict that would bring our beloved Sam back. Personally, I knew that neither a conviction nor an acquittal would bring me any closure.
Sam was critical of the American criminal legal system; she understood its racist underpinnings and considered it to be fundamentally flawed. It has the power to punish but not to restore. It leaves no room for nuance, preventing us from seeing anyone involved in their full humanity, including victims, people on trial, witnesses and any participants in the court. It disproportionately impacts people of color, particularly Black people, here in Detroit. It creates illusions of safety and justice, while siphoning away resources from the solutions that would actually heal violence at its roots.
Knowing all of this, I expected that the trial would be a painful circus. What I didn’t expect, however, was the way that the mental health struggles of Sam’s ex-boyfriend, Jeff Herbstman, would be weaponized by the defense and became a focal point of the media.
Like so many relationships, Sam and Jeff ultimately did not work out. There was nothing spectacular about their break-up — just two people who, despite caring deeply for one another, were not a great fit. Through all of their ups and downs, in our conversations, Sam never questioned Jeff’s character.
She cared deeply for him. I, too, have known Jeff for several years, and consider him a good friend. I never saw him demonstrate — nor did she ever describe — any aggressive or violent behavior towards Sam nor in any aspect of his life.
Jury reaches not guilty verdicton first-degree murder charge in Samantha Woll case
Like many millions of Americans, Jeff also struggles with mental health issues. Understandably, he experienced a downward spiral of grief after Sam’s murder. Two weeks after her death, he made a distraught call to 911 seeking medical attention. The desperation in his voice was palpable: "I'm having a panic attack. I'm convinced that I may have murdered my girlfriend and I don't remember it.”
His call was played for the court and the world to hear. The day of Jeff’s panic attack was the same day he followed instructions by his psychiatrist to double the dose of a new medication he was prescribed. Auvelity is a single pill consisting of two highly potent activating medications: Bupropion and Dextromethorphan.
As a physician, I know that panic attacks and delusions are well-known adverse effects of this medication. Jeff was temporarily held by police; but after searching his car, home and phone, they found no evidence connecting him to Sam’s murder, and Jeff was fully cleared by police.
Samantha Woll murder trial:Here are the 4 crimes the jury decided
It was painful to watch the defense use his false confession, and his mental illness that prompted it, to sow reasonable doubt in the minds of jury members. This approach only creates additional needless suffering. I believe Sam would have been disgusted by the media intrigue and speculation centered on Jeff.
As one of Sam’s close friends, this moment compels me to stand up on behalf of her values. Sam had an unwavering commitment to social justice. She worked tirelessly to bridge communities with the values of kindness and generosity — values that she embodied with every fiber of her being.
Jeff is an upright, kind, and gentle human being who has endured profound suffering in the aftermath of Sam’s murder. There is no justice when a mental health breakdown is manipulated as proof of guilt. The Sam I knew would not have wanted any of this done in her name. She would have encouraged us to use this tragic and horrific moment as an opportunity to reimagine a system that prioritizes healing and transformation, and does not perpetuate further harm.
Shira Heisler is a physician in Detroit. She has been dear friends with Sam Woll for 20 years. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters and we may publish it online and in print.
