A U.S. Navy lieutenant based in Tidewater has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a Hampton woman whose remains were discovered by the side of the road last month in Hanover County.
Emmanuel Dewayne Coble, 27, of Hampton, was also charged with felony use of a firearm in the killing of Raquiah Paulette King, 20, also of Hampton, whose remains were found July 21 near the intersection of Winns Church and Greenwood roads. The state medical examiner’s office determined she was shot to death.
Coble and King were involved in an intimate relationship, and King was three months pregnant at the time of her death, Hanover Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. James Cooper said. Charges are pending related to the death of the fetus, Cooper added.
Following an “extensive investigation” involving multiple agencies, Hanover investigators were able to quickly identify Coble as a suspect, Cooper said.
Coble holds the rank of LTJG, or junior grade lieutenant, in the U.S. Navy and was recently assigned to the USS John C. Stennis, a nuclear-powered supercarrier, Lt. Commander Robert Myers, public affairs officer for the Commander of the Naval Air Force Atlantic fleet, said in a statement. The vessel is temporarily based in Norfolk for a major overhaul.
“The Navy is cooperating with law enforcement agencies involved with this case, and we extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the victim,” Myers said.
In a GoFundMe page established for King to cover her memorial and burial costs, Gregory King wrote that Raquiah was killed because she refused to get an abortion.
The GoFundMe narrative says Raquiah met a young man and moved to Virginia to live with him while he pursued a career. They fell in love and conceived a child, but “while in the womb of Raquiah, the father changed his mind about having the baby and forced Raquiah to have an abortion, which she refused.”
That led to numerous arguments. Eventually, Raquiah and her boyfriend went to an abortion clinic but, once inside, Raquiah changed her mind “and her boyfriend became furious,” according to the narrative.
“They then got into a fight outside in the car on the way home [and] the killer killed her and her unborn baby,” the narrative states. “They both died instantly on the scene.”
Coble was arraigned on the charges Tuesday in Hanover General District Court. A preliminary hearing date was set for Dec. 6.
“I am incredibly proud of the diligence of our investigators and our law enforcement partners which led to the arrest of Emmanuel Coble,” Hanover Sheriff David Hines said in a statement. “This arrest is the first step in bringing justice to Raquiah King and her family.”
