DETROIT (WWJ) — Prosecutors are actively fighting to keep Michael Jackson-Bolanos — the man who stood trial for the death of Detroit Jewish leader Samantha Woll — in prison, appealing a decision by the Parole Board to grant his release.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said it has filed an application and a motion to stay with the Wayne County Third Circuit Court to overturn the Parole Board's decision.
Following the initial court filing, the Parole Board placed a 28-day hold on Jackson-Bolanos’s release. Because the Circuit Court did not reach a decision on the appeal within that initial period, the board extended the hold for another 28 days, pushing Jackson-Bolanos' potential release date to August 26, 2026.
Attorneys for Jackson-Bolanos, which held a news conference on Tuesday, note that their client's scheduled release has been "interrupted on multiple occasions" following actions involving the WCPO. The lawyers said in a release that Jackson-Bolanos was not convicted of Woll's murder, and said that his continued incarceration raises "legal and constitutional issues."
Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller emphasized that the prosecutor's office strongly disagrees with releasing Jackson-Bolanos and is actively challenging the board's decision "through the appropriate means of seeking leave to appeal from the Circuit Court, and not in the press."
Meanwhile, the WCPO noted that new charges issued against Jackson-Bolanos on July 24, 2026 — stemming from a 2020 incident involving open container and resisting officer allegations — are being thrown out. Prosecutor Kym Worthy said she immediately ordered them dismissed upon learning of their filing, keeping the WCPO's focus centered on the parole appeal.
Background on the Samantha Woll murder case
Jackson-Bolanos was 29 years old when he went on trial in the summer of 2024 connection with the 2023 stabbing death of Detroit Jewish leader Samantha Woll.
Woll, who served as President of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue, was found stabbed to death outside her Lafayette Park home the morning of Oct. 21, 2023. Authorities have said Woll attended a wedding the night before she was murdered.
Investigators believe the 40-year-old Woll was attacked inside her home, before she stumbled outside. A trail of blood was found from her front door, which was left ajar, to the spot where a neighbor found her body.
In August 2024, a jury acquitted Jackson-Bolanos of first-degree premeditated murder and convicted him of lying to law enforcement. However, the jury was deadlocked on charges of felony murder and home invasion.
Jackson-Bolanos was then sentenced to 18 months to 15 years in prison for lying to police, with the sentence factor in his status as a habitual fourth offender.
Judge Margaret Van Houten subsequently dismissed the deadlocked counts, citing the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Yeager v. United States, which prevents a retrial on charges sharing the same factual basis after an acquittal on a related charge.
Jackson-Bolanos maintains his innocence
Throughout his trial, Jackson-Bolanos maintained he did not kill Woll.
While cell phone data, surveillance video, and trace blood evidence placed Jackson-Bolanos at the scene, his attorneys argues that he was never seen on security video at Woll's home.
Jackson-Bolanos testified that he was in the neighborhood breaking into cars, found Woll lying on the sidewalk, touched her face, and fled after realizing she was dead. That, he said, would explain how her blood go on his clothing.
Jackson-Bolanos admitted to lying to police initially out of fear of being accused of her murder.
Earlier in the investigation, Woll's ex-boyfriend told police he believed he'd killed her during a mental crisis, and didn't remember doing it, He later withdrew that statement, saying he confessed falsely while having a panic attack.
To date, no one has been convicted in Woll's murder.
