A Tarrant County jury has once again found 43-year-old Tareq Alkayyali guilty of murdering his wife, 23-year-old Wasam Moussa. After a retrial that began February 9, 2026, jurors sentenced him to 40 years in prison.
What Happened
Moussa and Alkayyali married in Jordan in 2018. Prosecutors said she was reluctant about the marriage and even asked for a divorce the day after the wedding, though she did not follow through at that time. Alkayyali returned to Arlington, where he had lived since 2009 and worked as a manager at IHOP.
Moussa moved to the United States on May 25, 2019, to live with him. Within days, tensions escalated. She told her brother that Alkayyali had covered her mouth with his hand the night before her death.
On the morning of May 28, 2019, prosecutors said Alkayyali strangled and smothered Moussa inside their Arlington apartment. He then left her unconscious and drove to work. While on the way, he called a coworker and admitted to hitting her, covering her mouth, and that she had stopped breathing. That coworker called 911.
Arlington police responded to the apartment and found Moussa unresponsive on the floor. EMTs were unable to resuscitate her.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by asphyxia. While the ME noted Moussa had a previously repaired ventricular septal defect, commonly described as a “hole in the heart,” he testified that even if it had not been repaired, it would have taken a long time for a young person to go into heart failure. The cause of death was not attributed to a heart condition.
Deputy Chief Allenna Bangs told jurors, “Wasam Moussa didn’t deserve this. She died alone, by herself, in a country where she knew no one.”
The Defense and Alkayyali’s Testimony
During trial, Alkayyali testified that the couple argued frequently after Moussa arrived in Texas. He said she slept in the bedroom while he slept on the couch for three nights.
He told jurors they agreed to divorce after a loud argument the day before her death. He admitted that during arguments he put his hand over her mouth to stop her from yelling. On the morning she died, he said another argument became physical. He pushed her, covered her mouth again, and claimed she bit him before fainting. He said he carried her to the bedroom and left for work after calling his manager to say he would be late.
Prosecutors argued that Moussa’s death was not an accident, but the result of intentional violence.
Why There Was a Retrial
Alkayyali had originally been convicted. However, the trial court’s jury charge failed to include the critical element “causes the death of” in one theory of murder. Although the defense did not object at trial, the Second Court of Appeals found the omission caused “egregious harm” because it allowed jurors to convict without specifically finding that Alkayyali caused Moussa’s death.
On May 7, 2025, the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas agreed, ruling that the error deprived him of a fair trial and affirming the reversal. The case was sent back for a new trial.
At the retrial, the jury again found him guilty. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Allenna Bangs and Madeline Jones.
