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Suspect in custody in connection with the murder of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll
Samantha Woll was discovered stabbed to death outside her home in the Lafayette Park neighbourhood, east of downtown, on October 21
Police have confirmed that a suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the murder of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll. Last month, Samantha, 40, was found fatally stabbed outside of her home.
Police have yet to name the suspect. They added that additional information would be revealed “at the appropriate time.”
“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,” Detroit Police Chief James White said in a statement, according to New York Post. ”The details of the investigation will remain confidential at this time to ensure the integrity of the important steps that remain.”
Samantha was the president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue. She previously also worked for Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and on the re-election campaign of Attorney General Dana Nessel, according to the Free Press.
She was discovered stabbed to death outside her home in the city’s Lafayette Park neighbourhood, east of downtown, on October 21.
Police reportedly responded to a 911 call about a person who was unresponsive early in the morning. Samantha had been attending a wedding the night before, and is said to have left at around 12:30 am. She may have been stabbed inside the house, following which she stumbled outside, police believe.
James has maintained that no evidence suggests that the murder was a hate crime. “We believe that this particular incident was not motivated by anti-semitism, and that this suspect acted alone,” White told reporters at a press conference on October 23. At the time, investigators said they were “just short” of naming the suspect.
James had asked people to be “patient” at the time, saying, “I again ask the community to remain patient while our investigators and law enforcement partners continue their work. Everything that can be done to bring this matter to closure is being called into service.”
