A Michigan jury on Thursday found Michael Jackson-Bolanos not guilty of first-degree murder in the 2023 fatal stabbing of Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll.
The jury found Jackson-Bolanos guilty of lying to police and deadlocked on charges of manslaughter, murder committed during another crime and home invasion.
The suspect could be tried again on the stalled charges and a pretrial hearing has been scheduled for next Thursday, FOX 2 reported.
“I guess they felt there was no premeditation in regards to the murder, but they didn't agree on whether there was a felony, which includes first-degree home invasion,” Jackson-Bolanos' attorney, Brian Brown, told FOX 2.
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A Michigan jury on Thursday found Michael Jackson-Bolanos not guilty of first-degree murder in the 2023 fatal stabbing of Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll. (FOX 2)
He added that “the truth will come out. The truth will set him free.”
Brown said he was “frustrated” but “optimistic” for his client.
The jury revealed Thursday that it was deadlocked on the two counts after deliberations began July 9, during which one juror was released and an alternate was brought in.
On Tuesday, jurors said they were deadlocked on the charges, but the judge asked them to continue deliberating until Thursday, saying she would declare a mistrial if they were still deadlocked at that point.
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Samantha Woll was stabbed to death in her Detroit home last October. (FOX 2)
Jackson-Bolanos was accused of stabbing Woll to death at her home last October.
Prosecutors said the woman's blood was found on his jacket. Testifying in his own defense, Jackson-Bolanos said he had been breaking into cars that night and had touched the woman's body after finding it outside, but that he had nothing to do with the killing.
He admitted to lying to police when they questioned him about the murder and testified that he did not report finding the body because he was committing a crime at the time.
Woll was stabbed inside her home but managed to crawl out, where she died.
Testifying in his own defense, Jackson-Bolanos said he had been breaking into cars that night and touched her body after finding it outside, but that he had nothing to do with the killing. (Sarah Rice/AFP via Getty Images)
“I said I did touch the body,” he testified, according to FOX 2. “I was telling the truth. I'm here today, swearing and affirming that I'm telling the truth. I may have lied in the past, but today I'm telling the truth; last week, I told the truth.”
Her defense has speculated about Woll's ex-boyfriend, who called police a few weeks after the murder to say he believed he had killed her but later recanted, saying he was under the influence of drugs at the time and testified for the prosecution with immunity. Police found no link between her ex and the murder.
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“The allegations that have been made against Jeff Herbstman are baseless,” Assistant District Attorney Ryan Elsey said, referring to Woll's ex, according to FOX 2. “We are charging the defendant with murder and we back that up with serious evidence.”
