WINDCREST, Texas – Fatamah Lea had been waiting nearly three years for justice for the murder of her friend Aadam Xirsi. The taxi driver was found shot to death in a Windcrest parking lot in January 2019. In October 2021, police announced the arrest of Baldemar Hinojoza on capital murder charges.
She said Xirsi’s family in his village in Somalia were happy to get the news. “They were feeling that there was going to be some justice. I was happy feeling that there that I don’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder,” she recalls.
But last week, on the 3rd anniversary of his death, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office informed her the case against Hinojoza had been dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
“I felt like the district attorney’s office slapped me in the face and slapped all of the Somali community in the face (with the news),” she explained.
A spokesperson for the DA’s office said the case can be refiled with more evidence.
“The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office reviewed this case and found that at this time there is insufficient evidence to proceed with prosecution. Upon further investigation by the law enforcement agency, this case may be refiled at a later date,” the spokesperson said.
Windcrest police would not comment on the case but said the investigation is ongoing.
Abdula Salah, a friend and former roommate of Xirsi, says there’s a feeling of uncertainty knowing people involved in the murder of his friend are back on the street. “The killer is walking the street and tomorrow they can kill whoever they need,” Salah said.
Xirsi left his village in Somalia to provide for his family, three children, and his village.
“That guy was a happy man, helped other people he liked,” Salah recalls. “Every time he was happy and loving. Anybody that knew Aadam, on the day we went to his grave was crying because they lost a friend.”
Lea has been asking that the district attorney’s office and Windcrest police hold a formal virtual meeting with Xirsi’s family in Somalia. The DA’s office and police did not respond to our questions on if that request would happen.