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

[Cedars]

Was he already inside when she got home?

I don't think police believe that, his cellphone data shows him as being at his girlfriends apartment earlier that night.

"FBI Special Agent Bryan Toltzis...placed the suspect in the area of the crime scene between 3:50 a.m. and 4:20 a.m."

Investigators testify to cellphone, motion sensor data in Samantha Woll homicide hearing

Cellphone data, surveillance footage and Samantha Woll’s blood all link Michael Jackson-Bolanos to the slaying, investigators testified Tuesday.

www.freep.com

 

[Cedars]

trying to understand this- she comes home at 12:31- she (?) is in the living room at 12:32. Why does it take until 1:01 am to detect the door is open? Does that mean he opened it? Would it auto lock or signal when she entered and left it open? No motion detection then until 4:20... so he was not in the living room? Was he elsewhere and then attacked her as he was leaving? Did he not find anything to take? Did he leave at 1:01 and she was staggering out at 4:20? Was he in the apartment and hiding when she came home?

DBM

 

[PalmerPark]

The word 'open' is ambiguous - does it mean 'unlocked'?, ie she went to the door and unlocked it from the inside?

According to the testimony yesterday, the door was apparently left ajar (no matter how slightly), not just unlocked

 

[Cedars]

According to the testimony yesterday, the door was apparently left ajar (no matter how slightly), not just unlocked

Thanks - so then exactly 30 minutes after she'd come in without completely shutting/locking it, the system sent an alert to her phone.

 

[MrsWatson]

I wonder, if after spending the evening at a wedding reception and having gotten a ride home, if Samantha wasn't a bit tipsy and that's why the door was ajar and she was asleep on the couch?

Not saying that in a blaming sort of way, just thinking that could explain her location and the door. Since she had an alarm system including a motion detector, I would imagine she felt quite safe.

 

[Cedars]

From the same article in my last post—Brown is the defense attorney for the accused, and I am wondering if the failure to “cross check” the latent prints on the spare key against Woll’s prints is a problem. Also, I’m perplexed by the implication that the autopsy on SW was conducted so fast that there wasn’t time to collect SW’s fingerprints…? I would imagine that SW probably had her fingerprints taken at some point in her life (for her work in politics or in her role as the leader of the synagogue)—couldn’t those be used to do this cross check?
“Brown also zeroed in on a spare key found at the scene, but the latent prints on the key were not cross checked with Woll’s prints because, Stockmeyer said, “the autopsy was conducted very quickly.” Woll was buried one day after her body was found, in accordance with Jewish tradition.”

I think defence is mainly trying to create doubt about the competence of the investigators, in order to cast shade on all their evidence.

I think maybe 'no finger prints available' is a quick excuse to just dismiss the issue, rather than laboriously explain all the details of how the investigation proceeded. IMO they focussed on someone walking in the open door, not someone with a key (based on evidence from the security system).

JMO

 

[PalmerPark]

I wonder, if after spending the evening at a wedding reception and having gotten a ride home, if Samantha wasn't a bit tipsy and that's why the door was ajar and she was asleep on the couch?

Not saying that in a blaming sort of way, just thinking that could explain her location and the door. Since she had an alarm system including a motion detector, I would imagine she felt quite safe.

That seems very plausible . . . and it also doesn't really make a bit of difference as far as these criminal proceedings are concerned.

 

[PalmerPark]

Thanks - so then exactly 30 minutes after she'd come in without completely shutting/locking it, the system sent an alert to her phone.

I'm not sure whether an alert was necessarily sent to her phone...just that ADT's records show a notation at that time that the door was left open.

 

[Cedars]

I'm not sure whether an alert was necessarily sent to her phone...just that ADT's records show a notation at that time that the door was left open.

I was referring to the news account:

"At 1:01 a.m., it [security system] showed the front door was left open, and that a corresponding alert was sent to Woll’s phone."

Investigators testify to cellphone, motion sensor data in Samantha Woll homicide hearing

Cellphone data, surveillance footage and Samantha Woll’s blood all link Michael Jackson-Bolanos to the slaying, investigators testified Tuesday.

www.freep.com

That ties into the idea that the system was set up to alert her after 30 mins of door being opened at 12:31 - not that the door was opened at 1:01.

JMO

 

[Dotta]

"Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll ​

was stabbed EIGHT times in the face and neck ​

as she slept in her living room after a wedding - ​

as new evidence suggests murder suspect's coat was stained with her blood."​

Detroit synagogue leader was stabbed EIGHT times in the face and neck

Prosecutors said suspect Michael Jackson-Bolanos allegedly stabbed Jewish leader Samantha Woll eight times in the face and neck on the night of her murder.

www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

Why would a burglar kill her IF she was sleeping?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Samantha Woll murder: Prosecutors begin laying out timeline of attack

Prosecutors on Tuesday began laying out the timeline related to the fatal attack of Samantha Woll, a well-known Detroit synagogue president, during a preliminary hearing for the man accused in her death.

www.clickondetroit.com

DETROIT – Prosecutors on Tuesday began laying out the timeline related to the fatal attack of Samantha Woll, a well-known Detroit synagogue president, during a preliminary hearing for the man accused in her death.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, has been charged with murder, among other crimes, in connection with the Oct. 21, 2023, stabbing death of Woll at her Detroit home. Officials say Woll was attacked inside her Lafayette Park home in Detroit after returning home from a wedding in the early morning hours.

After weeks of investigating, Jackson-Bolanos was charged in December 2023 with felony murder. Authorities accuse the man of killing Woll during a home invasion, and say they do not believe the two knew each other.

Jackson-Bolanos pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His preliminary hearing -- during which prosecutors will lay out evidence, much like a trial -- began on Tuesday, Jan. 16. The hearing did not conclude, and will resume on Jan. 23 -- but the prosecution’s witnesses did offer new details related to cellphone data, Woll’s security system, and Jackson-Bolanos’ alleged ties to the fatal stabbing...

 

[Megnut]

"Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll ​

was stabbed EIGHT times in the face and neck ​

as she slept in her living room after a wedding - ​

as new evidence suggests murder suspect's coat was stained with her blood."​

Detroit synagogue leader was stabbed EIGHT times in the face and neck

Prosecutors said suspect Michael Jackson-Bolanos allegedly stabbed Jewish leader Samantha Woll eight times in the face and neck on the night of her murder.

www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

Why would a burglar kill her IF she was sleeping?

Guessing she didn't remain sleeping. Perhaps an opportunistic attempted SA...

So violent.

May he never see freedom again.

JMO

 

[iamshadow21]

"Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll ​

was stabbed EIGHT times in the face and neck ​

as she slept in her living room after a wedding - ​

as new evidence suggests murder suspect's coat was stained with her blood."​

Detroit synagogue leader was stabbed EIGHT times in the face and neck

Prosecutors said suspect Michael Jackson-Bolanos allegedly stabbed Jewish leader Samantha Woll eight times in the face and neck on the night of her murder.

www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

Why would a burglar kill her IF she was sleeping?

He may have just wanted to kill somebody. Some offenders do. The Idaho college victims, at least some of them, were sleeping, too. Extreme violence isn't always a sign the victim was awake or struggling. Sometimes it just is all about what the offender wants to do, and sometimes, that is extreme violence.

MOO

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

my guess is he killed her in a panic when she awoke to him there FROM WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED, but who knows, why ask why these days...

ETA: Ack, I didn't mean "why ask why" in such a flippant way, just that motive so often astounds me - I'd like to assert it doesn't matter in the big scheme of things. But legally, it does.

 

[iamshadow21]

I was trying to think of the case this one reminded me of, and I worked it out. Michelle was in her car, not her home, but the extreme violence to the face and neck is similar. Note the lack of robbery or sexual assault.

Murder of Michelle Martinko - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

GUILTY - IA - Michelle Martinko, 18, stabbed to death, Cedar Rapids, 19 Dec 1979

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/cold-case-spotlight-michelle-martinko-n275866 It was at the height of the holiday shopping season in December of 1979 when high school senior Michelle Martinko was stabbed to death in the parking lot of Westdale Mall. The 18-year-old had not...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Cedars]

Jackson-Bolanos was charged in December 2023 with felony murder. Authorities accuse the man of killing Woll during a home invasion.

I think stab wounds to the face/neck are not all that effective if someone is trying to kill another person. I agree, they seem more like panic. The wounds made by Kohlberger in Idaho were around the heart:
"The [Idaho] victims were stabbed in the chest and upper body, the coroner said.". Coroner: Idaho students were stabbed to death in their beds

IMO it matters in deciding what charges to lay, to convince a jury about what happened, as well as the sentencing.

I think there will be more detailed evidence at the trial.

JMO

 

[GMS]

There seems to be a significant amount of evidence presented during the preliminary hearing at this juncture that points to MJB as the suspect and person responsible, but the below testimony regarding the jacket did raise some level of doubt or uncertainty (imo).

"There was so little blood on the jacket that it was not visible to the naked eye, Stockmeyer testified under his questioning, but a forensics analysis found a swab from the sleeve was a likely match for Woll’s blood."

All reports indicate there was a large amount of blood present at the crime scene, in particular on the living room couch. It would seem in a violent attack with a knife or sharp object, the suspect (MJB) would have gotten a substantial amount of blood on his clothes including the jacket. It could have been wiped clean, but seems testing would have revealed more of a blood presence regardless.

 

[Sundog]

/

According to the testimony yesterday, the door was apparently left ajar (no matter how slightly), not just unlocked

Is there a link to information about the door being left ajar? The articles that I have seen posted only mention that the door was left unlocked, but I may have missed it.

Thanks.

 

[Cedars]

There seems to be a significant amount of evidence presented during the preliminary hearing at this juncture that points to MJB as the suspect and person responsible, but the below testimony regarding the jacket did raise some level of doubt or uncertainty (imo).

"There was so little blood on the jacket that it was not visible to the naked eye, Stockmeyer testified under his questioning, but a forensics analysis found a swab from the sleeve was a likely match for Woll’s blood."

All reports indicate there was a large amount of blood present at the crime scene, in particular on the living room couch. It would seem in a violent attack with a knife or sharp object, the suspect (MJB) would have gotten a substantial amount of blood on his clothes including the jacket. It could have been wiped clean, but seems testing would have revealed more of a blood presence regardless.

I wonder whether he was wearing other clothes that he got rid of? For eg, his shoes, since there's a suggestion of bloody shoe prints, as well as a different jacket, or one worn over top the one he kept.

Pretty lucky for LE, if there was only 1 spot

 

[PalmerPark]

I wonder whether he was wearing other clothes that he got rid of? For eg, his shoes, since there's a suggestion of bloody shoe prints, as well as a different jacket, or one worn over top the one he kept.

Pretty lucky for LE, if there was only 1 spot

I don't think it was "lucky" necessarily. They executed a search warrant on MJ's gf's house, they found the jacket, and they did forensic testing on it.