Detroit Police Release Suspect in Murder of Synagogue Leader Samantha Woll

The Detroit Police Department released a suspect late on Friday it held for 72 hours in connection with the Oct. 21 murder of synagogue leader Samantha Woll.

The police declined to name the suspect—a decision that happens “as often as a lunar eclipse,” a former Manhattan prosecutor told Fox News. (Those occur about twice annually, per NASA.)

The suspect’s defense team, Allison Kriger and Mark Kriger, confirmed the man’s release to the Detroit News, which reported that the suspect made “an ambiguous statement” to police, citing law-enforcement sources.

“Four sources told The News the man was an acquaintance of Woll’s who was arrested Tuesday night in Kalamazoo after giving a statement to police about the killing, although the sources said they didn’t think the declaration alone would be enough to bring charges,” the paper reported.

“At this time, the details of the investigation must remain confidential including the name of the suspect,” the Detroit police posted on Nov. 9. “Investigators are at a critical juncture in this case and are working tirelessly toward bringing this matter to closure.”

Despite having offered no other explanation or details publicly 23 days after Woll’s murder—and in spite of a large increase in antisemitism following Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel—the Detroit police have said that the evidence does not suggest an anti-Jewish hate crime.