Prosecutors have lost the opportunity to try again in convicting Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 29, following a jury deadlocking last month on two of four charges in the slaying of Jewish community leader Samantha Woll.
Judge Margaret Van Houten sentenced Jackson-Bolanos on Aug. 9 to 18 months in prison for lying to police during their investigation into Woll’s death. However, citing “double jeopardy” and a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision on partial jury verdicts, she dismissed the murder charge in which jurors could not reach consensus.
Van Houten told Jackson-Bolanos at his sentencing that “if lying was an Olympic sport, you would get a gold medal, sir.”
Of the four charges against the accused, jurors convicted him for lying to police; acquitted him of first-degree murder; and deadlocked on charges of felony murder and home invasion.
When testifying in his own defense, Jackson-Bolanos maintained his innocence and admitted to finding Woll’s body. He claimed that he did not report the killing to police because he was out that night attempting to break into cars.
Police have affirmed since the beginning of the investigation in October 2023 that antisemitism did not play a role in the crimes.