A tragic incident unfolded in Pennsylvania when a teacher was fatally shot while in a Dunkin’ drive-thru, with her 11-year-old son witnessing the horrifying event from the back seat. Police have described the attack as a calculated ambush.
“This was not a carjacking, nor do we believe it was a robbery,” stated retired Montgomery County Detective Gregory Henry during a May 9 episode of Oxygen’s Philly Homicide. “It was a deliberate act intended to kill Rachel King.”
The Tragic Attack on Rachel King
On April 11, 2023, Rachel King was in line at a Dunkin’ drive-thru located in a bustling shopping center when a man approached her vehicle, a black Ford Edge.
The assailant fired at least six shots into the driver’s side, killing Rachel on the spot, before making his escape in a silver sedan.
Although unharmed, Rachel’s son was understandably distraught. Cheltenham police officers swiftly removed him from the car and notified the family, who were then brought to the police station.
“I wasn’t even allowing myself to believe she was gone,” recounted Rachel’s father Allen King Jr. “You couldn’t know Rachel and do that.”
Surveillance footage showed a man park a silver Mercury approximately 70 yards behind Rachel’s car before approaching her on foot.
“There was no argument, no attempt to get in the car,” said Cheltenham Township Police Detective Ryan Murray. “He just walked right up and fired and then ran back to his car.”
Bank records also showed that Julie had withdrawn $500, which prosecutors alleged was used to purchase the murder weapon.
“Zakkee had no motive to directly kill Rachel King—Julie Jean did,” said Henry. “She decided, if she couldn’t have William Hayes, somebody had to pay for this. That somebody was Rachel King.”
Thirteen days after the murder, Zakkee and Julie were arrested and charged with murder. They both pleaded not guilty.
On March 21, 2024, a jury convicted both of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“When that verdict came, I began to weep,” said Allen. “It felt like they had lifted the courthouse off of me.”
Today, Rachel’s family keeps her memory alive through the Rachel E. King Scholarship Fundraiser Soiree, something Allen believes his daughter has “a hand in.”
