Samantha Woll, president of the board at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue poses for a photo in Detroit, Oct. 13, 2022. Police say a person of interest has been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of the synagogue leader whose death occurred following the start of the Israel-Hamas war, leading to speculation the slaying could have been the result of antisemitism. The arrest is the second announced by the city’s police department since the Oct. 21 slaying of Samantha Woll who was found dead outside her near-downtown home hours after returning from a wedding. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP, file)
DETROIT (AP) – Authorities filed a murder charge Wednesday in the October slaying of a Detroit synagogue leader, alleging that she was killed by a stranger who broke into her home.
There was not a “shred of evidence” that Samantha Woll was killed as a result of antisemitism or any hate crime, prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
A 28-year-old Detroit man was charged with murder and two other crimes. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.
Samantha Woll, 40, was found dead outside her home, east of downtown Detroit, on Oct. 21, hours after returning from a wedding. Investigators believe she was attacked inside the residence.
Police said a person of interest was in custody over the weekend. A different person who was in custody was released in November.
Woll was president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. Besides her work for the synagogue, Woll had worked for Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin and on the political campaign of state Attorney General Dana Nessel.
