Ohio man, 83, convicted of killing Uber driver faces sentencing | US crime

An 83-year-old Ohio man faces sentencing Tuesday after being found guilty of murder in the shooting of an Uber driver he mistakenly thought was trying to rob him.

Authorities say William J Brock fatally shot the driver after mistakenly assuming he was involved in a conspiracy involving fraudulent phone calls that deceived them both to allegedly obtain $12,000 in bail money for a relative.

According to investigators, driver Lo-Letha Toland-Hall, 61, also fell victim to the same scammer while driving to Brock’s home between Dayton and Columbus to pick up a package for delivery.

Authorities said Brock shot Toland-Hall six times when he arrived at his home in the Dublin suburb of Columbus in March 2024.

Toland-Hall’s case was one in a series of cases in which Black Americans were shot while doing ordinary things. Brock, from South Charleston, Ohio, is white.

He was convicted Wednesday of murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping. He will likely spend the rest of his life in prison pending a sentencing hearing.

A message seeking comment was left for his attorney.

Brock’s lawyer said the attack was in self-defense and that the scammer had made threats against him and his family. Brock testified during the hearing that he felt threatened when the driver pulled up to his home.

But prosecutors said Hall was unarmed and posed no threat when Brock shot him. Investigators said the driver was unaware of the scam call Brock received with threats and demands for money.

Both families lost loved ones to fraud, Clark County District Attorney Daniel Driscoll told reporters after the verdict.

“The really sad part about this is that we know there are still criminals out there,” he said. “We know the crooks who started this have not been brought to justice.”