A man acquitted of first-degree murder in the 2023 killing of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll is still in prison more than a year after becoming eligible for parole, his attorneys said, accusing the Wayne County prosecutor's office of taking last-minute steps to block his release.

DETROIT - A man acquitted of first-degree murder in the 2023 killing of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll is still in prison more than a year after becoming eligible for parole, his attorneys said, accusing the Wayne County prosecutor's office of taking last-minute steps to block his release.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos was charged in December 2023 in Woll's death and went to trial in 2024.


A jury in July 2024 found him not guilty of first-degree murder.

Jurors deadlocked on felony murder and home invasion counts, and he was convicted of lying to a police officer during an investigation into car break-ins near Woll's home, according to his trial attorney.

Trial attorney Purna Krishnamoorthy said the Michigan Department of Corrections recommended a shorter sentence for the lying conviction, but Jackson-Bolanos was sentenced to 18 months to 15 years.

 The sentence was dramatically more severe than MDOC's recommendation for the offense, and quite frankly, extraordinarily unusual for this type of offense, particularly in Wayne County,  Krishnamoorthy said.

Jackson-Bolanos' lawyers said a parole board later approved his release, but that he watched two scheduled release dates pass last month.

Attorney Austin Gregory said an  emergency intervention  was filed less than 24 hours before a scheduled July 1 release date, delaying it.

Gregory said a new release date was set for July 29, but Jackson-Bolanos was again told the day before he would not be released because of a warrant dating back to 2020.

 They've done something underhanded and nefarious in this case to keep him in prison,  Gregory said, alleging a charge was filed that prosecutors knew would be dismissed.

Krishnamoorthy said Jackson-Bolanos was found not guilty of murder but continued to face consequences tied to allegat

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