Trial for man accused of killing Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll set to begin in June

DETROIT (WWJ) — Michael Jackson-Bolanos, the man accused of killing Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll, will be heading to trial in June.

Jackson-Bolanos, 28, was formally arraigned Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court and a trial date was set for June 10. The final conference in the case before trial is scheduled for April 12.

Last week Jackson-Bolanos was bound over for trial in connection with the stabbing death of Woll, who was found dead outside her Lafayette Park apartment in October. He remains remanded to jail following Tuesday's arraignment.

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

While prosecutors focused on the video, a defense attorney argued that police arrested the wrong man and that Jackson-Bolanos was never actually seen on security video at Woll's home.

Investigators believe Jackson-Bolanos attacked Woll inside her home in the early morning hours of Oct. 21, before she stumbled outside and was found on the sidewalk hours later. A trail of blood was found from Woll's front door, which was left ajar, to the spot where a neighbor found her body.

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.