(CBS DETROIT) – Several investigators took the stand on the seventh day of the murder trial of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll. Investigators included Detective Lt. Alexander Martinez of the Michigan State Police, who examined video surveillance footage of the areas surrounding the Woll’s home the night of the murder.
“I continued to observe this individual and saw what I believe was this individual pulling on a door handle, in the parking lot of the victim’s townhouse,” Martinez said.
Martinez said the person in the video appeared to be breaking into a vehicle in the parking lot of the Lafayette Square Condos.
“It appeared there was a forced entry, and possibly a bag was carried at some point,” Martinez said.
A gray bag was taken as evidence after investigators served a search warrant on a vehicle driven by Michael Jackson-Bolanos.
Eugene Fitzhugh, an evidence technician with the Detroit Police Department, testified that he tested a spot that looked like blood on the driver’s side door panel.
“I did wipe it off, but after I wiped it off, the stain usually remains if it’s blood. I even put it in my report that it was probably ink or some other substance,” Fitzhugh said.
No blood was found in Jackson-Bolanos’ vehicle; However, during the preliminary hearings, the prosecutor presented evidence that blood found on a jacket belonging to the suspect contained blood that had been tested and likely matched a sample from Samantha Woll.
That evidence has yet to be presented in this case and is perhaps the most important piece of evidence connecting Jackson Bolanos to the scene of the murder that occurred on October 21, 2023.
Testimonies will continue on Monday.
