Judge: Blood on jacket of man accused of killing Samantha Woll 'hard evidence to overcome'

A Wayne County judge said Friday that murder victim Samantha Woll's blood found on a jacket discovered inside of an apartment where the man accused of killing Woll was staying was circumstantial evidence, but is "some hard evidence to overcome."

Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 29, is charged with stabbing Woll, 40, eight times and killing her Oct. 21 during a home invasion inside her home in Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood.

His attorney, Brian Brown, filed a motion to quash a district court ruling that sent the case to trial, arguing that 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King erred when he found there was enough probable cause in the case.

But Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Van Houten said Friday she thought King was thorough in his review of the case and he did not abuse his discretion to send the case to trial. She denied Brown's motion to quash.

Woll was stabbed inside her apartment after returning from a wedding, police said. According to testimony during the first day of Jackson-Bolanos' preliminary examination in December, a motion detector triggered in her living room at 4:20 a.m., suggesting the killing happened then.

After she was stabbed, Woll stumbled out of her apartment and collapsed on the front lawn, police said. Neighbor Kevin Mull said he found Woll's body while he was walking a friend’s dog at about 6:30 a.m.

Van Houten spoke about a compilation video of the suspect in the murder — which prosecutors say is Jackson-Bolanos — walking from midtown, to an area around Woll's home and back to midtown wearing a black North Face jacket. A similar jacket, with blood stains believed to belong to Woll, was found in the midtown apartment where Jackson-Bolanos was staying.

Jackson-Bolanos was tracked by dozens of video cameras as he made the two-mile trek from his apartment to Woll’s home. On the way, police said he appeared to break into a car and steal a light-colored bag.

"That is very important, especially the timing of when that person with the black North Face coat is seen," Van Houten said.

But Brown said there were only traces of Woll's blood on the jacket sleeve. He suggested that Jackson-Bolanos, like Mull, had found the body, "and maybe he reached over and touched it."

"Had my client stabbed her eight times, you'd have a lot more blood on the jacket than two microscopic specks," Brown said during the preliminary examination. He did not make any arguments about the motion to quash Friday.

King agreed during the preliminary examination that it was curious that so little blood was found on the jacket.

She said in the video, the person appears to be looking over their shoulder and running at times, which is "showing a consciousness of guilt."

She noted the evidence was circumstantial, as there are no witnesses to the murder to identify who did it, but finding Woll's blood on the jacket is key.

"That’s some hard evidence to overcome, finding the blood on the jacket in the defendant's apartment where he was staying," Van Houten said.

She also confirmed King's decision to add on a first-degree murder charge, noting that "by the eighth stab wound that this person had time to think during those stabbing attempts."

Jackson-Bolanos' trial is set to begin June 10.

He is charged with committing a felony murder, first-degree murder, home invasion and lying to a police officer. He faces life in prison if convicted.

Woll was a prominent Jewish leader in Detroit, serving as president of the board of Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue.

kberg@detroitnews.com