SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio jury has convicted an 83-year-old man of murder for shooting an Uber driver, whom he incorrectly thought was attempting to rob him after both were deceived by scam phone calls. William J. Brock was found guilty after he fatally shot 61-year-old Lo-Letha Toland-Hall, a resident of Dublin, Ohio, who had come to his home in March 2024 to pick up a package, unaware she was caught in a scam involving a request for $12,000 for alleged bond money for a relative.
Brock expressed during the trial that he believed he was acting in self-defense, claiming that he felt threatened by the driver’s arrival at his home. However, prosecutors asserted that Toland-Hall was unarmed and posed no threat. The jury rejected Brock's defense, convicting him of murder, as well as felonious assault and kidnapping. His sentencing is scheduled for next week.
The case highlights the dangers posed by scammers preying on vulnerable individuals, with Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll lamenting that while two families have lost loved ones, the actual criminals behind the scam remain at large. ‘The really sad part about this is that we know there are still criminals out there,’ he remarked after the verdict.
Brock expressed during the trial that he believed he was acting in self-defense, claiming that he felt threatened by the driver’s arrival at his home. However, prosecutors asserted that Toland-Hall was unarmed and posed no threat. The jury rejected Brock's defense, convicting him of murder, as well as felonious assault and kidnapping. His sentencing is scheduled for next week.
The case highlights the dangers posed by scammers preying on vulnerable individuals, with Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll lamenting that while two families have lost loved ones, the actual criminals behind the scam remain at large. ‘The really sad part about this is that we know there are still criminals out there,’ he remarked after the verdict.
