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Michael Jackson-Bolanos on the stand Wednesday.
A Wayne County jury in the murder case of downtown Detroit synagogue President Samantha Woll told the judge Friday they were deadlocked and couldn't reach a unanimous verdict. Judge Margaret Van Houten instructed the jury to return Monday and continue deliberations.
The deadlock, which some court observers have predicted, came after two days of deliberation.
Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 29, is charged with fatally stabbing Woll eight times at her town house in Detroit's Lafayette Park neigborhood, just east of I-75, last Oct. 21.
The Detroit News reports that the jury has spent about 10 1/2 hours deliberating.
Deliberations began Wednesday and resumed Friday after skipping Thursday.
A 4 1/2 month trial included testimony from FBI agents and police officers and former love interests of Woll. The defendant himself also testified, saying he stumbled across the body after the murder.
The prosecution delivered a strong closing argument, but the defense tried throughout the trial to punch holes in the case and point the finger at former love interests of Woll's.
It's common for judge's to instruct jurors to continue deliberations, at least the first or second time they say they're deadlocked.
If at some point that doesn't change, the judge will declare a mistrial. It will then be up to the prosecution to decide if they want to try the case again or dismiss the charges.
If the prosecution decided to try the case again, it would be up to the judge whether to release Jackson-Bolanis pending trial or keep him behind bars.
