2nd Dallas woman arrested for Facebook Marketplace meetup murder
Annika Aleman (left) and Amaya Medrano (right) are both charged with capital murder for the death of 66-year-old Ahmad Alkhalaf in Dallas.
DALLAS - Dallas police arrested a second woman for the murder of an elderly man who was trying to sell a phone to someone he’d met on Facebook Marketplace.
Annika Aleman, 18, was taken into custody on Friday.
Annika Aleman
Police said Ahmad Alkhalaf, a 66-year-old husband and father from Sasche, was murdered in the middle of the afternoon on Nov. 8 at an Oak Cliff gas station just off I-35 and South Marsalis Avenue.
Detectives learned that Alkhalaf was there to sell an iPhone 15 to someone he’d been communicating with on Facebook Marketplace.
They found video from nearby security cameras that shows 19-year-old Amaya Medrano talking to Alkhalaf at the gas station.
After a few minutes, Medrano runs off, and Alkhalaf follows her. The video allegedly shows Medrano turning around and shooting Alkhalaf.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, investigators identified Medrano through witnesses who recognized her distinct facial tattoos. She was also tagged in photos on the social media account that had contacted Alkhalaf about buying his iPhone.
Dallas woman, 19, kills elderly man over phone in Facebook Marketplace meetup: police
Just three days after the shooting, police say they noticed the same Facebook account originally trying to buy a phone was now selling a black iPhone 15.
That same account tried to sell an iPhone 15 on Facebook Marketplace just three days after the fatal shooting. Police said Aleman owns the social media account and gave Medrano the cash and gun used to commit the crime.
"Her and Suspect Aleman had agreed to use the gun if necessary and only to point it but not shoot it if necessary to gain and maintain control of the phone. This demonstrates Suspect Aleman’s knowledge and involvement in the offense as she provided Suspect Medrano with the gun and buy money used in the offense," the affidavit states.
Both Aleman and Medrano are now charged with capital murder. They’re both being held in the Dallas County jail with $1 million bonds.
Family members told FOX 4 that Alkhalaf was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. They said he was a humble man who worked hard to support his family locally and abroad.