Suspect in Samantha Woll murder bound over for trial; judge says case could go 'either way'

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The man accused in the killing of  Samantha Woll will be headed for trial in the prominent Jewish leader's murder.

Judge Kenneth King revealed the decision that the case involving Michael Jackson-Bolanos will go to trial. 

"This kind of thing shouldn't happen anywhere, let alone the City of Detroit," said Judge King. "I'm heartbroken this happened to her. It should not have happened."

Woll's body was found outside her home in Lafayette Park near her home on Joliet Place. Police and prosecutors presented video evidence near her home in those early morning hours.

Investigators say they found her blood on his jacket but King questioned if Bolanos was actually the murderer.

"What I do find a little peculiar is that in a crime scene that was this bloody, that such a small amount of blood would be found on the defendant's clothes. This place was literally covered in blood."

King described Bolanos as a thief, but nothing was missing from inside Woll's home. He said as she stumbled outside for help, he may have stumbled onto where she layed and came into contact with her body - looking to steal something from her, and leading to the small amount of blood on him.

"Whoever did this had ample opportunity to reflect on their actions when they stabbed for the first time (to the) eighth time," he said.

In the end, judge King, after hearing from close to 20 witnesses, bound Jackson Bolanos over for trial for a jury to decide. But said the evidence against him is anything but certain.

"There's a possibility he did, in fact, cause the death of Samantha Woll and intend to kill her," King said. "That makes the question of fact to be determined by trial because both options are plausible. It could go either way."

Earlier on Tuesday the focus in court was on the video evidence.

Brian Brown, defense attorney: "And you never saw this person actually enter the, uh, quote-unquote, victim's apartment, did you?"

"Correct," said DPD Sgt. Lance Sullivan on the witness stand.

The defense attorney for Bolanos, questioned Detroit police - who gathered hours of video evidence from outside of schools, restaurants, gas stations and casinos to track the defendant from his apartment to Joliet Place.

That was the scene where Samantha Woll was found murdered outside her home in October, in what police say was a robbery gone wrong.

Police described his movements in the early morning hours of October 21st.

"Eventually the individual works their way to the driver's side of the vehicle, parked in front of the white vehicle, and then walks away carrying what appears to be a light-colored bag," said Sullivan while video is played in court. "The subject is going to walk and actually run and climb that brick wall."

Police say he was walking with a bag and wearing blue surgical gloves as he made his way through downtown and over toward Joliet Place.

"The top left - the trees and cars there, that's Joliet Place, the end of Joliet Place," Sullivan said. "The crime scene would be to the left, south of what we're looking at.

It was just before 4 a.m.

Related:

• Evidence in Samantha Woll murder revealed in court, including jacket with blood and phone location
• Samantha Woll murder investigation: Detroit man charged in Jewish leader's death

"Why did you highlight that specifically," asks the prosecutor about a circled spot on the screen.

"There's an individual standing next to the car," Sullivan said.

"What is it that drew you to that specific individual?"

"That individual motioned with their arm, as if pulling on the door handle," the officer said.

Police acknowledge a gap in video until 4:20 a.m. when they allege the crime was committed, but say the suspect is captured again on his way back to the apartment where he's staying.

"Same clothes, same walk, same gait," Sullivan said. "But now the individual does not have a white bag. The person has got what appears to be a gray backpack on.

"The mask is down. The first time I've seen it in over four hours of tracking, four hours of walking. The mask is down and there's one glove on - the left hand does not have a glove on."

But the defense attorney says - that doesn't prove anything.

"You could not observe any blood on the individual, correct?" said Brown. "Right?"

"That's fair," Sullivan said.