A man being held in connection with the fatal stabbing of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll was charged with murder, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The suspect, identified as Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, of Detroit, had been taken into custody Sunday as part of the investigation into Woll’s death in October, said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy. She added that there are “no facts to suggest” that he knew Woll or that her killing was motivated by antisemitism.
“There’s not a shred of evidence to suggest this was a hate crime,” Worthy said at a news conference.
Jackson-Bolanos also faces additional charges of breaking and entering without permission and lying to a peace officer.
Detroit Police Chief James White said the suspect came on police’s radar a few weeks ago and was being investigated for larcenies in the area of Woll’s home, but he “timed out,” and authorities had to release him.
“Once he was released, we kept an eye on him until we had enough to ultimately make an arrest,” White said.
He declined to discuss specifics of the case, including what led police to determine how the suspect was linked to Woll’s death.
“At no time was anyone in our community at risk,” White said of the suspect being out.
Worthy said her office has informed Woll’s family that an arrest had been made.
The announcement over the weekend of a person in custody was the second in as many months after investigators said in November they were holding someone — then released them three days later without further explanation. Worthy said Wednesday they were not the same person.
Friends and loved ones of Woll, who had served as board president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit and worked in Democratic politics in Michigan, said they were hopeful that investigators could find her killer.
Investigators continued to reiterate there was no information suggesting the 40-year-old’s death was a hate crime, although Woll was a high-profile member of the city’s Jewish community and her…
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