Rachel King was ambushed in a Dunkin drive-thru by a hitman hired by a woman who dated her boyfriend

Beloved teacher Rachel King was sitting in a food drive-thru in a Philadelphia suburb when she was ambushed and fatally shot.

The community is shocked after it was revealed the person behind the brutal act was a jilted woman who hired a hitman to stalk and kill her romantic rival.

Rachel King was stalked and ambushed

King, 35, was fatally shot on April 11th while she was sitting in a Cheltenham Township Dunkin Donuts drive-thru with her 11-year-old son in the backseat. King was heading to her son’s violin practice when she made the quick food stop.

Julie Jean, 34, of Elkins Park, and Zakkee S. Alhakim, 33, of Philadelphia, each were charged with first- and third-degree murder and related charges in connection with the April 11, 2023, fatal shooting of Rachel Elizabeth King. (Photo Source: Montgomery County DA)

Julie Jean, 35, of Elkins Park, was arrested and charged with first and third degree murder and conspiracy in the death of King.

According to prosecutors, Jean conspired with Zakkee Steven Alhakim, 33, of Philadelphia, to kill King and bought him a Mercury sedan that he used to follow King.

Alhakim was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and related crimes.

When King made a stop at Dunkin Donuts, Alhakim ambushed the mother and shot her at point blank range. Her son was unharmed.

“This cold-blooded killing of Rachel King was a targeted murder of an innocent person, planned by these two defendants and horrifically carried out in front of King’s son,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said during a news conference Wednesday. “She was gunned down and the killer just drove away.”

King had been in a relationship for years with William Hayes, who began an affair with Jean last year, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Jean’s arrest. When King discovered the infidelity, Hayes broke it off with Jean, a decision that enraged Jean, prosecutors said. The affair put a strain on King’s and Hayes relationship, but they eventually pacified it.

Meanwhile, instead of moving on, Jean became a woman scorned. She stalked and harassed both Hayes and King. She called and texted Hayes incessantly and often showed up unannounced at his apartment, the affidavit said. She also reached out to King, calling her at work and asking about her relationship with Hayes.

Hayes applied for and was granted an order of protection against Jean, prosecutors said.

Two months later, Jean reached out to Alhakim, who is related to the father of her children, the affidavit said. The two began exchanging text messages, including a Google Maps screenshot of King’s apartment, the affidavit said.

Evidence pulled from Jean’s cellphone showed that the two met on multiple occasions in Philadelphia, and at one meeting, she provided Alhakim with pictures of King, according to the affidavit.

After King’s murder, authorities say both Alhakim and Jean tried to erase information from their cell phones, with Jean deleting 787 texts just 13 minutes prior to her interview with detectives on April 12.

Vehicle spotted after the murder

In March, Jean purchased a Mercury Sable from a dealership in Cheltenham, Pa. The vehicle matched the description of the one used by the gunman who targeted King in the drive-thru, prosecutors said. Surveillance footage from King’s apartment complex also recorded the vehicle several times in the days leading up to King’s murder.

Nearly hours after the shooting, a car that looked liked the Mercury, took officers on a high speed chase. The driver of the vehicle was later identified as Alhakim.

Alhakim was taken into custody. He was also allegedly involved in an unrelated murder in Philadelphia on April 7.

In the April 7th murder, eleven 9mm fired cartridge casings were recovered. The evidence was entered into a national database crime machine which linked both murders, authorities said.

Rachel King was a beloved teacher at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in Philadelphia.

Her parents described King as passionate, funny and very caring. They say she was a wonderful teacher and a lover of R&B music.

The family told 6 ABC they are grateful for the support they’ve received from the community and hope to help others grieving and healing from gun violence