On August 14, 2023, the bodies of 43-year-old Alejandro Arrellano-Fernandez and his mother, 66-year-old Lilia Fernandez Ortiz, were discovered in their Lewisville, Texas home by a relative who had been unable to contact them. Both victims had sustained gunshot wounds to the head, indicating execution-style killings. Arrellano-Fernandez was found in the garage, while his mother was located in the kitchen, suggesting she may have been preparing breakfast at the time of the attack.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from a neighbor's security camera dated August 10, which showed two men approaching Arrellano-Fernandez outside his residence. The footage captured the men shoving him to the ground, with one assailant, later identified as 37-year-old Samuel Atinafu Melkamu, brandishing a firearm. A struggle ensued off-camera, followed by a brass bullet casing rolling into view. The second suspect, identified as 51-year-old Jawara Oji Black, was then seen dragging an unresponsive Arrellano-Fernandez into the garage.
Both Melkamu and Black were arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder. Melkamu was apprehended on August 16, while Black was arrested in Houston on August 21. According to arrest affidavits, Melkamu had previously performed small jobs for Arrellano-Fernandez's construction business and had sent text messages to him about a week before the murders, inquiring about unpaid wages. The motive for the killings appears to be related to this financial dispute.
The tragic deaths of Arrellano-Fernandez and his mother have left the Lewisville community in shock, as neighbors described Melkamu as a familiar figure who often did yard work and was friendly with residents. The case underscores the potential dangers of unresolved personal conflicts escalating into violence.
