Defendant Michael Jackson-Bolanos, on trial for the murder of Samantha Woll, testifies in his defense, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit. during a violent overnight encounter denied any role Wednesday, telling jurors that he never entered her home but had discovered and touched her bloody body outdoors.
Woll’s slaying immediately raised speculation about whether it was some type of antisemitic retaliation amid the Israel-Hamas war, though“When I realized she was dead I wanted nothing to do with the entire situation,” he told the jury. “I’m a Black guy in the middle of the night breaking into cars and I found myself standing in front of a dead white woman. That doesn’t look good at all.”
She was stabbed multiple times and had head wounds. Jurors saw pictures of blood smeared on the floor of her townhouse. “I didn’t shake the body,” he said. “I just checked the neck — no air, no breath or nothing. Once I realized I just touched a dead person I just grabbed the bag and I left.”