Ohio Man Who Shot and Killed Uber Driver in Scam Gone Wrong Faces Additional Charges
Additional charges have been brought against an elderly Ohio man who shot and killed an Uber driver who was sent to his home to pick up a package.
Eighty-one-year-old William Brock was initially arraigned on murder charges after he shot and killed 61-year-old Loletha Hall. Hall had pulled up to Brock’s South Charleston home to pick up a package after an Uber request was put in by scammers who investigators say made the request from a burner phone in Canada.
Brock was also contacted by the scammers and told that an Uber driver would be arriving at his home to pick up a package of money. Lt. Kristopher Shultz of the Clark County Sheriff's Office explained that "Mr. Brock received some scam call by a person purporting to be someone from our courts who informed him a family member was incarcerated and that he had a bond of a significant amount of money,” and that "The calls turned from 'I'm an officer in the court' to 'We have this subject hostage, this is a ransom demand.'"
Lt. Shultz adds that Hall was not aware of the scam but followed the Uber request to pick up a package that Brock would provide.
After Hall arrived at Brock’s home, she was confronted by Brock who held her at gunpoint, instructing her to leave his home. Hall’s dash cam footage shows the horrifying events that followed. Hall proceeded to make her way back to her car, and as she retreated, Brock shot her three times. Lt. Shultz explained that when Hall tried to get away, "Mr. Brock was at some point injured to his head, and he shot Ms. Hall a second time. There was more conversation, and then he shot her a third time. Only after he shot her a third time did he then make contact with authorities to report the incident." When Brock contacted the authorities he said that he had felt threatened and was acting in self-defense.
Ohio is one of forty-five states that have castle doctrine laws on the books, though the laws vary from state to state. In Ohio, a person can use deadly force if they are protecting their home, their vehicle, or any other space they legally occupy if there is an intruder whom they feel is threatening or going to commit a crime.
Under Ohio statute 2901.09, “a person who lawfully is in that person's residence has no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense.”
While Ohio adheres to stand-your-ground laws, Brock may not be able to turn to this statute for protection from prosecution. In the dash-cam footage capturing the shooting, Hall can be seen retreating and explaining that she was there to pick up a package. Although Brock claimed self-defense when speaking with investigators, Hall cannot be heard or seen acting in a manner that was threatening.
Brock was originally arraigned on a murder charge for Hall’s death, and a grand jury indicted him on that charge earlier this week. Additional charges have since been brought forward including two new counts of felony murder, felonious assault and kidnapping. Brock has since posted a $200,000 bail.
