The brother of Raquiah Paulette King, 20, a pregnant Virginia woman, rejoiced after jurors found her killer, boyfriend Navy Lt. Junior Grade Emmanuel Dewayne Coble, 27, guilty.
“To know that that guy thought he was going to get away with it, it just feels good,” King’s brother, Gregory King, told Richmond CBS affiliate WTVR, following the verdict. “It puts icing on the cake.”
Hanover County deputies discovered King on July 21, 2022, after receiving a call about “the body of a female that was located on the side of the roadway,” according to a Hanover County Sheriff statement dated August 15, 2022. Coble was arrested on August 11, 2022, the statement said.
Before his trial, Coble reportedly alternated between hiring attorneys and representing himself, eventually opting for the latter once the trial began. According to WTVR, he represented himself at trial, selecting the jury, giving an opening statement, and cross-examining several witnesses.
He also claimed that attorneys and police were conspiring against him, according to WTVR.
Even the Hanover County judge was fed up with Coble, alleging that he was attempting to manipulate the court and the jury.
“He used lots of delay tactics, continuances to keep this case going and drew it out so it took a lot to bring this case across the finish line,” Hanover Commonwealth’s Attorney Mackenzie Babichenko said after trial, according to WTVR.
Coble admitted to shooting King and dumping her body in the woods, but claimed it was an accident.
According to prosecutors, Coble took King to an abortion clinic, but she refused to have the procedure because she apparently wanted to keep the baby.
King reportedly told her mother that if anything happened to her, Coble was to blame.
“She was a ray of sunlight; she was fun, beautiful, courageous, and strong,” Gregory King said. “I’m just grateful for everything.”
