SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A jury convicted an 83-year-old Ohio man of murder in the shooting of an Uber driver, after prosecutors said scam phone calls deceived both the driver and the defendant.
William J. Brock fatally shot the driver after wrongly assuming she was involved in a plot tied to $12,000 in supposed bond money for a relative, authorities said.
Investigators said the Uber driver fell victim to the same scammer. They said she drove to Brock’s home, located between Dayton and Columbus, to pick up a package for delivery.
Prosecutors said Brock shot Lo-Letha Toland-Hall, 61, of Dublin, a Columbus suburb, six times when she arrived at his home in March 2024.
Brock’s attorney argued that the shooting was in self-defense and that the scammer made threats against Brock and his family. Brock also testified that he felt threatened when the driver arrived at his house.
Prosecutors countered that Toland-Hall was unarmed and posed no threat when Brock shot her. They also said the driver was unaware of the scam call Brock received, which included threats and demands for money.
The jury found Brock guilty of murder, felonious assault and kidnapping, the Associated Press reported. Brock is scheduled to be sentenced next week, and a message seeking comment was left with his attorney.
Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll told reporters after the verdict that both families lost loved ones because of the scam. He said the “really sad part about this is that we know there are still criminals out there,” and that the scammers “haven’t been brought to justice.”