Man on trial for murder of Detroit Jewish leader Samantha Woll takes the stand in his own defense, says he did not kill her

DETROIT (WWJ) -- The man on trial for murdering Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll has testified that he did not kill her.

Taking the stand in his own defense on Wednesday, Michael Jackson-Bolanos was questioned about the night Woll was slain in her east side Detroit home.

Jackson-Bolanos testified that he saw Woll's body on the ground, and didn't initially know whether it was a man or a woman.

He said he approached and touched the person's neck to see if they were OK, and that's how he got blood on his jacket .

Jackson-Bolanos said he didn't call 911 because he'd been breaking into cars, and police would've wanted to know what he was doing in that neighborhood.

"Did you kill that person?" defense attorney Brian Brown asked.

"Absolutely not," Jackson-Bolanos responded.

"Did you ever enter that person's home?" Brown asked.

"Absolutely not," Jackson-Bolanos responded.

"Did you ever remove any items from their pockets?"

"Absolutely not," he repeated.

"Did you stab Samantha Woll?"

"Absolutely not. I had no weapons on me that whole night," Jackson-Bolanos said. "What I'm out there doing, I don't need no conflict, no confrontation with anybody."

Jackson-Bolanos, 26, is charged with first degree murder and home invasion. He faces life in prison if convicted.

Earlier Wednesday, Woll's sister, Monica Rosen, testified about telling police several names who should be investigated for her death. She mentioned one ex-boyfriend was a "stalker," but said she was in shock, and had no real basis for saying that.

"You have to understand, my sister was beloved by many people; whether she met them for two minutes, or she knew them for her entire life," Rosen said. "And this particular person also really liked her, and that's what I was telling the police. I wanted to be cooperative as possible."

Investigators believe Jackson-Bolanos attacked Woll inside her home in the early morning hours of Oct. 21, 2023, before she stumbled outside onto the sidewalk. A trail of blood was found from Woll's front door, which was left ajar, to the spot where a neighbor found her body.

Because of her leadership role in the local Jewish community, as president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue, many had wondered if Woll's murder was motivated by antisemitism or sparked by the Israel-Hamas war. Officials have said repeatedly over the course of the investigation that no evidence has surfaced suggesting antisemitism played a role in the killing.

Proceedings wrapped up for the day following Jackson-Bolanos' testimony. He will be cross-examined by the prosecution when the trial will resume on Monday before Judge Margaret Van Houten.