Zakee Steven Alhakim, 33, of Philadelphia, and Julie Jean, 34, of Elkins Park, will stand trial in Montgomery County Court in March 2024 on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy and other offenses related to the killing of 35-year-old Rachel King in the Dunkin’ drive-thru lane in Cheltenham on April 11.

According to The Reporter, Judge William R. Carpenter said the trial will begin March 18, 2024, with jury selection. The trial is expected to last several days.

Prosecutors said they will not seek a death sentence if Jean or Alhakim is convicted of first-degree murder. The pair will face life imprisonment if convicted of first-degree murder. A conviction of third-degree murder, a killing committed with malice, carries a possible maximum sentence of 20-to-40-years in prison.

“We did the evaluation that we do in every case to look at whether aggravating circumstances outweigh mitigating circumstances. In this case, there were not factors to allow us to go forward on a death penalty,” said District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, who is handling the case with co-prosecutor Caroline Goldstein.

For our previous coverage, you can click here. For the full story, you can click here.

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Photos courtesy of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office