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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