Gunman Guilty in the Chelsea Murders of Livery Driver, Passenger

After deliberating for several days, a jury convicted a Chelsea man of two counts of murder Monday, Nov. 14, for shooting Zouaoui Dani-Elkebir, 52, and Karima El-Hakim, 38, to death three years ago.

Jurors found Maurice Morrison, 31, guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in the May 13, 2013, homicides. Their verdict followed about six days of deliberations.

“Two families endured the ultimate loss,” Conley said. “We only hope this verdict offers them some level of comfort that justice was done. Suffolk prosecutors, Chelsea Police detectives, and our State Police Detective Unit never wavered in our effort to hold accountable the man who took their loved ones’ lives.”

Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee, deputy chief of the DA’s Homicide Unit, introduced evidence and testimony over the course of seven days proving that Morrison had a prior personal conflict with El-Hakim, who was Dani-Elkebir’s girlfriend and a frequent passenger in his cab.

In the early morning hours of May 13, 2013, the evidence showed, Morrison began communicating with Dani-Elkebir by text message in what prosecutors argued was a ruse to get him to pick Morrison up with El-Hakim in the vehicle. Eventually, the evidence showed, he did just that – and, in the area of Parker Street and Crescent Avenue, shot them both in the head, and fled from the car before it rolled to a stop.

The investigation by Chelsea Police detectives and State Troopers assigned to the Suffolk DA’s office yielded video surveillance, text messages, witness statements, and other evidence leading to Morrison’s arrest about two weeks later. He has been held without bail since that time and faces a mandatory life term when sentenced on Nov. 23.

Elise McConnell was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Morrison was represented by attorney Jonathan Shapiro.

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