DETROIT – The jury has to restart deliberations Tuesday in the case against Michael Jackson-Bolanos, who is accused of murdering Samantha Woll.
Local 4 investigator Shawn Ley is coming to you all alone in courtroom 504 at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Downtown Detroit.
This is where the murder trial was held, and this is where the jury in this case has begun its fourth day of deliberations.
Why today is different
Day 4 of the deliberations is different than the previous three days.
Juror No. 3 had a pre-planned vacation, and at the end of the day Monday, she was excused from the jury. The judge thanked her for her service.
Juror No. 3 was replaced by an alternate juror, a man.
What happens now
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.
Local 4 video-journalist Marty Herak has now been escorted up in courtroom 504 to set up our camera, mics, and gear.
We are the “pool camera” today, which means instead of each media outlet crowding into one small space with their cameras, our pool camera sends out a live feed for all of the news stations. This live feed will be up on ClickonDetroit and Local 4+ whenever the judge takes the bench and goes on the record.
Let’s see if we get a verdict today.