In the quiet city of Alexandria, Virginia, the life of 35-year-old Somaya Hussein Ahmed was tragically cut short, marking the city's first homicide of 2019. On the night of January 11, 2019, Somaya was found deceased by her roommate in their apartment on South Van Dorn Street. The initial discovery revealed signs of significant trauma, and the subsequent investigation would uncover a story of a volatile relationship that ended in violence.
The medical examiner later determined that the cause of death was an intraoral gunshot wound, an injury that was not consistent with suicide.
The investigation quickly focused on Daniel Kankam, a 44-year-old married man who was not only Somaya's employer at his security company but also her romantic partner. Evidence revealed that their relationship was tumultuous. Just one day after Somaya's body was discovered, on January 12, 2019, Daniel Kankam was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Investigators found that Kankam had attempted to create a false alibi by sending misleading text messages to Somaya's phone after her death.
During the trial, prosecutors presented compelling evidence against Kankam. This included video recordings from Somaya's phone that captured arguments between the couple, with one video showing Kankam pointing a gun at her. Friends of Somaya testified that the relationship was extremely volatile. A crucial piece of evidence was a video recorded on the morning of her death, where an argument between Somaya and Kankam was audible. After his arrest, Kankam instructed a family member to dispose of a bag containing his security vest, which was later found to be covered in Somaya's blood, his gun, a fired cartridge case, and two watches.
Despite Kankam's claims of innocence, where he suggested Somaya had either taken her own life or been killed by an unknown intruder while he was in the bathroom, the jury was not convinced. He admitted to removing evidence from the scene and that his gun was the weapon that caused her death. In September 2019, a jury convicted Daniel Kankam of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of murder. He was subsequently sentenced to 26 years in prison.
