March 22, 2024
Bill Oxford/Unsplash
Rachel King, 35, was fatally shot in the drive-thru of a Dunkin' Donuts in Cheltenham on April 11, 2023. Julie Jean, 35, and Zakkee Alhakim, 34, were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors claimed Jean hired Alhakim to kill King.
Two people who conspired to kill a Philadelphia teacher last April, targeting her in the drive-thru of a Dunkin' Donuts as she sat in the car with her son, were found guilty of first-degree murder Thursday and sentenced to life in prison. The murder-for-hire plot had been orchestrated out of vengeance over the fallout of a love affair, prosecutors said.
After a four-day trial, a jury in Montgomery County convicted Julie Jean, 35, and Zakkee Alhakim, 34, in the shooting of 35-year-old Rachel King at the Melrose Shopping Center in Cheltenham.
King, who lived in Elkins Park and taught at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in North Philadelphia, was taking her 11-year-old son to violin practice on April 11 when Alhakim approached the driver's side of her SUV and fired multiple shots through the window, police said. King died at the scene. Her son, who watched the shooting unfold from the backseat, was unharmed physically. Alhakim fled in a Mercury Sable that authorities said Jean had purchased for him less than two weeks earlier to carry out the killing.
Jean previously had been in a 10-month relationship with King's fiancé, William Hayes, investigators said. Hayes ended the relationship and chose to prioritize his future with King, but authorities said Jean insisted on remaining a part of Hayes' life. She allegedly harassed him with calls, texts and unannounced visits until Hayes obtained court-ordered protection from Jean in December 2022.
Alhakim is the cousin of the father of Jean's three children. The same day King was killed, police arrested Alhakim in connection with a separate killing in Philadelphia on April 7. During the investigation of that shooting, police had identified the Mercury Sable that was used in the shooting of King. The vehicle had been purchased in Jean's named for $1,500 on March 30, prosecutors said. Jean and Alhakim were together at the car dealership in North Philadelphia.
Text messages between Jean and Alhakim showed that they allegedly began planning to kill King in mid-February, police said. Alhakim's phone had photos of King and a Google Maps image of King's apartment complex in Elkins Park, including a red arrow that showed a path to her home, investigators said. Another photo allegedly showed Jean's hand holding her own phone, which displayed a picture of King.
Montgomery County prosecutors said Jean and Alhakim did not have a direct, personal relationship with King.
In the hours after King was killed, Jean allegedly sent Alhakim a message on CashApp that included a $5 payment and a instructions for the two of them to meet without their phones.
Prosecutors said Alhakim used a privately-made ghost gun in the shootings in Philadelphia and Cheltenham. A photo of the gun allegedly was found on Alhakim's cell phone during the investigation of King's death. Bullet casings from both scenes were matched using a national ballistics database, prosecutors said.
In the aftermath of King's death, she was remembered by family, friends, colleagues and students who recalled her commitment as a mother and educator. She taught at Grover Cleveland Elementary for 10 years.
After the verdict was read Thursday, King's father, Allen, lamented the tragic outcome that claimed his daughter's life, NBC10 reported.
"There really were no winners today. This was not a winning situation at all," King said. "My daughter is gone. This does not bring her back. We're glad to have memories of her but my heart grieves."
