DETROIT (WXYZ) — While Detroit police say a suspect is in custody on the Samantha Woll murder investigation, charges are still yet to come.
There's only so much time a suspect can be held in jail without being arraigned.
7 Action News reached out to Detroit police to learn the nature of the suspect's connection to Woll. Investigators said they're still not ready to share any more detail at this time, which her neighbors in Lafayette Park are patiently waiting for.
“We hear all kinds of stories and theories," Bob Pettapiece, a Lafayette Park resident, told 7 Action News.
However, despite what he’s heard led up to the murder, he said he’s going to wait for the facts to come out from Detroit police instead of believing secondhand information.
Woll, who headed up the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit, was found dead outside her home in Lafayette Park on Oct. 21. Police said she was stabbed to death.
Wednesday, Detroit Police Department Chief James White announced an arrest in connection to the case. That suspect was arrested in Kalamazoo, according to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.
Steve Dolunt, a former DPD assistant police chief, questioned, “Is this person the actual killer? Is this person complicit either before or after?”
As Dolunt points out, there's so many details yet to be released by DPD. He shared insight on the process that takes place from an arrest to an arraignment and what investigators are up against to charge a suspect and make those charges stick.
“They felt that there was enough to arrest this individual on probable cause. However, before the prosecutor’s going to sign off on this, they want to make sure that there’s not just probable cause, there’s even beyond that. Because they don’t want to run a case (that) they have a chance of losing. This is a very high-profile case," Dolunt explained.
He continued, “He’s custody right now at Wayne County. So, you figure they lock him up yesterday, you would hope (the suspect would) be arraigned or least have a warrant signed within 48 hours."
If not, he said police have to let that suspect go. That's barring any extenuating circumstances.
7 Action News reached out to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and was told Detroit police have not submitted a warrant request yet.
Dolunt said at the very least, it’s important DPD allay any fears. Early on, the chief ruled out anti-Semitism.
Pettapiece said he's not too nervous, but it’s disturbing nonetheless.
"People wonder why — how could they do that? It’s like you’re assuming normalcy. People who do that kind of stuff, mass murderers or singular ones, are not normal. Something has gone wrong," Pettapiece said.
White said the arrest is only one step and does not represent the end of police work in this case.
