BOSTON, November 23, 2016—The family of Karima El-Hakim  said their holidays were “hollow” after her 2013 homicide and acknowledged their grief for the family of Zouaoui Dani-Elkebir, also slain by a gunman who was sentenced to life in prison today for their murders, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

A Suffolk Superior Court jury earlier last week found MAURICE MORRISON (D.O.B. 2/19/85) guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm for killing El-Hakim, 38, and Dani-Elkebir, 52, in Chelsea.  At his sentencing today, Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee recommended that Morrison serve his two mandatory life terms back to back; Judge Kenneth Salinger ordered that they run concurrent with one another.

During the course of a seven-day trial, Lee presented evidence and testimony to prove that Morrison and El-Hakim had a personal conflict prior to May 13, 2013, when Morrison began communicating through text with El-Hakim’s boyfriend, Dani-Elkebir, a cab driver, in a ruse to convince him to pick Morrison up in his cab.  El-Hakim was a frequent passenger in Dani-Elkebir’s cab and joined him that night.

The evidence showed that Morrison shot El-Hakim and Dani-Elkebir both in the head in the area of Parker Street and Crescent Avenue and fled.  The vehicle continued to roll down Crescent Street, coming to a stop when it struck a building.

State and Chelsea Police gathered evidence identifying Morrison as the gunman, including witness statements, cell phone records, video footage, and other evidence.

Before Morrison’s sentence was imposed, members of both victims’ families had the opportunity to deliver impact statements to the court.

“Holidays are hollow, family dinners have an empty feeling – many birthdays celebrated knowing that she is gone,” El-Hakim’s brother and sister-in-law wrote in a statement that Lee read aloud in court.  “However our family is not the only family that has suffered a loss. The other murder victim leaves behind a family and a story of his own. And then there is the perpetrator of this crime – and the devastating effects that this has had on his family and his story. Three families have suffered. The only difference is his family can still tell him that he is loved and he can hear their words [and] he can see his children.  We will never hear the sweet sound of Karima’s voice again, never celebrate the milestones in her life, never be able to tell her that we love her.”

Elise McConnell is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate.  Morrison was represented by Jonathan Shapiro and Molly Campbell.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.