Lewisville double murder suspect's name released
LEWISVILLE, Texas - Police have released the name of the man accused of shooting two people in the head inside a Lewisville home earlier this week.
Samuel Atinafu Melkamu was arrested on Wednesday and the 37-year-old is charged with two counts of capital murder.
Samuel Atinafu Melkamu (Source: Denton County Jail)
Melkamu is in the Denton County Jail, where he is being held on $500,000 bond.
The bodies of 66-year-old Lilia Fernandez Ortiz and 43-year-old Alejandro Arrellano-Fernandez were found inside the home on Ramblewood Drive on Monday.
A relative found the bodies inside the home after not being able to get in contact with them for several days.
According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, Fernandez Ortiz's body was found in the kitchen and Arrellano-Fernandez's body was found in the garage.
Lewisville police said the dead bodies had been in the home for several days by the time they were found.
Lewisville double murder victims identified, both shot in the head
Lewisville police said both bodies were found on Monday, August 14 by a relative who had been unable to contact the victims.
According to jail records, the suspect’s listed address is in Richardson, but neighbors said the suspect stayed at the Lewisville home and was very visible, even doing yard work and talking to people walking by.
"He always waved. He was a nice person," neighbor Gordon Welch recalled.
It was an odd feeling Friday for neighbors who live near Fox Avenue and Garden ridge Boulevard.
"Just like real normal. [We would talk] just [like] me and you talking to each other," neighbor Danny Talbert said.
A man they regularly interacted with is now accused of a gruesome crime that gripped the Lewisville neighborhood.
"That’s why it’s hard to believe he was the person of interest and now arrested," Welch said.
Melkamu was arrested Wednesday, two days after the mother and son were found dead inside the home.
"The last couple days I have had a hard time sleeping," Talbert said.
Lewisville police released no details Friday about what led investigators to Melkamu or a possible motive.
Earlier this week, police told FOX 4 they believed this was an isolated incident, but again, did not elaborate on how Melkamu knew the victims.
"We saw him more than we saw anyone else, sitting in the front porch on that chair," Welch said.
Welch said Melkamu stayed at the home and even helped people with yard work, but now the house sits silent.
The only movement Friday was animal services removing a cat from the home.
"Our street is quiet, our neighborhood is quiet," Welch said. "It’s been very weird. Surreal."
A family member of the victims said the family wants to remain private right now, only telling us the male victim had a young son and that’s their priority right now.