Detroit — Three forensic experts in bodily fluid identification and DNA analysis from the Michigan State Police testified Thursday in the trial of the man accused of killing Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll last fall, attempting to link blood evidence to the defendant.
The jury also traveled by bus to the scene of Woll’s death during the lunch break on Thursday, said Margaret Van Houten, a Wayne County District Court judge, at the start of testimony in the afternoon.
One of the experts, Toni Gruesser, said her tests revealed possible blood stains on a black North Face jacket and a gray backpack found in the apartment where suspect Michael Jackson-Bolanos was staying at the time of Woll’s murder.
The stains tested positive for possible blood on three spots on the men’s black North Face jacket, one on the lower right front and two on the back of the right sleeve. Samples were sent for DNA analysis, Gruesser said. No blood stains were visible to the naked eye on the jacket, which Gruesser described as “mint condition.” Chemical tests were conducted to find the stains, she explained.
Erica Anderson, a DNA analyst, said she obtained these and other samples from the jacket and used genetic profiles from a blood vial and a cheek swab, respectively, to determine the likelihood that Woll and Jackson-Bolanos contributed to each sample.
There is very strong evidence that Woll contributed to both DNA swabs from the North Face jacket sleeve, while there is strong evidence that Jackson-Bolanos did not contribute to the lower right sleeve swab and moderate evidence that he did not contribute to the upper right sleeve swab, Anderson said. The front stain is not sufficient for comparison with the other genetic profiles, she said.
Defense attorney Brian Brown had previously stated during the preliminary examination that there would have been much more blood on the jacket if Jackson-Bolanos had repeatedly stabbed Woll. Brown argued that although Jackson-Bolanos was near Woll’s townhouse, he was not there long enough to commit the murder.
Jackson-Bolanos, 29, of Detroit, was charged with first-degree murder and premeditated murder for committing a burglary in connection with Woll’s death. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
The jacket was recovered by Detroit police officer Ellen Czajka from the studio apartment where Jackson-Bolanos’ girlfriend was staying. Czajka was one of four police officers involved in the investigation who testified at the trial on Thursday.
Woll was found dead by a neighbor outside her Lafayette Park home in the early hours of October 21. She had been stabbed eight times in the head and neck. Woll had attended a friend’s wedding that same evening and prosecutors believe she was murdered around 4:20 a.m.
Blood-soaked shirt shown
Jackson-Bolanos’ trial began on June 10 and is nearing the end of its third week. Czajka testified that she recovered several pieces of evidence from the studio apartment, including a Stanley knife, a Leatherman multi-tool that contained a knife, eight black latex gloves, a ski mask, three different pairs of shoes and a black hood.
Other law enforcement officials who testified Thursday morning included Detroit Police Sergeant Jarmiare McEntire, Detroit Police Officer Deval Crenshaw and Michigan State Police Detective Beatrice Terrell. McEntire said he interviewed Benjamin Sofferin, who was last seen interacting with Woll at the wedding that evening, and Woll’s housekeeper, although neither was ever suspected. He also obtained Woll’s clothing, a blood sample and fingernail clippings from the Wayne County Coroner.
A photograph of Woll’s blood-soaked shirt turned inside out was shown in court. McEntire described small holes visible in the neck and shoulder area. The prosecution asked McEntire to connect certain holes in Woll’s shirt to wounds on an anatomical diagram. Brown objected, but the judge allowed the testimony.
“The way the holes were arranged on the shirt seemed to match the holes on her body,” McEntire said. “All of the clothing was soaked in blood and the shirt had four small holes on the back. The orange and blue jacket had four holes on the back that seemed to match the holes in the shirt. The jacket also had two holes in the hood.”
The photos also showed Woll’s blood-soaked sweatpants, which had no holes, and her jacket, which had several holes and cuts, particularly two in the hood. Brown also asked McEntire if Woll had been seen with an unknown or unsociable man in the weeks before her death.
“I don’t remember an unknown man, but I know she met with a few gentlemen during the time she lived at Joliett Place,” McEntire said.
State Police Detective Terrell said he came into contact with Jackson-Bolanos at Detroit Public Safety headquarters on Nov. 30 and took a pocket knife from him as evidence.
Prosecutors confirmed that Detroit police officer Crenshaw took DNA swabs from and interviewed several people, including Jeffrey Herbstman and Aaron Pergament, both of whom testified earlier in the trial. Woll dated Herbstman for about a year before they split last summer, and had a brief relationship with Pergament shortly afterward. Herbstman admitted to killing Woll in a panic attack, but police said they never found evidence that he did so.
Gruesser, one of the forensic scientists, detailed her methods for identifying the bodily fluids to the jury and said no traces of blood were found on other evidence, including a knife, multi-tool, hood, ski mask and items of clothing such as jeans and sweatpants.
Kathleen Gill, the second forensic scientist with the Michigan State Police, said she tested evidence from the crime scene and Woll himself for blood and contact DNA. A keychain, the front doorknob and a lock box tested positive for possible blood traces and were swabbed for DNA analysis, Gill said.
Gill also examined Woll’s jacket for possible cellular material that might have been left by a person touching it, as well as Woll’s fingernail clippers, which also indicated possible blood. Woll’s shirt and pants were too blood-soaked to pick up any other cellular material, she said.
Gill also disassembled the pocket knife taken from Jackson-Bolanos and the Stanley folding knife found in the apartment to test internal parts for blood. The results were negative, she said. A blue folding knife found in Herbstman’s vehicle was also disassembled and tested for possible blood traces, again negative.
Jury asks questions
Anderson was interviewed by Brown and answered questions from the jury about her expert-reviewed methods of DNA analysis.
In addition to the samples from the North Face jacket, Anderson obtained Woll’s fingernail clippers and swabs from her front doorknob, doorknob turn lock, a lock box, a set of keys, her contact lenses, her jacket, and doors and walls in her home. Genetic analysis provided strong evidence that Woll contributed to all of the samples and was the only one to many, Anderson said.
Anderson noted that four people contributed to the door lock sample, one of whom was male and one believed to be Woll, while two people contributed to the door lock sample. Anderson also said it is common to find multiple donors on items that are frequently touched.
Anderson also obtained DNA samples from people who had already testified, Herbstman and Parchment, and compared their profiles to the sample analysis. There was moderate support that Herbstman was not involved in the lockbox swabs and limited support that Parchment was not involved in the lockbox swabs. There was also moderate support that Jackson-Bolanos was not involved in the lockbox swabs.
Anderson also found that two individuals and at least one man contributed to the backpack stain. There is very strong evidence that Woll contributed to that sample, while Jackson-Bolanos has been excluded, she said.
Brown and his deputy, Ryan Elsey, also questioned Anderson about how DNA could be transferred from people to clothing and then to other surfaces. Anderson said transfer is always possible, but the amount of DNA will decrease with each subsequent transfer.
“However, if someone is wearing gloves and touches a surface, the DNA will not penetrate through the gloves. If … his DNA got on the outside of the gloves and he touched the surface, there is a chance his DNA would be found,” Anderson said.
