A Michigan jury on Thursday found the man accused of killing beloved Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll not guilty of premeditated murder but deadlocked on counts of felony murder and home invasion.
The jury also convicted 29-year-old Michael Jackson-Bolanos of lying to police about his role in Woll’s death last year in her Detroit home, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Prosecutors now have until next week to decide if they will retry Jackson-Bolanos on the two deadlocked counts. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for July 25.
Woll, the 40 year old president of Detroit’s Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, was found dead outside her home on October 21, as CrimeOnline reported. Investigators say she was stabbed inside the house and staggered outside, where she collapsed.
Police briefly detained an ex-boyfriend, Jeff Herbstman, who called police on November 7 saying he “may have murdered” Woll. He testified during the trial that he confessed to killing her and then retracted his confession.
A month later, police arrested Jackson-Bolanos, who was already a suspect in several larcenies in the area.
For his part, Jackson-Bolanos testified that he had been breaking into cars and stumbled upon Woll’s body. He said he checked for a pulse and then fled.
Woll’s family said in a statement after the verdict that they were “stunned and deeply saddened by the outcome of this trial.”
“Samantha spent much of her life working toward justice, and it pains us that justice for Samantha has not yet been served,” they said. “We will not rest in our pursuit of justice on her behalf.”
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement after they verdict that her office would “press on for justice for the Wolls and will determine our next course of action at the pre-trial hearing.”
Jackson-Bolanos’s attorney was also disappointed in the mixed verdict but considered it “a small, partial victory.”
“I think they should have acquitted him of everything,” defense attorney Brian Brown said.
The jury began deliberations last week and three times reported to Wayne County Circuit Judge Margaret Van Houten that they were deadlocked on some of the counts.
