The murder case against a suspect accused of stabbing to death Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Wall was not resolved Friday after a jury was unable to decide whether the suspect was the killer, more than three weeks after he was cleared of premeditated murder.
But a judge found the suspect, Michael Jackson-Bolanos, guilty of lying to police during a high-profile murder investigation last year, ruled he would not be able to avoid prison altogether.
Judge Margaret Van Houten ruled that trying Jackson Bolanos, 29, a second time on the murder charge would be an unconstitutional “double punishment,” but sentenced him to 18 months to 15 years in prison on the lesser charge, despite complaints from the defendant and his defense team.
Woll, 40, was found dead with multiple stab wounds outside his Detroit home in October, and suspicions quickly emerged that it may have been an anti-Semitic attack, with Israel and Hamas still furious after the Oct. 7 attack. Investigators ultimately said they found no link.
Jackson Bolanos, who maintained his innocence, was acquitted of first-degree premeditated murder, but jurors could not agree on separate charges of felony murder and burglary, a killing committed during a separate crime in Michigan.
Van Houten cited a 2009 Supreme Court decision that dismissed murder and burglary charges, but prosecutors have vowed to appeal.
As Van Houten sentenced Jackson Bolanos to prison, his lawyer, Bryan Brown, was visibly frustrated. According to court footage aired by ClickonDetroit..
“If lying was an Olympic sport, you’d get a gold medal,” the judge told Jackson Bolanos, noting he is a repeat offender.
Prosecutors argued that Jackson Bolanos had been convicted of theft and was on probation before committing further crimes. The Detroit Free Press reported.
“I don’t want any more trouble,” Jackson Bolanos said before the verdict, according to the paper.
Brown argued that his client was in the wrong place at the wrong time, even though he was allegedly breaking into a neighbor’s car.
Jackson Bolanos admitted to touching Wohl’s body and claimed he found her lying there, but said he was not involved in the murder.
Police initially arrested Woll’s ex-boyfriend, who hysterically told authorities he may have killed Woll, but later claimed the death was due to a side effect from medication and was cleared after further investigation.
Wohl was president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and was active in Michigan Democratic Party politics.
With post wire
