An 83-year-old Ohio man faces sentencing on Tuesday after being convicted of murder in the shooting of an Uber driver who he wrongly thought was trying to rob him.
William J Brock fatally shot the driver after wrongly assuming she was in on a plot involving scam phone calls that deceived them both to get $12,000 in supposed bond money for a relative, authorities said.
The 61-year-old driver, Lo-Letha Toland-Hall fell victim to the same scammer, driving to Brock’s home between Dayton and Columbus to pick up a package for delivery, according to investigators.
Brock shot Toland-Hall, of the Columbus suburb of Dublin, six times when she showed up at his home in March 2024, authorities said.
Toland-Hall’s case was one in a string of cases of Black Americans being shot while doing mundane things. Brock – of South Charleston, Ohio – is white.
He was convicted of murder, felonious assault and kidnapping Wednesday. He is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison at his sentencing hearing.
A message seeking comment was left with his attorney.
Brock’s attorney said the shooting was in self-defense and the scammer had made threats against him and his family. Brock testified during the trial that he felt threatened when the driver arrived at his house.
But prosecutors said Hall was unarmed and posed no threat when Brock shot her. Investigators said the driver was unaware of the scam call that Brock had received with threats and demands for money.
Clark county prosecutor Daniel Driscoll told reporters after the verdict that both families lost loved ones because of the scam.
“The really sad part about this is that we know there are still criminals out there,” he said. “We know that the scammers, the folks who started this, haven’t been brought to justice.”
Associated Press contributed