Detroit, Michigan – The case surrounding the tragic death of Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll has taken a perplexing turn as new details emerged during the trial this week. It was disclosed that Woll’s ex-boyfriend confessed to the police that he may have been involved in the heinous crime, only to retract his statement later on.
Woll, 40, was discovered by a neighbor outside her Lafayette Park apartment on the morning of October 21, shortly after what authorities believe was a brutal stabbing. Surveillance footage indicated that she returned home around 12:30 a.m. after attending a friend’s wedding the previous night.
The ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Herbstman, was identified as a person of interest by Detroit police after he made a 911 call on November 7, admitting to killing Woll. However, he later claimed to not recall the incident, citing a “psychotic break” induced by a recent adjustment in his depression medication dosage.
During his testimony, Herbstman expressed confusion and attributed his actions to a medication-induced delusion. Despite his self-incriminating 911 call and bodycam footage shown to the jury, he was released without charges three days after his arrest.
Subsequently, Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, of Detroit, was arrested and charged with Woll’s murder based on cell phone tower data and surveillance video placing him near the crime scene at the estimated time of the incident. While defense attorney Brian Brown argued that the evidence against his client was circumstantial, prosecutors intend to introduce DNA evidence linking Jackson-Bolanos to microscopic blood droplets found on a jacket believed to belong to Woll.
Jackson-Bolanos is facing charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, home invasion, and providing false information to law enforcement. The trial is expected to continue on Thursday, with the case growing increasingly complex as more evidence is presented.