A Pennsylvania teacher was shot and killed in front of her son, becoming the target of a long-running murder plot orchestrated by her boyfriend’s ex-lover.
Police report that Rachel King, 35, was fatally shot in view of her 11-year-old son at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru lane last month as part of a carefully planned murder-for-hire scheme.
On April 26, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office announced the arrests of Zakkee Alhakim, 33, and Julie Jean, 34, in relation to King’s death. Both of them face charges of first and third-degree murder, conspiracy, and other offenses.
The crime took place on April 11 around 7:30 a.m. when Alhakim shot King while her son sat in the backseat of her car. Investigators discovered that Jean had been planning King’s murder for several months, recruiting Alhakim to assist her. The motive behind the plot stemmed from Jean’s prior affair with King’s boyfriend, William Hayes, which ended last year. Despite the relationship’s end, Jean allegedly continued to harass the couple via texts and calls, prompting Hayes to obtain an order of protection against her.
The investigation found that Jean and Alhakim had communicated and met multiple times before the murder. Evidence, such as a photo collage of King and a Google map screenshot of her apartment, was discovered on Alhakim’s phone.
During the investigation, authorities learned that Jean deleted nearly 800 text messages she had exchanged with Alhakim, just minutes before her police interrogation on April 12. Surveillance footage connected the two suspects to a silver Mercury Sable, seen at the crime scene and near King’s home before her death.
On the day of the incident, Alhakim parked the sedan outside the Dunkin’ Donuts, approached King’s car, and fired several shots through the driver’s side window before escaping. Responding officers found six spent cartridge casings at the scene.
Alhakim and Jean are currently in custody and have been denied bail.