Police release suspect in Samantha Woll homicide as investigation continues
Detroit — Detroit Police late Friday released a suspect who had been held for 72 hours in the killing of Jewish community leader Samantha Woll, whose stabbing death last month raised concerns about an antisemitic attack targeting a popular religious leader coinciding with the Israel-Hamas war.
The man's defense team, Allison Kriger and Mark Kriger, confirmed his release as investigators continue looking into an ambiguous statement the suspect made to police about the Oct. 21 killing, four police sources told The Detroit News.
Four sources told The News the man was an acquaintance of Woll's who was arrested Tuesday night in Kalamazoo after giving a statement to police about the killing, although the sources said they didn't think the declaration alone would be enough to bring charges.
The latest development in the Woll case marks the second time in six months that the Detroit Police Department has released a suspect in a high-profile killing. In a separate case in May, police released a suspect in the killing of 53-year-old neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Hoover, who was found shot to death in his Boston Edison neighborhood home in late April.
By 3 p.m. Friday, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's office had not received a warrant request seeking charges in Woll's killing, Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller said, meaning 48 hours had passed from when White first announced that a suspect had been taken into custody.
Detroit Police Sgt. Jordan Hall declined to comment Friday beyond what was in White's statement two days earlier, in which the chief said: "A suspect has been taken into custody for the murder of Samantha Woll. While this is an encouraging development in our desire to bring closure for Ms. Woll’s family, it does not represent the conclusion of our work in this case.
More:Police look into suspect's statement in Woll homicide as clock ticks on bringing charges
"The details of the investigation will remain confidential at this time to ensure the integrity of the important steps that remain," White said. "Investigators will be continuing their work with the Wayne County Prosecutors Office until the conclusion of this investigation.”
The 40-year-old Woll was stabbed to death inside her home in the Lafayette Park neighborhood on Detroit's east side, police said. After the attack, Woll stumbled out of her house and collapsed on her front lawn, according to investigators.
The case made national headlines amid speculation that Woll's killing may have been related to her prominence in the Jewish community. But White has insisted that there's no evidence linking Woll's Oct. 21 killing to ongoing tensions about Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, or that the stabbing was motivated by antisemitism or the victim's position as president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue.
During a press conference three days after the homicide, White assured reporters from local and national media outlets that evidence didn't point to a hate crime.
On Thursday, in the most recent official statement about the case, the Detroit Police Department tweeted: "At this time, the details of the investigation must remain confidential including the name of the suspect. Investigators are at a critical juncture in this case and are working tirelessly toward bringing this matter to closure."
In the Hoover case, the victim's body was found wrapped in a blanket and shoved into the upstairs crawlspace of his home in the 100 block of West Boston Boulevard after police were called there to conduct a wellness check. The Wayne County Medical Examiner determined he had been shot in the head multiple times, and his death was ruled a homicide.
A man was taken into police custody within a week, and investigators interrogated him, White said at the time.
"We're actively questioning the person of interest, and we're confident he knows something," White said. "We believe the victim and the killer knew each other. This is not random, and the community is not at risk."
But the Wayne County Prosecutor's office did not receive a warrant request to review the case, and the suspect was released.
"Homicide personnel will continue to investigate the information in its possession and follow up on any leads it receives," police said in May, and the investigation continues.
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