William J. Brock, 83, was convicted Jan. 14, 2025, of murdering 61-year-old Uber driver Lo-Letha Toland-Hall after he mistakenly believed she was involved in a phone scam that had duped him out of $12,000. Toland-Hall was hired via the Uber app to collect a package and was shot six times at Brock’s home on March 25, 2024; she later died in surgery. Brock faces sentencing on Jan. 21, 2025, and Toland-Hall’s estate has filed a civil suit naming Brock and the unidentified callers as defendants.
Ohio Man, 83, Convicted Of Murder After Mistaking Uber Driver For Phone Scammers
WKYC Channel 3/YoutubeWilliam J. Brock, 83.
An 83-year-old man in Ohio has been convicted of murder after fatally shooting an Uber driver he mistakenly believed was part of a telephone fraud scheme. A jury found William J. Brock guilty on Jan. 14, 2025, in the death of 61-year-old Lo-Letha Toland-Hall, who was shot at Brock's home in South Charleston, a suburb of Columbus, on March 25, 2024.
What Happened
Prosecutors say Brock had been targeted in an elaborate phone scam in which callers falsely claimed to be legal officials. According to court records and reporting from the Associated Press and USA Today, the scammers convinced him to withdraw $12,000 in cash to post bail for a relative. The callers — one who claimed to be a lawyer for a friend’s grandson, another who posed as a judge, and a third who pretended to be his grandson — told Brock to hand the money off in a package to a driver outside his home.
Investigators later determined that the caller or an accomplice used the Uber app to hire Toland-Hall to pick up that package. Dashcam footage from Toland-Hall’s vehicle and other evidence introduced at trial show she arrived, exited her car and approached Brock’s door to explain she was there to collect a package and that she worked for Uber.
thechapelofpeaceLo-Letha M. Hall.
Confrontation And Aftermath
According to the civil lawsuit filed by Toland-Hall’s estate and court testimony, Brock threatened to shoot her in the head and held her at gunpoint as she tried to step away. Toland-Hall told him she would call 911; Brock shot her once in the leg and then fired five additional times before calling 911 himself. Toland-Hall was transported to a local hospital and died during surgery from her wounds.
Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll said after the verdict that “Both families have lost loved ones because of this, and there are no winners here.” He added that the scammers who initiated the fraud have not yet been caught and expressed hope the FBI will identify and prosecute them.
Brock is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 21, 2025, according to court records reviewed by PEOPLE. In March 2025, Toland-Hall’s estate filed a civil suit alleging both Brock and the unidentified callers are liable for her death.
Remembering The Victim
In her obituary, Lo-Letha Toland-Hall was remembered as a retired employee of the Regional Income Tax Agency in Ohio, an avid gardener and cook, a devoted churchgoer, and a loving mother to her son, Mario.
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