- 81-year-old William Brock mistakenly believed Uber driver Loletha Hall was part of plot to defraud him
- Brock claims that unknown scammers were attempting to extort him before Hall arrived
- Brock has been charged with murder
An 81-year-old man has been charged with murder after he shot and killed an Uber driver he thought – mistakenly – was part of a plot to extort money from him.
William Brock shot Uber driver Loletha Hall multiple times outside his house in South Charleston, Ohio, on March 25. Hall later died of her injuries in hospital.
The Clark County Sherriff’s Office has issued a release saying that Brock’s justification for his actions was that, prior to Hall arriving at his house, he had received threatening phone calls from an unknown male claiming that one of Brock’s relatives was being held in jail and required money wired to him to pay the bond to release him. When Brock refused, the caller began making threats to the safety him and his family.
When Hall arrived at Brock’s house soon after, he thought she was connected to the caller.
However, it is believed that Hall had no idea about the extortion plot, and had innocently responded to a request on the Uber app to pick up a package from Brock’s house.
Police have released dashcam footage from Hall’s vehicle, which show Hall leaving the car before Brock confronts her with a gun in his hand. Police state Hall made no demands other than to ask about the package she believed she had been sent to pick up.
Brock has been charged with murder, as police saw Hall as posing no threat to Brock and that he failed to contact them for assistance about the extortion plot. He has pleaded not guilty.
