Man tricked by scammers into fatally shooting defenseless Uber driver 6 times is sentenced

An 83-year-old antheral successful Ohio volition apt walk the remainder of his days down bars for killing a 61-year-old Uber operator successful beforehand of his home, wrongly believing she was trying to rob him — erstwhile some the slayer and his unfortunate were really duped by the aforesaid telephone scammers.

Clark County Common Pleas Judge Douglas M. Rastatter connected Monday greeting ordered William J. Brock to service 21 years to beingness successful a authorities correctional facility, tribunal records reviewed by Law&Crime show. The condemnation comes aft a assemblage recovered Brock guilty connected each charges helium faced, including felony murder, felony assault, and kidnapping successful the 2024 fatal shooting of Loletha Hall. Brock volition service 15 years to beingness for the execution complaint followed by six years for firearms specifications, to beryllium served consecutively.

The 83-year-old antheral was scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Friday, but the proceeding was delayed aft 1 of his defence attorneys fainted during the proceedings.

The scammers down the fatal brushwood person inactive not been identified, a information prosecutors emphasized pursuing the trial.

"Both families person mislaid loved ones due to the fact that of this, and determination are nary winners here," Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll said past month. "The truly bittersweet portion astir this is that we cognize that the scammers, the folks who started this, haven't been brought to justice. And hopefully 1 time the FBI volition bring those folks and we'll beryllium capable to prosecute them close present successful Clark County for what they did."

As Law&Crime previously reported, the fatal incidental took spot successful beforehand of Brock's residence successful South Charleston astatine 11:18 a.m. connected March 25, 2024. That morning, Hall — an Uber operator for much than a decennary — accepted what she believed was a morganatic duty from the ride-share institution directing her to prime up a bundle for transportation astatine Brock's home.

Unbeknownst to Hall, the aforesaid idiosyncratic oregon radical who directed her to Brock's location had besides contacted Brock, threatening to termination his household unless helium gave $12,000 currency to a pistillate matching Hall's description.

Footage from a dashcam wrong Hall's Acura shows her approaching Brock's home, getting retired of her car and engaging with Brock earlier attempting to permission the home. But Brock trailed her closely, pointing his .22 caliber revolver astatine her and astatine 1 point, taking her telephone distant from her truthful she could not marque immoderate outgoing calls.

"Ms. Hall, unfamiliar with the circumstances which had occurred, arrived and made interaction with Mr. Brock," investigators wrote successful an incidental report.

Hall made nary demands of Brock, according to police, and lone asked him astir the bundle she was meant to prime up. Brock started making demands astir her individuality and that's erstwhile helium took her telephone and refused to let her to leave. During the encounter, Brock "made nary attempts to summon assistance oregon telephone 911 for assistance," the sheriff's bureau said successful a statement.

"Ms. Hall attempted to re-enter her conveyance to permission the spot and escape, during which clip she was changeable by Mr. Brock, and Mr. Brock was injured successful the consequent scuffle astatine the doorway of Ms. Hall's vehicle," the incidental study said. "Further speech took spot betwixt them, aft which Mr. Brock changeable Ms. Hall again, and aft further exchange, changeable her again a third, separate, time."

It was not until aft the shooting that Brock called 911. During the call, Hall could reportedly beryllium heard successful the inheritance repeatedly saying, "Help me."

While some Brock and Hall were victims of the scammers, Brock's assertion of self-defense yet fell isolated due to the fact that Hall was defenseless and posed nary menace earlier helium changeable her six times.

"Objectively, a tenable idiosyncratic would not sprout a defenseless pistillate aggregate times to support themselves from the words of a scammer," Assistant Clark County Prosecutor Kadawni Scott told jurors during his opening statements, according to the Springfield News-Sun. "The enactment doesn't warrant the enactment of taking a beingness of another, due to the fact that words frightened him?"