By: Rebecca Rosenberg
Detroit Police announced Wednesday they made an arrest in the stabbing death of Jewish community leader Samantha Woll but have refused to provide any details, including the suspect's name.
Experts told Fox News Digital it's unusual to withhold the name of a suspect after that person has been taken into custody, adding another layer of mystery to an already puzzling case.
"There are a host of possible reasons to withhold the name. I can think of many. Does it happen often? As often as a lunar eclipse," said former senior Manhattan prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon.
Aside from juveniles, she has never tried a case in which a suspect's name was withheld after an arrest in 33 years of prosecuting serious crimes.
Woll, the president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and an avid supporter of Israel, was attacked Oct. 21 inside her Lafayette Park home before stumbling outside and collapsing on her front lawn, according to police.
At about 6:30 a.m., a person found her unresponsive and called 911. There were no signs of forced entry, and she had her phone and ID with her.
Many speculate Woll had been the victim of a hate crime amid tensions over the Israel-Hamas war. The Detroit area has the largest Arabic-speaking population in the U.S.
Two days after the slaying, Detroit Police Chief James E. White held a press conference and told reporters very little.
"We believe this incident was not motivated by antisemitism, and this suspect acted alone," he said, declining to comment on a possible motive.
In announcing the arrest on X, White wrote that details of the investigation "will remain confidential."
Illuzzi-Orbon, who secured a rape conviction against Harvey Weinstein in 2020, pointed to Woll's political connections.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/samantha-woll-murder-detroit-police-not-naming-arrested-suspect-highly-unusual-expert-says