DETROIT – The jury in the Samantha Woll murder trial has reached a partial verdict after five days of deliberations.
Samantha Woll was stabbed to death in her Detroit home on Oct. 21, 2023. Michael Jackson-Bolanos faced four charges in Woll’s death: first-degree felony murder, first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree home invasion, and concealing facts or misleading police.
The jury found Jackson-Bolanos not guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. They found him guilty of concealing facts or misleading police.
The jury remained deadlocked on the first-degree felony murder charge and the first-degree home invasion charge, which means if prosecutors should decide to pursue charges Jackson-Bolanos could face trial again.
“First, I want to thank the jury for their time, dedication, and attention to this case. We were hopeful that a decision could reached today, but we will press on for justice for the Woll’s and will determine our next course of action at the pre-trial hearing,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
The family of Samantha Woll released the following statement:
“We are stunned and deeply saddened by the outcome of this trial, as there is overwhelming evidence that Michael Jackson-Bolanos took our beloved Samantha’s life. 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.
We remain extremely grateful to all of the law enforcement agencies who worked tirelessly to collect and analyze evidence in this case. We also express our deepest gratitude to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, especially Ryan Elsey and Dominic Degrazia, who handled this case with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity. Although we are displeased by the outcome, we thank the jurors for their service.
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.”
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 we know about the case
Woll was stabbed to death at her home in Lafayette Park, a neighborhood just east of Downtown Detroit, on Oct. 21, 2023. A neighbor found her body on the ground outside her home hours after she was killed.
Police said there was a “trail of blood” that led from where Woll’s body was found to back to her home. Police believe she was attacked in her home sometime after 12:30 a.m., when she arrived home from a wedding, and that she stumbled out after the attack.
Investigators said there were no signs of forced entry at her home. She was found with her wallet and phone on her.
The trial began on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, and closing statements were made on Tuesday, July 9. The jury began deliberating on Wednesday.
---> Samantha Woll’s alleged killer on trial: Watch all witness testimony here
The prosecution argued that Jackson-Bolanos was known to lie and that he was the only person they knew was at the scene of the crime the morning Woll was murdered.
Jackson-Bolanos admitted that he was in the parking lot of Woll’s townhome -- security video and cellphone data confirmed he was there -- but he said he did not kill her.
He said he was stealing items from unlocked vehicles in the area when he saw her body. He said when he realized she was dead that he panicked and ran away.
“I didn’t shake the body. I checked the neck and put my hand like in between right here, no air -- no breath or nothing,” Jackson-Bolanos testified. “Once I realized I just touched a dead person, I grabbed the bag and left.”
He said he did not enter Woll’s home and did not kill her.
“I didn’t know whether she had like fallen outside or was drunk. Me as a person -- yeah, I am out doing wrong -- I still wanted to make sure that this person was OK,” Jackson-Bolanos said. “When I realized she was dead, I wanted nothing to do with the entire situation. I’m a black guy in the middle of the night breaking into cars and I find myself standing in front of a dead white woman -- that doesn’t look good at all.”
---> Full coverage of the Samantha Woll murder trial is available here.