by
Samatha Woll
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has not given up on retrying the defendant in the murder of downtown Detroit synagogue Preasident Samantha Woll.
"We have filed our claim of appeal," Maria Miller, a spokesperson for Prosecutor Kym Worthy, said Tuesday in an email. "The transcript is being prepared so that we can prepare our brief."
Defendant Michael Jackson-Balonis was charged in the Oct. 21, 2023 slaying of Woll, who was found stabbed multiple times outside her townhome in Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood.
Jackson-Bolanos, 29, was acquitted by a Wayne County Circuit Court jury on charges of first-degree premeditated murder or second-degree murder. The jury deadlocked on the charges of felony murder and first-degree home invasion, and the judge subsequently dropped those charges, saying the factual allegations were similar to the counts Jackson-Balanos was acquitted of.
The prosecution is arguing that it should be able to retry Jackson-Bolanos on the deadlocked counts of felony murder and first-degree home invasion.
Jackson-Bolanos's lawyer Brian Brown insists his client is innocent of the slaying and has criticized investigators for what he says was not a thorough enough job of clearing other possible suspects. He argued successfully with the trial judge that retrying his client on the deadlocked counts essentially amounted to double jeopardy. He'll argue the same on the appeal.
Jackson-Bolanos was convicted of lying to investigators and was sentenced to 18 months to 15 years. His earliest release date is next June 6, according to the Department of Corrections website. He is currently being housed in the Charles E. Egeler Reception & Guidance Center in Jackson.
If the prosecution loses its appeals before the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court, the case would be considered unsolved.
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