(Washington) A man has been charged in the October murder of the president of a synagogue in Detroit, in the north of the United States, local police announced on Wednesday, immediately ruling out the possibility of a anti-Semitic crime.
Michael Manuel Jackson-Bolanos, 28, is accused of fatally stabbing Samantha Woll, president of a progressive Detroit synagogue, and attempting to break into a home, Detroit police said in a statement. publication on X.
“There is no evidence to suggest that the accused knew Mme Woll and […] “There is no evidence to suggest that this was a hate crime,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said at a press conference Wednesday.
In the United States, a hate crime is an act against a person targeted because of certain characteristics of their identity such as ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or disability.
At this stage, no motive has been given by the police.
If convicted, Mr. Jackson-Bolanos faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, police said.
Mme Woll, president of the board of directors of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, was found stabbed in front of her home on the morning of October 21.
She had attended a wedding the day before and appeared to be in normal condition, authorities said, with police adding that she returned home shortly after midnight and there were no signs of a break-in at her home. .
The accused was expected to appear Wednesday evening, according to authorities.