- - 83-year-old man found guilty in fatal 2024 shooting of Uber driver

Thao Nguyen, USA TODAYJanuary 16, 2026 at 7:06 AM

0

83-year-old man found guilty in fatal 2024 shooting of Uber driver

A jury found an 83-year-old Ohio man guilty of murder in the 2024 shooting of an Uber driver, whom he believed was trying to rob him after scam phone calls deceived them both.

William Brock was convicted of three counts of murder, one count of felonious assault, and one count of kidnapping on Jan. 14, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 21, court records show.

Authorities said Brock fatally shot Lo-Letha "Letha" Toland-Hall, 61, an Uber driver instructed to retrieve a package from Brock’s home in South Charleston through the Uber app in March 2024. South Charleston is a village about 37 miles east of Dayton, Ohio.

Brock testified during the trial that he felt that his life was in danger and he shot Hall in self-defense, according to local television stations WKEF and WHIO. Brock said he had received a scam call that involved threats against his family and demands for money, and he believed that Hall was part of the scheme.

Investigators said both Brock and Hall were targets of the same scam, court records show. In April 2024, Brock was arrested and charged with murder, authorities said.

At the time, his bond was set at $200,000, according to court records. With the guilty verdict, court records show Brock's bond was revoked, and he was taken into custody.

"Both families have lost loved ones because of this, and there are no winners here," Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll said following the verdict, WKEF reported. "The really sad part about this is that we know that the scammers, the folks who started this, haven’t been brought to justice. And hopefully one day the FBI will bring those folks, and we’ll be able to prosecute them right here in Clark County for what they did."

Lawsuit: Ohio man shot Uber driver multiple times

A civil lawsuit, filed in March 2025 on behalf of Hall’s estate, alleges that Brock and the unidentified scam callers are liable for her death. According to the suit, Hall arrived at Brock's residence at around 10:52 a.m. local time on March 25, 2024.

After Hall arrived at the residence, Brock exited the home and held her at gunpoint while she attempted to walk away, the suit states. When she threatened to call 911, the suit states that Brock told her she was not leaving and shot her in the leg.

At the time, Hall did not know that Brock had been called by a scammer who instructed him to deliver money in a package to the driver of the car in his driveway, according to the suit. Hall then attempted to explain to Brock that she was there to pick up a package and that she worked for Uber, but Brock threatened to shoot her in the head.

Brock then shot Hall multiple times before calling 911 to report the shooting, the suit states. Brock told the dispatcher that he was the shooter and that the victim was lying in the driveway.

"At no time was there any justification for shooting Lo-Letha Toland-Hall, nor did she pose any threat to the defendant," the suit states.

'I’m too smart to fall for that': She ignored 'scam' texts telling her she owed money. It backfired

Suspect initially reported a robbery attempt

At the time, the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that the Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from Brock, who said he had “shot someone attempting to rob him."

Initial investigations revealed that Brock had been the subject of a scam call, and Hall was also the victim of a scam call from the same caller or an accomplice instructing her to retrieve a package from Brock’s residence through the Uber app, according to authorities.

Hall arrived at Brock’s residence and asked about the package, at which point Brock held Hall at gunpoint and demanded she reveal the identity of the caller who first contacted him, the Columbus Dispatch reported. Investigators said Brock took Hall’s phone to prevent her from making calls and refused to let her leave the scene.

First responders transported Hall to the hospital, where she died from her wounds while in surgery, according to authorities.

FBI report: Cybercriminals and scammers stole a record $16B in 2024

Uber banned scammer's account

Following the shooting, Uber said it was assisting local enforcement with the investigation and provided information that could help with the case. The account of the person who instructed Hall to pick up a package from Brock's residence was banned from the platform, Uber said.

"This is a horrific tragedy, and our hearts continue to be with Loletha’s loved ones as they grieve. We have been in contact with law enforcement and remain committed to supporting their investigation," an Uber spokesperson told USA TODAY in April 2024.

Contributing: Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY; Jason Rossi, Columbus Dispatch

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio man, 83, guilty in fatal 2024 shooting of Uber driver

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Breaking”