Michael Jackson-Bolanos, acquitted of Samantha Woll's murder, released from Wayne County custody

Michael Jackson-Bolanos was released from custody Tuesday, Oct. 6, after a jury acquitted him of first-degree murder in the 2023 killing of Samantha Woll. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office had spent months in court trying to keep him locked up.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos was released from custody on Tuesday, Oct. 6, according to Samantha Woll's family and his attorney. A jury acquitted him of first-degree murder in July 2024 in the killing of Samantha Woll, a Jewish community leader, but convicted him of lying to police.

Jackson-Bolanos was sentenced as a habitual offender to 18 months to 15 years for the lying conviction. He was granted parole in April 2026 with a release date set for July, but the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office challenged that timeline in court.

His co-counsel, Purna Krishnamoorthy, said the prosecutor's office filed an "emergency intervention" and then charged Jackson-Bolanos over a 2020 incident on July 23, the day before he was scheduled to be released. The charges included two felony counts of resisting and obstructing police and an open-container violation. The prosecutor's office later stated those charges were filed without Prosecutor Kym Worthy's knowledge or approval and were dismissed once she learned of them.

Krishnamoorthy released a statement saying Jackson-Bolanos "can finally begin rebuilding his life outside of prison walls." She added that his release brings profound relief but does not erase the time lost or the toll the process has taken. She said Samantha Woll's death remains a tragedy and that respect for her life and loved ones must coexist with respect for Jackson-Bolanos' rights.

Woll's family declined to comment on his release.

Prosecutors had accused Jackson-Bolanos, who was 29 at the time, of stabbing Woll eight times during a home invasion at her Detroit home in October 2023. The prosecution's case relied on video footage showing him breaking into cars near Woll's home that night, her blood found on his jacket, and his status as a habitual offender, which they argued provided a motive to avoid being caught committing another crime.

The defense argued it was not physically possible for Jackson-Bolanos to struggle with Woll, stab her repeatedly, and flee within the timeline presented by prosecutors. They also pointed to other suspects, including Woll's ex-boyfriend, who initially told police he might have killed her before retracting the statement.

Jackson-Bolanos testified in his own defense, stating he found Woll's body while breaking into cars, checked her pulse, and ran because he feared he would be blamed for the death of a white woman as a Black man. Prosecutors said he lied to police more than 40 times about that night.

The jury found him not guilty of first-degree murder but could not reach a verdict on felony murder and home invasion. A month later, a judge dismissed those deadlocked charges, citing legal precedent that generally bars retrying charges that share an element with an acquitted charge.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office appealed that decision and lost at the Michigan Court of Appeals. On Sept. 9, the Michigan Supreme Court agreed to hear part of the appeal, specifically whether Jackson-Bolanos can be retried on first-degree home invasion.