Deadlocked Jury Has 1 More Day To Reach Verdict In Samantha Woll Trial

DETROIT — Jurors in the Samantha Woll murder trial were still deadlocked Tuesday after a fourth day of deliberations, but they told a judge they did make some movement throughout the day, according to news reports.

In response, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Van Houten told jurors they have one more day, Thursday, to deliberate before she will accept the hung jury and declare a mistrial, according to a Detroit News report. They will take the day off Wednesday due to a juror's child care issue.

Jurors are deciding the fate of 29-year-old Michael Jackson-Bolanos, whom prosecutors said brutally stabbed Woll to death during a home invasion after she left her unlocked in October 2023 when she returned home from a friend's wedding.

Police found Woll's body with multiple stab wounds lying a few feet from her apartment in Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood at 6:38 a.m. on Oct. 21, 2023.

Jackson-Bolanos has denied killing Woll, though he admitted he was in Woll's neighborhood breaking into cars around the time of her death. He said he touched Woll's neck to see if she was alive, but didn't contact police because he was afraid her murder would be pinned on him.

The jury deliberated last Wednesday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday for more than 20 hours. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has not commented on the next steps if the jury isn't able to reach a verdict.

Woll, 40, was a prominent Jewish leader in Detroit, serving as president of the board of Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. Police do not believe antisemitism played a role in the killing.