A suspect arrested in the fatal stabbing of a Detroit synagogue leader has been released without charge after prosecutors said police failed to file any paperwork — a possible clue they’re still building their case.
An unidentified suspect was arrested last week in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for Samantha Woll’s murder, but was released Friday after 72 hours in custody – the longest law enforcement can hold someone without a hearing under Michigan law.
“There is nothing in front of us,” the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office told Fox News regarding the absence of a warrant request.
“This must happen before we can review the case for a charging decision,” he explained. “Until then, it is entirely a police investigation that they continue to work on.”
But police said the man remains a suspect, and said that when he was brought back to Detroit from Kalamazoo, he stopped cooperating and hired an attorney, according to Click On Detroit.
“A homicide investigation into the tragic killing of Samantha Woll is ongoing,” the Detroit Police Department said in a statement.
The suspect arrested in the murder of Samatha Woll, 40, was released from custody after police failed to file paperwork. Courtesy of JCRC/AJC
“Despite the latest developments, the DPD Homicide Unit remains committed to presenting a comprehensive set of facts to present to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office,” he said, adding: “This crime reflects the usual challenges in our line of work when an arrest is made as an investigation unfolds.
“We are appealing to the public for any information as investigators look into every aspect of this case thoroughly.”
Local defense attorney Edward Bajoka, who was not involved in the case, told Fox News Digital that the potential suspect’s release means authorities are still building their case.
“This tells me either the police don’t have enough evidence to pursue formal criminal charges, or the police interviewed him and cleared him,” said Bajoka, an attorney with the Detroit-based Bajoka Law Group.
He said there was a chance they arrested him hoping he would incriminate himself.
The suspect was reportedly arrested after he made “vague” statements to police about Woll’s death.
He is said to have known Woll, 40, and even attended her funeral, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Police were then seen executing a search warrant at his home last week, the Free Press reported.
The suspect is said to know Woll, and even attended her funeral.Isaac Agrees Downtown Synagogue
Woll, president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue, was found dead outside her home in the city’s Lafayette Park neighborhood, east of downtown, on Oct. 21.
Police said they responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive person around 6:30 a.m. Woll had attended a wedding the night before and left about 12:30 a.m., according to police and friends.
Authorities believe he was stabbed inside before stumbling outside, critically injured.
Woll was found dead outside her home in Detroit’s Lafayette Park neighborhood on October 21. AFP via Getty Images Detroit police believe he was stabbed inside before stumbling outside.AFP via Getty Images
Throughout the investigation, Detroit Police Chief James White has insisted that there is no evidence to suggest that the killings were the result of a hate crime.
“We believe that this particular incident was not motivated by antisemitism and that this suspect acted alone,” White told reporters at a press conference on October 23 – when he said investigators were “just short” of naming a suspect.
He said at the time there were “several factors” that led to that conclusion, but declined to elaborate.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
