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Man charged in killing grandmother in Shoreline hit-and-run
A man suspected of hitting and killing a 67-year-old grandmother in Shoreline last year, then fleeing the scene, has pleaded not guilty to his charges.
SHORELINE, Wash. - The suspect in a hit-and-run in Shoreline that killed a 67-year-old grandmother last year pleaded not guilty in court today.
25-year-old Abel T. Zekarayas showed up to King County Superior Court for his arraignment for a charge of hit and run-felony.
King County Sheriff's Major Accident Response & Reconstructive Detectives and UW Police arrested him on campus on Jan. 27.
The backstory:
He is accused of hitting Beverly Lockhart just south of North 198th Street on Oct. 4 where she was crossing the street. Detectives say he left her lying just east of the roadway and never stopped to help or call 911. She lived nearby.
Witnesses heard a car go by followed by a loud bang and saw a white sedan pass by traveling northbound on Aurora Avenue without stopping.
Several pieces of broken clear plastic lens from the car's headlights as well as a white plastic bumper cap and a black air dam were recovered from the scene. Detectives say surveillance video from the Chicken Prince restaurant showed the suspect stop, get out of his white Volvo, walk around to the front passenger side of the car to see the damage before leaving.
Surveillance video shows the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run in Shoreline checking the damage of their vehicle on Oct. 4, 2025. (King County Prosecutor's Office)
"I don't know how anybody could do that to someone," said the victim's oldest son, Evan Lockhart. "I do have a lot of thoughts of what it was like in her last moments and what it was like as the driver was hitting her, what they saw...you know, playing in my head."
Using Flock cameras, detectives were able to locate and track the 2015 Volvo S60 registered to Zekarayas.
They discovered that he was issued a citation for an HOV violation by a Washington State Patrol trooper three days after the collision. The trooper's body worn video showed the right bumper cap was missing.
Detectives also obtained cell phone data showing he was near the scene of the hit-and-run at the time it occurred and within a block of the Chicken Prince.
Dig deeper:
Beverly had four children and three grandchildren.
"I think she was really incredible person especially as a mom," said Evan. "She was the parent who would run down the sideline screaming for you as you were playing sports."
Beverly served four years in the Army and was stationed in Germany.
"I don't think you could ever replace someone's mother...especially unexpectedly without them having to say goodbye, and I don't think I have a good answer about what is just in a situation like that. I just think taking someone away like that from all of her children and not holding yourself accountable should deserve more time," said Evan.
Zekarayas has no known criminal history. His traffic history shows infractions for HOV lane violation in 2025 and failure to stop at an intersection stop sign in 2024.
What's next:
He remains free on personal recognizance. His next court hearing is on May 21.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the King County Sheriff's Office, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.