A beloved Philadelphia teacher was in a Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru lane when a gunman fired at least six times into her car while her 11-year-old son was in the backseat, authorities said.
Rachel King, 35, died at the scene. Her son was physically unharmed.
More than two weeks after the April 11 shooting, Julie Jean, 34, and Zakkee Alhakim, 33, were arrested in connection with King's murder, which Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Kevin Steele said they plotted for months.
"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," Steele in a statement. "It is a tragic killing of a good person, all because of an ended affair."
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King's boyfriend was involved in an affair with Jean last year and obtained a protection from abuse order against her after Jean harassed him and King, Steele said during Wednesday's press conference.
The other suspect is reportedly the cousin of Jean's children's father, according to authorities, but neither of them knew King personally.
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Jean and Alhakim allegedly planned the ambush by stalking King's movements for months, Steele said.
The morning of April 11, Alhakim allegedly tailed King from Lynnewood Gardens to the Dunkin' in the Melrose Shopping Center, parked his car a short distance away, walked to the driver-side window of King's Ford that was stopped in the drive-thru lane and opened fire, Steele said in a press release.
He got back in his car and sped away but was ultimately arrested after he crashed into a fence, according to the district attorney.
Police found six shell casings outside King's car, pictures of the victim on the alleged gunman's phone and a screen grab of a Google map of King's apartment complex, Steele said.
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Jean allegedly deleted 787 texts 13 minutes before detectives questioned her, Steele said, but investigators were able to recover most of them.
"The last message that Jean sent to Alhakim, which was sent through CashApp at 12:11 p.m. on the day of the murder … was a payment of $5, with the emoji message that is interpreted to mean ‘link up, message me, no phones, that’s it,’" Steele said.
Alhakim was originally apprehended because Philadelphia police were looking for the same silver Mercury Sable wanted in connection with an April 7 murder. He was arrested and charged in connection with that crime.
King's family said in a statement on GoFundme that she was a "cherished member" of the Grover Cleveland Elementary School community, where she taught for more than a decade.
"Her loss has left a deep void in the lives of her family, friends, colleagues and students," the King family said.
Jean was arraigned Tuesday on charges of first-degree murder, third-degree murder and conspiracy. Bail was denied, and she was booked into the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Alhakim was charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, conspiracy and possessing an instrument of crime and is awaiting arraignment on the Montgomery County charges.
He's currently in custody at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia in connection with the April 7 murder.
