Arrest Made in Killing of Detroit Synagogue Leader

UPDATE Nov 8, 2023 2:50 PM CST

Police in Detroit say an arrest has been made in last month's killing of synagogue leader Samantha Woll. Police say the 40-year-old was stabbed in her home in an attack they do not believe was connected to antisemitism, the Detroit News reports. Police have not released the suspect's name. "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.

Oct 24, 2023 1:00 AM CDT

Police investigating the slaying of the synagogue leader found fatally stabbed outside her Detroit home Saturday say they are "just short" of naming one person a suspect in the case, which they still say shows no sign of being related to antisemitism. "Right now, the evidence does not take us there," Detroit Police Chief James White told reporters Monday during a briefing on Samantha Woll's murder, per NBC News. "We believe the motivation is very different than a hate crime. It's horrific and it's tragic, and that's the focus of the investigation." White said police have identified several persons of interest and have been "working through" them, CBS News reports.

"We have a number of people that give us interest. We are just short of calling one of the people a suspect, but we are working to that end, and we will be there," White said. "We're very confident on the track we're on." He also sought to reassure others in the area, saying, "We believe that there are no other groups or anyone else at risk. We believe this incident was not motivated by antisemitism and this suspect acted alone." The night before she was killed, Woll had attended a wedding, returning home around 12:30am. No signs of forced entry were found inside her home, where she is believed to have been attacked before going outside, where she collapsed and died. (More Detroit stories.)