On November 8, 2024, 66-year-old Ahmad Alkhalaf from Sachse, Texas, was fatally shot during a Facebook Marketplace transaction in Dallas. Alkhalaf had arranged to meet a prospective buyer for his iPhone 15 at a Valero gas station in the Oak Cliff neighborhood, near I-35 and South Marsalis Avenue, around 3 p.m. The meeting took a tragic turn when he was shot next to his pickup truck. Despite being transported to a nearby hospital by Dallas Fire-Rescue, Alkhalaf succumbed to his injuries.
Dallas police quickly initiated an investigation, uncovering surveillance footage that captured the interaction between Alkhalaf and the suspect. The video showed a brief conversation, after which the suspect fled, with Alkhalaf in pursuit. Moments later, the suspect turned and shot him. Investigators identified the assailant as 19-year-old Amaya Medrano, recognized by her distinctive facial and neck tattoos visible in the footage. Further evidence linked Medrano to the crime when the same Facebook account used to communicate with Alkhalaf listed a black iPhone 15 for sale three days after the incident. At the time of the shooting, Medrano was on probation for a 2023 aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge, having pleaded guilty to stabbing someone. She has been charged with capital murder and is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $1 million bond.
The investigation revealed that Medrano did not act alone. Police arrested 18-year-old Annika Aleman on November 15, 2024, charging her with capital murder. According to arrest warrant affidavits, Aleman owned the social media account that communicated with Alkhalaf and provided Medrano with the cash and firearm used in the crime. The two women allegedly conspired to rob Alkhalaf during the transaction, with Aleman instructing Medrano to use the gun if necessary to gain control of the phone. Both suspects are now in custody at the Dallas County Jail, each with bonds set at $1 million.
Alkhalaf's family remembers him as a beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend—a humble man who worked diligently to support his family both locally and abroad. They are left speechless and horrified by this senseless act of violence, mourning the loss of a life taken over a cellphone. The Dallas Police Department continues to investigate the case, urging anyone with additional information to come forward.
