Testimony so far in the trial of Samantha Woll's alleged killer

DETROIT – The man accused of stabbing a well-known Detroit woman to death in 2023 was on trial for murder in June.

Witnesses began testifying Wednesday, June 12, at the trial of Michael Jackson-Bolanos, a man in his twenties. Jackson-Bolanos is accused of stabbing Woll, 40, to death in his Detroit apartment on October 21, 2023.

He is on trial for first-degree murder, felony murder, home invasion and lying to a peace officer.

After two days of testimony, the trial did not resume on Friday June 14. The trial was instead scheduled to resume next week.

All testimony provided so far in court can be found below:

Day 1 – June 11, 2024

Opening statements were delivered Tuesday afternoon. No testimony was offered on June 11.

Prosecution opening statement

Defense opening statement

Day 2 – June 12, 2024

Witness 1 – Kevin Mull, neighbor

The first testimony came from Kevin Mull, a neighbor who lives in a townhouse across the street from Woll's house. Mull discovered Woll's body lying outside on the sidewalk while he was taking a dog outside.

Witness 2 – Jessica Robinson, neighbor

Robinson is married to Mull and also lives in the house across the street from Woll's. Robinson called 911 after her husband found Woll's body outside.

Witness 3 – Preston Kue, police officer

Former Detroit police officer Preston Kue was one of the officers dispatched to Woll's home after the 911 call. Kue, now a police officer in Clinton Township, testified about what he saw and reported that morning.

Witness 4 – Derrik Doad, police officer

Derrik Doad was a Detroit police officer dispatched to Woll's home after his neighbors called 911 on October 21, 2023. Doad was questioned about what he saw and reported that morning.

Witness 5 – Carrington Sheridan, Forensic Technician

Forensic technician Carrington Sheridan of the Detroit Police Department was in Woll's home after her murder. Sheridan observed the scene and helped record and photograph the evidence.

Witness 6 – Daron Zhou, police sergeant.

Detroit Police Sgt. Detective Daron Zhou works in the homicide division and was called to the scene of Woll's home the day she was found. He recovered a cell phone from the crime scene.

Witness 7 – Eli Bowers, FBI Agent

FBI Special Agent Eli Bowers was working with the Evidence Analysis Team at the time of Woll's murder, as a crime scene photographer. The Evidence Response Team is made up of individuals specially trained to respond to various crime scenes and collect evidence.

Part one

Day 3 – June 13, 2024

Witness 7 (again) – Eli Bowers, FBI agent

Second part

Witness 8 – Guy Nutter, forensic pathologist

Guy Nutter is the technical lead for crime scene and bloodstain analysis in the Michigan State Police Department's Forensic Sciences Division. Nutter supervised forensic personnel who collected and documented evidence at Woll's home.

Witness 9 – Sherri Berger, long-time friend of Woll

Sherri Burger describes herself as a longtime friend of Woll's, having first met in their early teens. Berger, who lives out of town, traveled to Detroit and stayed with Woll the week before her death.

Witness 10 – James England, Evidence Lab Supervisor

James England is a supervisor of the latent printing unit at a Michigan State Police laboratory, where they process evidence. The English unit was responsible for processing evidence relating to Woll's murder.

Witness 11 – James Griffioen, neighbor

James Griffioen is a resident of the Lafayette Park community in which Woll lived. Griffioen was woken in the middle of the night by his sick puppy and went out with the dog early in the morning the day Woll was killed.

Witness 12 – Nicole Croom, Deputy Medical Examiner

Nicole Croom is a deputy medical examiner at the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office in Detroit. She strives to determine the cause and manner of death of the cases entrusted to her.

About the case

Samantha Woll, also known as Sam, was found stabbed to death on the morning of Saturday, October 21, 2023, outside her Detroit apartment. A witness found Woll lying on the ground unconscious around 6:30 a.m. that day.

First responders arrived on scene and found Woll had been stabbed multiple times. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later said she was stabbed eight times, including several in the neck.

Police said a “trail of blood” led from where Woll's body was found to his home. Police believe the woman was attacked at her home shortly after 12:30 a.m., as she was returning home from a wedding, and stumbled outside after the attack.

Investigators confirmed there were no signs of a break-in at Woll's home. She was found with her wallet and phone on her. Sources said there were no defensive injuries on Woll, but police have not confirmed that detail.

Throughout the investigation, authorities repeatedly asserted that there was no evidence that Woll's murder was a hate crime.

Woll served as board president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, near Capitol Park in Detroit, and was well known in the community. She was also a campaign staffer for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and a former aide to Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin.

Woll was remembered as someone who supported people and people-centered movements, and was recognized for her interfaith work, including by Muslim advocacy groups.

Jackson-Bolanos arrested

Police arrested Jackson-Bolanos in Utica in December 2023. Law enforcement had been monitoring the man and located him driving his car – a 2007 Dodge Charger – in Macomb County on the day of his arrest.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office announced charges against Jackson-Bolanos on December 13, 2023. In addition to being charged with murder and now first-degree murder, the man has also been charged with home invasion and lie to a peace officer.

A felony murder charge occurs when a person accused of committing a violent crime is charged with murder if the commission of that crime results in someone's death.

Brian Brown, Jackson-Bolanos' defense attorney, said his client denies all allegations against him. Brown said he believed Jackson-Bolanos “may be a victim of circumstances,” particularly following a previous arrest in November that did not result in any charges.

A man was arrested in West Michigan in November 2023 and was released days later without being charged. The identity of that person has not been released, but the Wayne County Prosecutor confirmed it was not Jackson-Bolanos.

Brown said he believes police once again arrested the wrong person.

Click here to see a detailed timeline of Jackson-Bolanos' whereabouts surrounding the stabbing, according to prosecutors.