Samantha Woll murder trial: Testimony begins in case against stabbing suspect

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Opening arguments kicked off the murder trial of Samantha Woll on Tuesday after more than a day of jury selection. The trial continued Wednesday with testimony. We'll have more on this story later in the day.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 29, is charged with first-degree murder, home invasion, and lying to a peace officer after he allegedly stabbed Woll in her Detroit home in October 2023. She was found dead outside her residence in the 1360 block of Joliet Place.

Jackson-Bolanos was arrested several weeks later amid speculation that Woll's murder was a hate crime due to her position within metro Detroit's Jewish community. However, Detroit police said later on they don't believe that to be the case.

"She was bloody. She was barefoot. She was cold to the touch," Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Elsey said on Tuesday. "They didn’t catch him until close to six weeks after her death. But when they did, he still had her blood on a jacket that he wore that night."

In previous court hearings, investigators revealed cell phone data that prosecutors say put Jackson-Bolanos at Woll's home on the night of the murder.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos in court.

The blood on the jacket has also been a key piece of evidence for the prosecution.

Woll's security system was off — but motion was detected in her home at 4:20 am.

"After that motion ceases in the living room, the defendant is then on the other side of the freeway, moving away from the scene," Elsey said.

However, the defense argued that the time frame in which Jackson-Bolonos was at Woll's apartment is "virtually impossible."

"Virtually impossible for him to come in there, and stab her that many times, beat her up in less than a minute, and then he’s seen on camera at 4:23 (a.m.), not 4:24 (a.m.), walking in front of Greektown Casino," said the defense attorney, Brian Brown.

Brown also said that there was no motive for the defendant to kill Woll since nothing of value was taken from the scene.

Samantha Woll

The defense also pointed toward Woll’s ex-boyfriend — who was the original person of interest Detroit police took into custody before releasing him. The ex originally confessed to the crime — but prosecutors say he had a panic attack after increasing his medication and marijuana use.

The ex-boyfriend will take the stand with use-immunity, meaning he cannot acknowledge he made a previously incriminating statement.

"For the hour or so that he's in the witness stand, whatever he says can’t be used against him in a future criminal proceeding – but you will hear that what he says is not anything that could be used against him in a future criminal proceeding because he will tell you that he had absolutely nothing to do with Samantha Wolls death," Elsey said.

The jury was seated after more than a day of questioning from the prosecution and defense.