DETROIT – The man accused of stabbing a well-known Detroit woman to death in 2023 was standing trial for murder in June.
Witnesses began testifying on Wednesday, June 12 at the trial of Michael Jackson-Bolanos, a man in his late 20s. Jackson-Bolanos is accused of stabbing Woll, 40, to death at her Detroit apartment on Oct. 21, 2023.
He is standing trial on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, home invasion, and lying to a peace officer.
---> Samantha Woll murder trial: 47 things we heard during opening statements
Testimony from every witness at the trial can be found below. This list will be updated as more witnesses testify.
Day 1 - June 11, 2024
Opening statements were made on Tuesday afternoon. No witness testimony was offered on June 11.
Prosecution’s opening statement
Defense’s opening statement
Day 2 - June 12, 2024
Witness 1 - Kevin Mull, neighbor
The first witness testimony came from Kevin Mull, a neighbor who lives in a townhome across from Woll’s home. Mull discovered Woll’s body lying outside on the sidewalk while taking a dog outside.
Witness 2 - Jessica Robinson, neighbor
Robinson is married to Mull and also lives in the home across from Woll’s. Robinson called 911 after her husband found Woll’s body outside.
Witness 3 - Preston Kue, police officer
Former Detroit police officer Preston Kue was one of the officers dispatched to Woll’s home after the 911 call was placed. Kue, now a police officer in Clinton Township, provided testimony about what he saw and reported from that morning.
Witness 4 - Derrik Doad, police officer
Derrik Doad was a Detroit police officer dispatched to Woll’s home after her neighbors called 911 on Oct. 21, 2023. Doad was asked about what he saw and reported from that morning.
Witness 5 - Carrington Sheridan, forensic technician
Forensic technician Carrington Sheridan, with the Detroit Police Department, was at Woll’s townhome after she was killed. Sheridan observed the scene and helped log and photograph evidence.
Witness 6 - Daron Zhou, police sgt.
Detroit police Sgt. Detective Daron Zhou works within the homicide division and was called to the scene of Woll’s home the day she was found. He collected a cellphone from the crime scene.
Witness 7 - Eli Bowers, FBI agent
FBI special agent Eli Bowers was working with the evidence response team at the time of Woll’s killing, working as a crime scene photographer. The evidence response team is made up of specially-trained in responding to various crime scenes and collecting evidence.
Part one
Day 3 - June 13, 2024
Witness 7 (again) - Eli Bowers, FBI agent
Part two
Witness 8 - Guy Nutter, forensic scientist
Guy Nutter is the technical leader for crime scene and blood stain pattern analysis with the Michigan State Police department’s forensic science division. Nutter oversaw forensic staff who collected and documented evidence at Woll’s home.
Witness 9 - Sherri Berger, longtime friend of Woll
Sherri Burger describes herself as a lifelong friend of Woll, having first met when they were in their early teens. Berger, who lives out of town, visited Detroit and stayed with Woll the week before she was killed.
Witness 10 - James England, evidence lab supervisor
James England is a supervisor of the latent print unit at a Michigan State Police laboratory, where they process evidence. England’s unit was responsible for processing evidence related to Woll’s killing.
Witness 11 - James Griffioen, neighbor
James Griffioen is a resident of the Lafayette Park community in which Woll lived. Griffioen was woken up in the middle of the night by his sick puppy and went outside with the dog early in the morning on the day Woll was killed.
Witness 12 - Nicole Croom, assistant medical examiner
Nicole Croom is an assistant medical examiner at the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office in Detroit. She works to determine the cause and manner of death of cases assigned to her.
Day 4 - June 17, 2024
Witness 13 - Jodi Johnson, forensic lab manager
Jodi Johnson is a forensic lab manager with the Michigan State Police department. She offered testimony about Woll’s wounds, the blood staining and pattern, and the crime scene.
Witness 14 - Quentin Goss, security guard
Quentin Goss worked as a mobile security guard who patrolled Lafayette Park in Detroit at the time of Woll’s death. He drove around that area of the community in an SUV for a security company. He worked the night of Woll’s death.
Witness 15 - Benjamin Sofferin, wedding guest
Benjamin Sofferin attended his best friend’s wedding at Freedom Hill Amphitheater on Oct. 20, 2023, where he met Woll. Sofferin said he danced with Woll a few times throughout the wedding.
Witness 16 - Jesse Conwell, ADT Security
Jesse Conwell is the Detroit operations manager for ADT Security. Conwell offered testimony about the motion detectors in Woll’s home.
Witness 17 - Paul Spurgeon, friend
Paul Spurgeon was a longtime friend of Woll’s, having been best friends for more than 20 years. He offered testimony about Woll’s life, including her love life.
Witness 18 - Aaron Pergamet, had relationship with Woll
Aaron Pergamet was a friend of Woll’s and had an intimate relationship with her, but they never exclusively dated.
Witness 19 - Jeffrey Herbstman, ex-boyfriend
Jeffrey Herbstman is Woll’s ex-boyfriend. They started dating in August 2022, and ended their relationship in July 2023.
Part one
Day 5 - June 18, 2024
Witness 19 (again) - Jeffrey Herbstman, ex-boyfriend
Part two
Part three
Part four
Witness 20 - Jennifer Swatek, forensic toxicologist
Jennifer Swatek is a forensic toxicologist for a lab that works with the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office. Swatek was assigned to Woll’s case.
Witness 21 - Allison Baker, former public safety officer
Allison Baker was a public safety officer with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety at the time of Woll’s death. Baker interacted with Woll’s ex-boyfriend Herbstman in the Kalamazoo area.
Witness 22 - Kyle Konkol, forensic scientist
Kyle Konkol works as a forensic scientist with the Michigan State Police’s lab in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He primarily works in the body fluid identification unit, but also plays a role on the crime scene response team.
Witness 23 - Miranda Comsa, forensic scientist
Miranda Comsa is a forensic scientist with the Michigan State Police in their Metro Detroit lab. She specializes in body fluid identification testing.
Day 6 - June 20, 2024
(The trial did not take place on Wednesday, June 19 due to Juneteenth.)
Witness 24 - Katelyn Hom, forensic technician
Katelyn Hom is a forensic technician with the Detroit Police Department. Hom helped process the crime scene at Woll’s home.
Witness 25 - Alexander Martinez, detective trooper
Alexander Martinez is a detective trooper with Michigan State Police. He was present at the crime scene at Woll’s home on the day she was found.
Witness 26 - Christopher Nieman, police officer
Christopher Nieman is a police officer with the Detroit Police Department. He was called to the city of Roseville to recover/impound a vehicle in November 2023 in connection with Jackson-Bolanos’ arrest.
Witness 27 - Eugene Fitzhugh, evidence technician
Eugene Fitzhugh is an evidence technician in the crime scene investigation unit of the Detroit Police Department. Fitzhugh primarily searches vehicles, and was tasked with searching the Dodge Charger impounded in connection with Jackson-Bolanos.
Witness 28 - Sarah Markel, phone extraction expert
Sarah Markel is a detective with the Detroit police. She works in the homicide unit, and specifically does phone extractions, which means she extracts data from cellphones. She reviewed data extracted from phones belonging to people involved in this case.
Part one
Day 7 - June 24, 2024
(The trial did not take place on Friday, June 21.)
Witness 28 (again) Sarah Markel, phone extraction expert
Part two
Witness 29 - Jordan Graves, digital forensic examiner
Jason Graves is a senior digital forensic examiner with the FBI. He was asked by prosecutors to review extracted cellphone data related to this case.
Part one
Part two
Day 8 - June 25, 2024
Witness 30 - Bryan Toltzis, FBI agent
Bryan Toltzis is a special agent with the FBI. He reviewed data related to cellphones, cell towers and GPS in connection with this case.
Witness 31 - Gary Guarino, police officer
Gary Guarino is a police officer with the city of Detroit. He works in a unit that is responsible for extracting video evidence, and played a role in Woll’s case.
Witness 32 - Ryan Mason, police detective
Ryan Mason is a detective with the Detroit Police Department who works on their violent crime task force with the FBI. Mason was involved in this investigation, and specifically focused on extracting video footage from multiple locations.
Witness 33 - Steven Ford, certified video technician
Sgt. Steven Ford is a certified video technician with the Detroit Police Department’s homicide unit. He played a role in extracting video in connection with the investigation into Woll’s death.
Witness 34 - Lance Sullivan, Detroit police sgt.
Sgt. Lance Sullivan is a supervisor within the Detroit Police Department’s violent crime task force that includes the FBI. His primary focus is to oversee cases, though he specializes in forensic video analysis. He compiled video evidence used in the case against Jackson-Bolanos.
Part one
Day 9 - June 26, 2024
Witness 34 (again) - Lance Sullivan, Detroit police sgt.
Part two
Part three
Witness 35 - Woman whose tires were slashed
A woman whose tires were slashed around the time of Woll’s murder was called to the stand. (Note: The beginning of the woman’s testimony was unfortunately cut off due to a technical issue.)
Witness 36 - Chadwick Bloom, detective sgt.
Chadwick Bloom is a detective sgt. with the Michigan State Police who worked within the special investigations unit, and was assigned to the Detroit homicide task force. He helped investigate Woll’s death, doing several tasks like conducting interviews, collecting DNA and digital evidence, surveillance, searching, and more.
Witness 37 - Chad Gruenwald, police sgt.
Chad Gruenwald is a sergeant with the Michigan State Police department. He helped carry out a traffic stop on Jackson-Bolanos in Roseville and arrested him.
Witness 38 - Ellen Czajka, forensic technician
Ellen Czajka is a forensic technician for the Detroit Police Department’s crime scene services. She helped process the scene at a Midtown apartment where Jackson-Bolanos was staying following Woll’s death.
Part one
Day 10 - June 27, 2024
Witness 38 (again) - Ellen Czajka, forensic technician
Part two
(We apologize for the audio quality. The footage came from a pool feed, which means we were not directly responsible for the recording or audio settings.)
Witness 39 - Jarmiare McEntire, police officer
Jarmiare McEntire is a Detroit police officer who works within the homicide unit on the homicide task force. He helped investigate this case.
(We apologize for the audio quality. The footage came from a pool feed, which means we were not directly responsible for the recording or audio settings.)
Witness 40 - Beatrice Terrell, detective trooper
Beatrice Terrell is a detective trooper with the Michigan State Police and works with the homicide task force. She helped investigate Woll’s death by writing search warrants, conducting interviews, reviewing evidence, and more. She came into contact with Jackson-Bolanos after his arrest.
(We apologize for the audio quality. The footage came from a pool feed, which means we were not directly responsible for the recording or audio settings.)
Witness 41 - Deval Crenshaw, police officer
Deval Crenshaw is a police officer with the Detroit Police Department and works within the homicide task force. Crenshaw helped with Woll’s case, conducting interviews and assisting with miscellaneous tasks, including taking DNA swabs.
(We apologize for the audio quality. The footage came from a pool feed, which means we were not directly responsible for the recording or audio settings.)
Witness 42 - Toni Grusser, forensic scientist
Toni Grusser is a forensic scientist with the Michigan State Police who specializes in body fluid identification. She received physical evidence to examine in connection with Woll’s death, and specifically was tasked with searching for the presence of blood.
Witness 43 - Kathleen Gill, forensic scientist
Kathleen Gill is a forensic scientist with the Michigan State Police’s forensic science division who primarily works within the forensic biology unit. She receives evidence items and screens them for biological material to help with investigations, including body fluids, skin cells, hair, etc.
Witness 44 - Erica Anderson, DNA expert
Erica Anderson is a forensic scientist within the biology unit for Michigan State Police. She specializes in DNA analysis. She analyzed evidence in connection with this case and authored several reports related to evidence.
Day 11 - July 1, 2024
Witness 45 - Fiber examiner
A fiber examiner took the stand to testify about evidence she specifically examined in connection with this case, including a knife seized from Jackson-Bolanos. (Note: The very beginning of the witness’ testimony is not included due to a technical issue.)
Witness 46 - Tiara White, girlfriend of Jackson-Bolanos
Tiara White was dating Jackson-Bolanos around the time of Woll’s death. She said they lived together, and she answered questions about washing the jacket allegedly worn by Jackson-Bolanos amid Woll’s killing.
Witness 47 - Patrick Lane, homicide detective
Patrick Lane is a detective with the Detroit Police Department’s homicide task force. He helped investigate the case of Woll’s death, and took a statement from Jackson-Bolanos following his arrest.
Part one
Part two
Part three
(Please note, the end of his testimony was cut off early due to a technical issue. Questioning continued for a few minutes after this clip ends.)
Witness 33 (again) - Steven Ford, certified video technician
Sgt. Steven Ford is a certified video technician with the Detroit Police Department’s homicide unit. He played a role in extracting video in connection with the investigation into Woll’s death. He was recalled to the stand on Monday. He first testified on June 25.
Part one
Day 12 - July 2, 2024
Witness 33 (again) - Steven Ford, certified video technician
Part two
Witness 48 - Michael Solberg, internal affairs cpl.
Michael Solberg is a corporal with the internal affairs department at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. He live monitors calls made to and from the county jail and sends calls, recorded visits, and messages to authorities when requested. He reviewed calls that involved Jackson-Bolanos.
Witness 49 - Richard Sanchez, acting officer in charge
Richard Sanchez is a lieutenant with the Michigan State Police who works within the special investigations section and with the Detroit homicide task force. He is the acting officer in charge of this case.
Part one
Part two
Part three
The prosecution rested their case at around 2:20 p.m. on July 2.
Witness 50 (defense’s first witness) - Elizabeth Stockmeyer, detective trooper
Elizabeth Stockmeyer is a detective trooper with the Michigan State Police. She was the officer in charge of this case for the bulk of the case, but left for maternity leave (and was replaced by Lt. Sanchez, who testified before her).
Part one
Part two
Day 13 - July 3, 2024
Witness 51 - Ljubisa Jovan Dragovic, forensic pathologist
Ljubisa Jovan Dragovic is a forensic pathologist and a neuro pathologist who works for Oakland County. He provided his opinion on the case.
Witness 52 - Monica Rosen, Samantha Woll’s sister
Monica Rosen is the sister of Samantha Woll.
Witness 53 - Brett Foreman, acquaintance
Brett Foreman was an acquaintance of Woll’s who said he had an unrequited crush on Woll after meeting her.
At about 1:13 p.m. Wednesday, Jackson-Bolanos, under oath, told the judge he intends to testify at his trial.
Witness 54 - Lydia Bates, acquaintance
Lydia Bates met Woll in 2017 while they both worked as political organizers. She also knows Brett Foreman, and was asked about a conversation with him.
Witness 55 - Michael Jackson-Bolanos, man on trial
The man on trial for Woll’s murder took the stand in his own defense. His questioning began Wednesday, July 3, and was expected to resume Monday, July 8.
Part one
Day 14 - July 8. 2024
Witness 55 (again) - Michael Jackson-Bolanos, man on trial
Part two
Part three
Part four
Part five
Witness 56 - Chad Ossman, police officer
Chad Ossman is a Detroit police officer. He was questioned by the defense about a conversation he had with the defense attorney.
Witness 30 (again) - Bryan Toltzis, FBI agent
Bryan Toltzis is a special agent with the FBI. He reviewed data related to cellphones, cell towers and GPS in connection with this case. He was recalled to the stand by prosecutors at the end of the trial.
Part one
Part two
About the case
Samantha Woll, who also went by Sam, was found stabbed to death the morning of Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, outside her Detroit apartment. A witness found Woll lying on the ground unresponsive at about 6:30 a.m. that day.
First responders arrived at the scene and saw Woll had been stabbed several times. She was declared dead at the scene. Officials later said she was stabbed eight times, including several times in the neck.
Police said a “trail of blood” led from where Woll’s body was found back to her home. Police believe the woman was attacked in her home sometime after 12:30 a.m., when she arrived home from a wedding, and that she stumbled outside after the attack.
Investigators confirmed that there were no signs of forced entry at Woll’s home. She was found with her wallet and phone on her. Sources have said there were no defensive wounds on Woll, but police hadn’t confirmed that detail.
Throughout the investigation, authorities repeatedly affirmed that there is no evidence to indicate Woll’s killing was a hate crime.
Woll served as president of the board of directors for Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue near Capitol Park in Detroit, and was well known in the community. She was also a campaign staffer for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and a former aide to Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin.
Woll was remembered as someone who supported people and people-centered movements, and was credited for her interfaith work, including by Muslim advocacy groups.
Jackson-Bolanos arrested
Police arrested Jackson-Bolanos in Utica in December 2023. Law enforcement had been surveilling the man and located him driving his car -- a 2007 Dodge Charger -- in Macomb County on the day of his arrest.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office announced charges against Jackson-Bolanos on Dec. 13, 2023. In addition to being charged with felony murder and now first-degree murder, the man has also been charged with with home invasion and lying to a peace officer.
A felony murder charge is when someone accused of committing a violent felony is charged with murder if the commission of that felony results in someone’s death.
Brian Brown, defense attorney for Jackson-Bolanos, has said his client is denying all allegations against him. Brown said he believes Jackson-Bolanos “may be a victim of circumstance,” particularly following a previous arrest made in November that resulted in zero charges.
A man was arrested in western Michigan in November 2023, and was released a few days later without being charged. That person’s identity was not revealed, but the Wayne County prosecutor confirmed the person was not Jackson-Bolanos.
Brown said he believes police have once again arrested the wrong person.