MI - Samantha Woll, a Detroit synagogue president, fatally stabbed *Arrest*

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The second link:

The jury began this day as a “new jury,” and the jurors have been instructed by the court to start their deliberations all over again from the start.

That means anything juror No. 3 brought to the room -- her comments, her vote, her view of the evidence -- must be tossed out by the jurors, and they will start all over again with the new juror.
 


There's an afternoon update in the first link, they're still deadlocked and returning Thursday:

The Wayne County jury deciding the fate of a man accused of killing Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll ended its fourth day of deliberations on Tuesday still deadlocked, and will come back for one more day before the judge will accept the hung jury and declare a mistrial.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Van Houten said the jury sent her a note saying they were in the same place as previously — deadlocked — but that they “have had some movement throughout the day.” The jury's note was the first time the group has indicated forward progress toward a verdict.
....
When Van Houten asked if another day of deliberations could lead to more movement toward a verdict, some jurors nodded, but others shook their heads.

The jury will return Thursday for their last day of deliberations. One juror has a child care issue Wednesday and cannot be there, so Van Houten said they will skip Wednesday and resume deliberations Thursday, where hopefully jurors can make more progress or come to a unanimous decision on the verdict.

“If not, then we’ll accept the deadlock,” Van Houten said. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I know it’s going above and beyond and we appreciate your service.”
 
Detroit — Jurors have begun deliberating in their fifth and likely final day in the murder trial against a man accused of killing Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll, after telling a Wayne County judge three days in a row that they were deadlocked.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Van Houten has told the jury to continue deliberating to try to reach a verdict. On Tuesday, she asked jurors to return Thursday for another day of deliberations to see if they could make any movement toward a verdict. When she asked jurors if they felt like another day would help, some nodded but others shook their heads.

“If not, then we’ll accept the deadlock,” Van Houten said. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I know it’s going above and beyond, and we appreciate your service.”...
 
Jurors have been deadlocked in the trial, which included stunning testimony from an ex-boyfriend of Woll’s. Jeffrey Herbstman initially told police he “may have murdered my girlfriend” – but later testified he had nothing to do with Woll’s death.

Michigan circuit court Judge Margaret Van Houten said the court would accept the deadlock if no verdict was reached Thursday, CNN affiliate WXYZ reported.
 
DETROIT – Thursday is likely the last day of the Samantha Woll murder trial, whether the jury can come to an agreement or not.

Shawn Ley here from courtroom 504 at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Downtown Detroit.

The jury in the murder trial of Michael Jackson-Bolanos, accused of stabbing Woll to death, began its fifth day of deliberations at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Today is likely the last day of this trial. The jury has signaled to Judge Margaret Van Houten that they remain deadlocked on whether Jackson-Bolanos is guilty of felony murder, first-degree murder, home invasion, and lying to police.

They’re deadlocked even after an alternate juror joined deliberations Tuesday, taking the place of Juror No. 3, who had a pre-planned vacation...
 
DETROIT – The judge may declare a mistrial if jurors are unable to reach a verdict in the Samantha Woll murder case.

Deliberations resumed Thursday morning in the murder trial for the man accused of killing Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll. Jackson-Bolanos was charged in December with felony murder, home invasion, lying to the police, and later first-degree murder.

On Tuesday, the judge said the jurors would go in on Thursday for more deliberations and if they could not reach a verdict that then the court would accept the deadlock...

What is a deadlocked jury?​

A deadlocked jury, also known as a hung jury, is a jury that is unable to reach a verdict. When a verdict cannot be reached this will result in a mistrial.

Double jeopardy does not apply to cases where a mistrial is declared due to a hung jury. This means it will be up to the prosecutor’s office to decide if they take the case to trial again or drop it...
 

What is a deadlocked jury?​

A deadlocked jury, also known as a hung jury, is a jury that is unable to reach a verdict. When a verdict cannot be reached this will result in a mistrial.

Double jeopardy does not apply to cases where a mistrial is declared due to a hung jury. This means it will be up to the prosecutor’s office to decide if they take the case to trial again or drop it.

Oh well...

This has been the first trial I followed on WS
with me having doubts concerning the guilt of the defendant :oops:

And it seems
the same can be said about some Jurors.

Hmmm...
 
It's been decided, hung jury except for convicted on the lying and acquited on first degree. Too bad, hope they retry it.


A Detroit man has been acquitted of first-degree murder for the death of Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll, but the jury was deadlocked on the charge of felony murder and home invasion.

The jury, which did find Michael Jackson-Bolanos guilty of lying to police, deliberated for nearly 23 hours and said they were deadlocked three times before reaching a partial verdict.
 
The lying to the police charge does have up to 2 years penalty, so hopefully he gets that and is in prison while they prepare a retrial. moo


If the crime being investigated is a felony punishable by imprisonment for 4 years or more, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 2 years or a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or both.
 
The lying to the police charge does have up to 2 years penalty, so hopefully he gets that and is in prison while they prepare a retrial. moo


If the crime being investigated is a felony punishable by imprisonment for 4 years or more, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 2 years or a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or both.

Strange verdict
 
"Jackson-Bolanos
was acquitted of first-degree murder
but convicted of lying to police.

The jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict on felony murder,
which under Michigan law is murder committed during another crime,
and home invasion.

The mixed results
mean Jackson-Bolanos could face another trial.


'It’s somewhat of a small, partial victory,
but it’s not the victory I was anticipating',
defense attorney Brian Brown said.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy pledged to
'press on for justice'
for Woll’s family.

She said next steps would be disclosed at
a July 25 hearing."


"In a case
that pits one mans story against another's,
here is how police and prosecutors
built their case
against one man,
and allowed another one to go."


 
Last edited:
...Friends of Woll, the former president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in downtown Detroit, declined to comment after the verdict. Woll's family, who attended every day of testimony during the trial, was not in court to hear the verdict, but their attorney, Brian Legghio, said in a family statement that they were stunned and deeply saddened by the outcome.

"... There is overwhelming evidence that Michael Jackson-Bolanos took our beloved Samantha’s life," the Woll family said in the statement. "Samantha spent much of her life working toward justice, and it pains us that justice for Samantha has not yet been served. We will not rest in our pursuit of justice on her behalf. ... This senseless tragedy leaves us with holes in our hearts that will never heal. But Samantha believed in a world of kindness and peace. We hope that as a society, we can continue to strive for good in Samantha’s honor."...
 
DETROIT — A jury on Thursday acquitted a man of first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of a Detroit synagogue leader but couldn’t reach a verdict on a separate murder charge, setting up a possible retrial in the highly publicized case.

Deliberations lasted five days and began anew this week when a juror was excused and an alternate was promoted.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos was accused of fatally stabbing Samantha Woll at her home last October. He testified in his own defense, insisting that he had no role but acknowledging that he touched the body when he discovered it outdoors in the middle of the night.

Woll’s death immediately raised speculation about whether it was some type of antisemitic retaliation amid the Israel-Hamas war, though police found no connection...
 
An online petition calling on authorities to release a man acquitted in the murder of Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll has been launched.

Attorney Purna Krishnamoorthy started the petition Monday to free Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 29, from Wayne County Jail on Change.org. As of Wednesday, 525 people had signed it, according to the website.

Attorney Brian Brown represented Jackson-Bolanos in the trial.

"Michael Jackson Bolanos has been wrongfully accused of and arrested for the murder of the prominent Jewish president of the Downtown Detroit Synagogue, Samantha Woll," the petition said.

"Currently, the Wayne County Prosecutor's office is weighing their options as far as whether or not to retry Mr. Jackson Bolanos on the deadlocked counts, 1 & 3," it said. "The Wayne County Prosecutor's office failed to meet their burden of proof in the trial against Mr. Jackson Bolanos.

"We ask that you help us demand the prosecutor's office to dismiss the remaining charges against Mr. Jackson Bolanos and call for his immediate release from incarceration."...
 
"Jackson-Bolanos
was acquitted of first-degree murder
but convicted of lying to police.

The jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict on felony murder,
which under Michigan law is murder committed during another crime,
and home invasion.

The mixed results
mean Jackson-Bolanos could face another trial.


'It’s somewhat of a small, partial victory,
but it’s not the victory I was anticipating',
defense attorney Brian Brown said.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy pledged to
'press on for justice'
for Woll’s family.

She said next steps would be disclosed at
a July 25 hearing."


"In a case
that pits one mans story against another's,
here is how police and prosecutors
built their case
against one man,
and allowed another one to go."


If I had been on that jury, the Defendant's story about checking the deceased's pulse is such a blatant lie, that would be enough for me to know #1 that he lied and #2 that he is guilty- Admittedly the ex boyfriend's alleged false confession does cause one to pause, but the prosecution checked him out and could find nothing to tie him to the crime.
 


A Wayne County judge on Friday dismissed felony murder and home invasion charges against a man accused of killing Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll, noting she was bound by a U.S. Supreme Court decision that she disagreed with.

A jury deadlocked last month when determining if Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 29, was responsible for killing Woll in her Detroit townhouse Oct. 21, leaving her with eight stab wounds to the head and neck. They could not come to a unanimous decision on felony murder and home invasion charges but acquitted him of first-degree murder.

Wayne Circuit Court Judge Margaret Van Houten sentenced Jackson-Bolanos to 18 months to 15 years in prison for the one charge for which he was convicted — lying to police.
 
Last edited:

A Wayne County Circuit Court judge on Friday dropped the remaining murder charge against the suspect in the killing of prominent Detroit Jewish leader and political activist Samantha Woll, but sentenced him to 18 months to 15 years in prison for a lying to police.

It's the latest development in the high-profile case that has people split on whether or not Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 29, is the killer.

Judge Margaret Van Houten said she dismissed the felony murder charge because of case precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court in their ruling on Yeager v. United States in 2009, which generally says that in instances of a hung jury, a person can't be retried on deadlocked charges that share the same element as the underlying charge — in this case, since a jury found Jackson-Bolanos not guilty of first-degree murder, they can't retry him on the felony murder charge.
 

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