A Detroit man was charged on Wednesday with murder in the October killing of Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll during a home invasion, prosecutors announced, according to a report in CNN.
The man, identified as Michael Manuel Jackson-Bolanos, 28, has been charged with committing a felony murder during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of a larceny and/or a first-degree home invasion, according to the Detroit Police Department.
If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole, police said.
He was also charged with one count of home invasion and one count of lying to a peace officer, police said. Authorities do not believe Jackson-Bolanos knew Woll.
Woll, President of the board of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, was found dead outside her home with multiple stab wounds on her body on October 21.
Early in the investigation, police said there was no evidence to suggest her slaying was a hate crime, and the local prosecutor reiterated this on Wednesday.
“Let me state very clearly … There are no facts to suggest that this defendant knew Ms. Woll and there are certainly no facts to suggest this was a hate crime,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said during a news conference, according to CNN.
A medical examiner determined Woll’s death was caused by multiple sharp force wounds with a straight-edge cutting instrument, Worthy said, adding Woll died by homicide.
Detroit Police Chief James White said the suspect came on police's radar a few weeks ago and was being investigated for larcenies in the area of Woll's home, but he "timed out," and authorities had to release him.
"Once he was released, we kept an eye on him until we had enough to ultimately make an arrest," White said, according to NBC News, though declined to discuss specifics of the case.
The announcement over the weekend of a person in custody was the second in as many months after investigators said in November they were holding someone, then released them three days later without further explanation. Worthy said Wednesday they were not the same person.