Springfield, Ohio
AP
—
A jury convicted an 83-year-old Ohio man of homicide within the taking pictures of an Uber driver who he wrongly thought was attempting to rob him after scam phone calls deceived them each.
William J. Brock fatally shot the driver after wrongly assuming she was in on a plot to get $12,000 in supposed bond cash for a relative, authorities mentioned.
The driver fell victim to the same scammer, driving to Brock’s residence between Dayton and Columbus to choose up a bundle for supply, in keeping with investigators.
Brock shot the driver, 61-year-old Lo-Letha Toland-Hall of Dublin, a Columbus suburb, six occasions when she confirmed up at his residence in March 2024, authorities mentioned.
Brock, of South Charleston, was convicted of homicide, felonious assault and kidnapping Wednesday. He is scheduled to be sentenced this week. A message in search of remark was left along with his lawyer.
Brock’s lawyer mentioned the taking pictures was in self-defense and the scammer had made threats towards him and his household. Brock testified in the course of the trial that he felt threatened when the driver arrived at his home.
But prosecutors mentioned Hall was unarmed and posed no menace when Brock shot her. Investigators mentioned the driver was unaware of the rip-off name that Brock had acquired with threats and calls for for cash.
Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll advised reporters after the decision that each households misplaced family members as a result of of the rip-off.
“The really sad part about this is that we know there are still criminals out there,” he mentioned. “We know that the scammers, the folks who started this, haven’t been brought to justice.”