DECEMBER 21 • 2023 | 23
J
N
A
Detroit man has been
charged in the killing
of local Jewish lay
leader Samantha Woll, Wayne
County Prosecutor Kim
Worthy announced in a Dec.
13 press conference.
Michael Manuel Jackson-
Bolanos, 28, has been charged
with felony murder.
Officials said the killing is
believed to have occurred during
a home invasion, and there was
no evidence to suggest Woll and
the suspect knew each other.
Police noted Jackson-Bolanos
was a person of interest connect-
ed to several burglaries in the
area of Woll’s home. The suspect
will also be charged with home
invasion and lying to a peace
officer.
Authorities reiterated there is
no evidence to suggest this was a
hate crime.
Police made a different arrest
in connection to the Woll case in
November, but that suspect was
released. Worthy confirmed that
person was not Jackson-Bolanos.
Woll was found stabbed to
death on the morning of Oct.
21 outside her home in Detroit’s
Lafayette Park neighborhood.
The charges come after an
investigation involving local,
state and federal officials in a
case that made national head-
lines and sent shockwaves
through Metro Detroit’s Jewish
community.
Officials noted they contacted
the Woll family prior to the press
conference and would be meet-
ing with the family.
“My thoughts are with the
family of Samantha Woll, and
her friends and her loved ones,
”
Detroit Police Chief James White
said at the press conference. “She
continues to be missed by many
in our community, our city, our
state, and I’ve heard from people
around the country, to be can-
did.
”
Prosecutor Worthy noted
there was an “incredible” amount
of work done in the investigation
phase of the case. Chief White
added that this is one of the most
complex cases he’s been involved
in.
Officials said further details
would be revealed during the
trial.
Woll served as president of
the Isaac Agree Downtown
Synagogue (IADS), a revital-
ized congregation in the heart
of Detroit, and helped lead its
fundraising campaign and recent
grand reopening.
She was heavily involved in
local, state and national poli-
tics, serving on the campaigns
of Michigan Attorney General
Dana Nessel, U.S. Rep. Elissa
Slotkin and State Sen. Stephanie
Chang.
Woll was a powerful interfaith
bridge-builder and was engaged
with the Muslim and Hindu
communities in that space. She
was also deeply devoted to inter-
communal bridge-building with
the Asian American and African
American communities.
Detroit Man Is
Charged in Murder
of Samantha Woll
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
Samantha Woll
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