A judge dismissed a remaining murder charge against a man accused of killing a Detroit synagogue leader, citing constitutional double jeopardy. The accused, Michael Jackson-Bolanos, was previously cleared of a similar charge by a jury.
The fatal stabbing of Samantha Woll, the 40-year-old synagogue leader, raised speculation of antisemitic retaliation, although police found no connection to the Israel-Hamas war. Jackson-Bolanos was acquitted of first-degree premeditated murder but faced a hung jury on a felony murder charge related to a home invasion.
Based on a 2009 US Supreme Court decision, the judge ruled out a retrial, leading to the dismissal of the remaining murder and home invasion charges. Jackson-Bolanos was sentenced to 18 months in prison for lying to police during the investigation, his only conviction from the trial.
Woll's body was found outside her home in Detroit, with investigators believing she was attacked inside before collapsing outdoors. Jackson-Bolanos testified that he had no role in the murder but admitted to touching Woll's body when he found it in the neighborhood.
Initially, a former boyfriend was arrested after making a distress call to 911, claiming he might have killed Woll but later attributed his statements to an adverse reaction to medication.
Woll, who was the president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and active in Democratic politics, was remembered as a beacon in her community by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
