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Day 3 of testimony is the Samantha Woll murder trial
On the third day of testimony in the Samantha Woll murder trial, a life-long friend, a Michigan State Police officer, and an assistant medical examiner took the stand.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - On the third day of testimony in the Samantha Woll murder trial, one of her closest friends took the stand.
"She was just vibrant and always wanting to help people, and kind of share her love of things with others," said Sherri Berger, Woll's life-long friend.
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 residence in October 2023. She was found dead outside her home 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.
Michael Jackson-Bolanos
Based on conversations with Woll, Berger said she did not have any prior concerns regarding Woll's safety.
Michigan State Police Officer James England and Assistant Medical Examiner at the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office Nicole Croom also testified on Thursday.
The crime scene was violent, but no trace evidence or footprint impressions came back conclusive, according to testimony. Seven fingerprints, three palm prints and a latent print were tested.
"We had a couple of door knobs that were submitted, a plastic container, a partially-eaten banana with the peel attached to it," England said on the stand. "There was a clear window, and then the remainder of those objects are on digital images that were submitted on a CD."
England also told the jury that forensic evidence did not show any matches in the state or FBI database. Some palm prints came back as Woll’s. Other fingerprints were compared to Jackson-Bolanos' and Woll’s ex-boyfriend.
However, "for both subjects, it was inconclusive – it just means I couldn’t identify them; I couldn’t exclude them," England said.
Testimony ended with Croom recounting the nature of Woll’s injuries. She was stabbed eight times in the neck and face, and was left bruised all over.
"That one was a stab wound, and it went through some of the muscles in the neck and then ended in a part of the spine," Croom said. "And that one was 4-6 inches in depth."
The trial is expected to continue for nearly a month.
Stay with FOX 2 for updates each day of trial.
Samantha Woll