Help coming for 825-pound woman • Re-trial decision in Samantha Woll murder • Ex-cop tries to pay teen for sex

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Will murder and home invasion charges stemming from the killing of Samantha Woll be dismissed? That's the question a judge will be deciding on today.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos was convicted by a jury of lying to police last month. The jury also found him not guilty of premeditated murder but deadlocked on felony murder and home invasion charges.

He'll be sentenced for the lying to police charge today. While in court, Judge Margaret Van Houten will decide if the murder and home invasion charges should be dropped.

Jackson-Bolanos' attorney argued that it would be double jeopardy to re-try the case, but prosecutors say it's not, and they want to re-try the case.

If Van Houten does decide to dismiss the case, prosecutors said they will appeal the decision.

Woll was found stabbed to death outside her Detroit home on Oct. 21, 2023. Security video and cell phone records placed Jackson-Bolanos in the area.

Jackson-Bolanos took the stand during his trial. He testified that he admitted seeing Woll's body on the ground while breaking into vehicles the night of her murder. He said he went up to her and checked to see if she was alive, but did not call police when he realized she was dead due to him stealing items from vehicles that night.

However, when first questioned by police, he told them that he didn't see a body, hence the lying to police charge and conviction.

Help coming for 825-pound woman

An 825-pound Wayne woman who was struggling to return home said she is working to change her life - and people have offered to help.

On Wednesday, Juaunia Bates told her story from a hospital bed. The 33-year-old said she had gained 300 pounds since her boyfriend was murdered in front of her, and since then has become a prisoner in her own body.

"I just needed help. I can't keep living like this," she said.

Bates said she wouldn't be able to return to her eighth floor apartment due to mobility issues, but her complex is working to get her a main floor unit ready. However, she was terrified she would go home with zero help or support.

She has a social worker who is trying to help and personal trainers and physical therapists have reached out to her since seeing FOX 2's story.

"I just received a phone call from a place out in Ohio - a rehabilitation center that's starting a bariatric unit and they want me to come out there," Bates said.

She wants help. She knows that she can't continue living through the trauma from 2018.

"It put me in a bad space to where I have, literally, trapped myself in my own body," she said. "When stuff happens to you - get some type of help."

Former cop charged with soliciting sex from teen

A former police officer who worked in Michigan and Florida allegedly offered to pay $125 to have sex with a teenager.

According to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, 60-year-old Jeffrey David Morningstar was charged with child sexually abusive activity, using a computer to commit a crime, and accosting a child for immoral purposes – after turning himself in on Thursday.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson announced the charges Morningstar is facing in a news conference that was live-streamed to Facebook, while holding a photo of the suspect.

Swanson said law enforcement first made contact with Morningstar online, via a Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (G.H.O.S.T) sting operation that took place in July.

G.H.O.S.T, which is a special task force that aims to keep offenders off the streets, posed as a human trafficker in Burton.

"When Morningstar answered the call of our sting, he responded because a trafficker was selling a 15-year-old," Swanson said. "He wanted to pay the trafficker $125 to have sex, and an extra $25 for the young victim to urinate on him." 

Man lashes out at judge

While in Judge Cedric Simpson's Washtenaw County courtroom for a trespassing charge, a man named Darrell Jarrell had a few choice words for the judge.

Jarrell was arraigned on July 24 and a court date was set for Wednesday, Aug. 7. Jarrell apparently wanted his court date earlier than September. Simpson tried to explain that Jarrell's attorneys had been unable to talk to him about his case, which is what caused the delay.

However, Jarrell wasn't happy with that answer and, as he put it, he wanted to leave Michigan. He punctuated his response by swearing multiple times at the judge.

"I’m tired of this state, I’m ready to leave this state as soon as possible," Jarrell said. "You guys can kiss my a**." 

As Jarrell continued swearing at Simpson, the judge tacked on more and more 93-day jail sentences. 

FOX 2 reached out to Jarrell's attorney for comment but our call was not returned.

Weekend event guide

Finally, Friday! A beautiful weekend is on tap, and there are plenty of events to help you fill it.

Love the sounds of racing and want to see it up close? Roadkill Nights speeds into the M-1 Concourse in Pontiac this weekend. This event includes racing and other exhibitions on the drag strip, food trucks, family fun, and more.

It's also sunflower season, and Blake's in Armada is open and ready for guests to stroll the flower fields.

Sunflower Festival will include live entertainment, DIY workshops, and a kid's area.

See our full weekend event guide.

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Get ready for a great weekend!

What else we're watching

1. During a preliminary hearing on Thursday, two women who survived a mass shooting at an alleged drug house in Detroit in 2022 testified against the accused gunman. That shooting, allegedly committed by Jony Saad Alatto, left three people dead. 
2. All lanes of both east and westbound I-96 are closed between Milford and Wixom roads due to a wire across the freeway.
3. A Detroit man is being honored posthumously for saving a co-worker who was struggling to stay afloat in a private Oakland County lake last month. The co-worker survived but Marsalis Quintin Carter drowned. 
4. Police are still searching for three male home invasion suspects who broke into a Detroit home, shot the family dog, and made off with money, a Rolex watch, and multiple purses.
5. The man accused of killing Detroit Dr. Devon Hoover was arraigned on murder charges on Thursday. Desmond Burks will be back in court later this month.

Trump and Harris agree to participate in presidential debate on Sept. 10

Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have agreed to a presidential debate on Sept. 10, according to ABC.

The announcement Thursday came after the former president told a news conference that he had proposed three presidential debates with three television networks, saying he agreed on certain dates in September.

Trump is rejoining the ABC debate days after posting on his social media platform that he would not appear on the network, citing a lawsuit he has filed. 

A few hours after Trump's news conference, Harris told reporters she was "glad he has finally committed" to debate her on ABC on Sept. 10, the date that had originally been set for a Biden faceoff against Trump and which her campaign has long stuck to, per the Associated Press.

"I'm looking forward to it and hope he shows up," Harris said.