Detroit man bound over for trial in murder of Synagogue President Samantha Woll

DETROIT (WWJ) -- A 28-year-old Detroit man has been ordered to trial for the murder of Synagogue President Samantha Woll.

Following testimony from Detroit Police investigators that ran late into Tuesday afternoon, a 36th District Court judge decided that prosecutors have met their burden, thereby biding Michael Jackson-Bolanos over for trial.

The focus of the hearing was largely on video showing Bolanos in the area around Woll's east side Detroit home before and after the 40-year-old woman was found dead.

A defense attorney argued that police arrested the wrong man and thay Jackson-Bolanos was never seen on security video at Woll's home.

Defense counsel Brian Brown pointed to a lack of blood on Jackson-Bolanos when he was arrested, although police say they did eventually find samples of Woll's blood on his jacket. That was a point the judge called "striking," but a question of fact to be determined at trial.

Woll, President of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue, was found stabbed to death outside her Lafayette Park home the morning of Oct. 21. Authorities have said Woll attended a wedding the night before she was found murdered.

Investigators believe Jackson-Bolanos attacked Woll inside her home, before she stumbled outside. A trail of blood was found from Woll's front door, which was left ajar, to the spot where a neighbor found her body.

The Jackson-Bolanos is also suspected of breaking into several vehicles in the area of Woll's home around the time of her death. Authorities believe he was trying to break into her home the night she was killed.

"The evidence is consistent with this happening during the course of a home invasion." said Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor, Ryan Elsey, during closing arguments. "The door was left open, the defendant is in that area for a considerable amount of time, his blood is later found on his jacket."

Because of her leadership role in Detroit's Jewish community, many had wondered if Woll's murder was motivated by antisemitism or sparked by the Israel-Hamas war that began two weeks prior to her death. Officials have said multiple times over the course of the investigation that no evidence has surfaced suggesting antisemitism played a role in the killing.

Remanded back into custody following Tuesday's hearing, Jackson-Bolanos is due back in court on January 30.