Murder and burglary charges dropped against man accused in Samantha Woll’s death

DETROIT – Charges against Michael Jackson-Bolanos, the man accused of killing Samantha Woll, were dropped on murder and home invasion charges.

Woll was stabbed to death in her Detroit home on October 21, 2023. Jackson-Bolanos has been charged with four counts in connection with Woll’s death: first-degree murder, first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree burglary, and concealing facts or misleading police.

In July, a jury found Jackson-Bolanos not guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, but found him guilty of concealing facts or misleading police.

The jury was unable to reach a consensus on the murder and home invasion charges. During the retrial and sentencing on Friday, August 9, the judge ruled that Jackson-Bolanos would not be retried on those charges.

The public prosecutor’s office announced that it would appeal against the decision.

For concealing facts or misleading the police, Jackson-Bolanos was sentenced to 18 months to 15 years in prison, with 240 days of credit for time already served. The defense said it also plans to appeal.

What we know about the case

Woll was stabbed to death in her home in Lafayette Park, a neighborhood east of downtown Detroit, on October 21, 2023. A neighbor found her body on the ground outside her home hours after her murder.

Police said there was a “trail of blood” leading from Woll’s body to her home. Police believe she was attacked in her home sometime after 12:30 a.m. while returning home from a wedding, and that she stumbled out of the house after the attack.

Investigators said there were no signs of a forced entry into her home. She was found with her wallet and phone.

—> Samantha Woll’s alleged murderer in court: View all witness statements here

Prosecutors argued that Jackson-Bolanos was known to lie and that he was the only person she knew to be at the crime scene the morning of Woll’s murder.

Jackson-Bolanos admitted he was in the parking lot of Woll’s townhouse – surveillance video and cell phone data confirmed his presence – but said he did not kill her.

He said he was stealing items from unlocked vehicles in the area when he saw her body. He said when he realized she was dead, he panicked and ran away.

“I didn’t shake the body. I checked the neck and put my hand right there in between, no air – no breath or nothing,” Jackson-Bolanos testified. “When I realized I had just touched a dead person, I grabbed the bag and left.”

He said he did not enter Woll’s house and did not kill her.

“I didn’t know if she had fallen outside or if she was drunk. I, as a human being – yes, I’m out there doing wrong – still wanted to make sure this person was OK,” Jackson-Bolanos said. “When I realized she was dead, I wanted nothing to do with the whole situation. I’m a black man breaking into cars in the middle of the night and standing in front of a dead white woman – that’s not a good look at all.”

—> Full coverage of the Samantha Woll murder trial can be found here.