Podcast Summary: Spiral | 3. Motive and Opportunity

Podcast: The Free Press Investigates
Host: Frannie Block
Date: October 28, 2025
Episode Theme:
This episode of "Spiral: Murder in Detroit" examines the early investigative phase of the murder of Samantha Wall, a beloved community leader, focusing on her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Herbsman, whose apparent confession and subsequent exoneration raised critical questions about police work, false confessions, family dynamics, and justice narratives. The Free Press’s Frannie Block guides listeners through the twists, emotional fallout, and competing stories that spiraled from the initial suspect’s breakdown to the trial's revelation of fresh suspects and motives.

1. The Night of the Call: Jeff’s Breakdown

[01:03 – 04:09]

• Key Event: On November 7, 2023, Jeff Herbsman, Samantha Wall’s ex-boyfriend, calls 911 from a parking lot in Kalamazoo, expressing distress and uncertainty about whether he has killed his ex-girlfriend, Sam.

  • He confesses confusion: “I guess I can't say for sure who did it, but I can for sure tell you who didn't do it.” [00:48]
  • Police arrive; Jeff is clearly frightened and says there's a knife in his car, but he can't remember if he used it.
  • He asks for a lawyer immediately upon arrival at the station, highlighting both anxiety and his awareness of potential jeopardy.

• Mental State & Substance Use: Jeff explains mixing antidepressant medication with marijuana that night, leading to anxiety and paranoia, wondering, “Could he have been in a delusional state, convincing himself he’d done something he hadn’t?” [04:09]

  • Jeff: “It was one of the most terrifying things that I’ve ever experienced thinking that I had done something that’s so counter to everything that I stand for and believe in and would ever want to do.” [03:10]

2. Becoming a Suspect: Police and Family Perspectives

[04:09 – 15:57]

• Jeff’s Immediate Treatment:

  • He is brought into custody, questioned for several hours by police, and eventually his house is searched extensively, but no evidence links him to Sam’s murder.
  • “They searched my car and they searched my house and they found nothing that tied me to anything that happened.” [10:30]

• Family’s Reaction:

  • Sam’s parents, Doug and Margo, are told by police that Jeff is the first real suspect due to his comments and past relationship with Sam.
    • Doug: “We immediately said that was bogus. We knew Jeff. That was totally bogus. He basically had a mental breakdown which came out at the trial.” [13:56]
  • Monica, Sam’s sister, and Ben, her husband, discuss how the “confession” sounded more like panic than guilt.
    • Monica: “Not a confession at all, just a phone call to 911 saying he thinks…” [13:20]
    • Brian Brown (Monica’s husband): “I was under the impression that people don’t just say that. So for those three days I was trying to wrap my head around how somebody who loved somebody else like they did could kill somebody like that.” [13:33]

• Police Conclusion:

  • After three days and a thorough search, Jeff is released without charges.
    • Detroit Police Captain Matthew Bray: “This team thoroughly investigated Mr. Herbsman … Unless this is some, like, mastermind, there’s nobody else walking around there." [15:22]
  • Monica: “The police completely wrecked [Jeff’s house] ... and they found absolutely nothing.” [15:44]

3. False Confessions & Psychological Fallout

[16:39 – 20:22]

• Community Fallout:

  • The trauma of Sam’s murder leads others in her circle, like friend Eva, to episodes of panic and irrational suspicion about their own culpability, especially after using marijuana.
  • Eva: “I started freaking out because I think what was happening was I was hallucinating … did I do it?” [17:42]

• Expert Perspective:

  • Alan Hirsch, expert on false confessions, explains:
    • “Absolutely. That happens with shocking frequency.” [18:38]
    • “This is someone who actually comes to believe that they committed the crime or may have. And it’s not that unusual in internalized false confessions for the confessor to say, I may have. I think I did it.” [19:40]

• Medical Factors:

  • Cannabis and certain prescription medications can induce paranoia and confusion; Ambien, in particular, has been offered as a defense in past murder cases, but science and the law treat such claims cautiously.

4. Lingering Doubts and Unanswered Questions

[20:48 – 24:37]

• No Clear Alibi and Security Footage:

  • Jeff’s home security cameras were not operational—he testifies that a paid service was discontinued, which police verified. [21:48]
  • Jeff couldn’t remember if he’d taken a sleeping pill (Ambien) that night, fueling police suspicion.

• Bonfire Incident:

  • Jeff held a bonfire shortly after Sam’s death, but opinions differ.
    • Perna (defense lawyer): “The police never checked his fire pit to see if there’s any remains of burnt clothes … they didn’t check his bike … They didn’t take his clothes.” [23:34]
  • Police, however, say they thoroughly investigated—testing a dog leash with blood (it turned out to be canine blood).

5. Motive, Opportunity, and Relationship Dynamics

[24:37 – 33:23]

• Exploring the Relationship:

  • Two narratives emerge:
    • Frannie Block: “In one version of this story, Jeff and Sam had a real connection. And while Sam ultimately ended their relationship, Jeff was understanding.” [25:35]
    • The other narrative, pushed by Michael’s defense, depicts Jeff as a jealous, rejected boyfriend with possible motive.
      • Defense Lawyer Perna: “You weren’t happy that she added to your depression? … And you blame her for the breakup, right? It wasn’t your decision, right?” [29:16]
      • Jeff: “I blame myself for the breakup.” [29:38]
  • Jeff struggles with depression, acknowledges being withdrawn and unhappy during the last months, but denies jealousy or anger. He admits not knowing Sam’s romantic life after their breakup until the trial.

• Perceptions of Jeff’s Feelings:

  • When asked if he loved Sam:
    • Jeff: “I felt more for her than I had ever felt for anybody … I’m willing to admit that I’m not great at emotional expression.” [31:32]

6. Scrutiny of Sam’s Personal Life and Victim Framing

[32:18 – 33:53]

• Trial Narrative Critiqued:

  • The defense and internet commentators drag Sam’s romantic past and marijuana use into the trial, a tactic her family and friends resent:
    • Andy Einhorn (friend): “The defense bringing up Sam’s dating life and her sometime use of marijuana to paint her in a negative light … to deflect.” [33:41]
    • Frannie Block: “Would our reputations be tarnished, our lives picked apart and judged in the name of seeking justice? Is that even justice at all?” [33:53]

• Public vs. Private Personhood:

  • Sam’s family mourns the public distortion of Sam's character. Monica expresses pain at hearing her sister misrepresented.

7. The Focus Shifts, the Trial Begins

[35:03 – episode close]

• Immunity and New Suspects:

  • Jeff is granted immunity for his testimony; the defense points to his “confession” repeatedly.
    • Michael Jackson Bolanos (defendant): “The fact that you said that you did and had to go through this entire thing and you were granted immunity … I find that very disrespectful … You should have been charged with, you should have went through this five week trial and you should have been sentenced for it. I have no respect for that.” [36:01]

• Bombshell Testimony:

  • Despite norms, Michael Jackson Bolanos takes the stand and describes seeing a “dark figure” on the night of the murder—a revelation that signals a new turn in the narrative.
    • Bolanos: "That was when I saw saw a dark figure outside." [36:50]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jeffrey Herbsman on his self-doubt:

  • “It was absolutely terrifying ... thinking that I had done something that’s so counter to everything that I stand for and believe in.” [03:10]
  • “Any idea why we think that you murdered something?” [09:47]
  • “I had the motive and the opportunity, and I don't know what the third one is, but I probably had that too.” [09:59]
  • “I blame myself for the breakup.” [29:38]

• Doug (Sam’s Father):

  • “We immediately said that [Jeff’s confession] was bogus. We knew Jeff ... He basically had a mental breakdown which came out at the trial.” [13:56]

• Alan Hirsch (false confessions expert):

  • “Absolutely. That happens with shocking frequency.” [18:38]
  • “This is someone who actually comes to believe that they committed the crime or may have ... It’s so hard to convince a judge or jury or prosecutor or pretty much anyone else that someone confessed to a crime they didn’t commit, even though we know it happens all the time.” [19:40]

• Monica (Sam’s sister):

  • “My parents never thought for a minute it could be him. And my dad was very familiar with the mental concept of, you feel so guilty that this happened. … Just like when we said these things to the police ... but it meant nothing at all.” [16:01]

• Andy Einhorn (friend):

  • "Let's tear down her reputation ... and that one of these vicious ex boyfriends or random guys that she would sleep with or she's a drug addict and therefore vagrants are walking into her house." [33:41]

• Michael Jackson Bolanos (defendant):

  • “I find that very disrespectful. I find that lacking all integrity. For you to sit in this courtroom ... you should have went through this five week trial and you should have been sentenced for it. I have no respect for that.” [36:01]

Major Timestamps

• [01:03] Jeff Herbsman’s 911 call from Kalamazoo
• [04:09] First public interview with Jeff
• [13:02] Wall family learns Jeff is in custody
• [16:39] Community’s psychological fallout and discussion of false confessions
• [19:40] Alan Hirsch on internalized false confessions
• [23:34] Perna raises doubts about Jeff’s bonfire and police investigation
• [25:35] Shifting focus to Sam and Jeff’s relationship
• [29:16] Defense cross-examines Jeff on possible jealousy/motive
• [31:32] Jeff struggles to define his feelings for Sam
• [33:41] Friend Andy Einhorn on victim-blaming courtroom tactics
• [35:03] Both sides begin the trial of Michael Jackson Bolanos
• [36:50] Bolanos describes “dark figure” outside on night of murder

Final Thoughts

This episode raises questions about how trauma shapes narratives, the phenomenon of false confessions, and the mechanisms by which both victims and suspects are judged publicly and privately. It highlights the pain of a family forced to defend their loved one’s character, the risk of misdirected suspicion, and the perils of narrative oversimplification in true crime. As the trial advances, listeners are left with provocations around memory, culpability, vulnerability—and the many shades of motive and opportunity.