An 83-year-old man will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for shooting an Uber driver to death, whom he thought was actively working with a scam caller.
William Brock was convicted last month of murder, felonious assault and kidnapping in connection with the death of 61-year-old Lo-Letha Toland-Hall in Ohio.
A judge recently sentenced him to 21 years to life in prison.
The tragic series of events that unfolded in March 2024 and led to Toland-Hall’s death started with a call from a scammer.
During his trial, Brock testified that he received a call from someone posing as an attorney and demanding $12,000 in cash to bail his grandson out of jail after alleging the young man hit a pregnant woman with his car.
Brock was convinced the call was legitimate and almost fell for it until he asked for his grandson’s full name and the make and model of his car.
The scammer went mute on both points, and when Brock called them out, the call took an ugly turn.
The caller allegedly threatened to kill Brock and his family if the 83-year-old didn’t give a woman sitting in a car outside his home the cash amount they demanded.
According to court documents cited by The New York Times, the same scammer used Uber to dispatch Toland-Hall to Brock’s home to fetch a package, but she was completely unaware of its contents or the scam call.
When an unsuspecting Toland-Hall arrived, Brock immediately pointed a gun at her.
“I was scared to death at that time I was going to be killed,” he testified in court.
Dash camera footage showed Brock point the firearm at Toland-Hall as she backs away in fear. He asks her who she works for, and she tells him that she’s employed by Uber.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said Toland-Hall “made no threats or assaults toward Mr. Brock and made no demands, other than to ask about the package she was sent to retrieve through the Uber App.”
Despite the fact that Toland-Hall was unarmed and backing away in fear for her life, Brock ended up shooting her six times. He called 911 afterward. When first responders arrived, they airlifted her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Brock was found guilty on every charge he faced. His attorneys attempted to secure a new trial and acquittal, but their motions were overruled.
At his trial, prosecutors say that his fear did not justify his lethal actions.
“Objectively, a reasonable person would not kidnap and ultimately murder a defenseless person because they were scared,” Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Kadawni Scott told the jury.
Toland-Hall’s family said the 61-year-old was a devoted churchgoer and enjoyed baking and spending time with family. Her son made a statement in court during Brock’s sentencing.
“She, Loletha, my mom, was my safe place,” Mario Hall said, according to WHIO.“It has left a hole in my heart that cannot be filled. She doesn’t get to grow old like William Brock.”
The scammers who called and attempted to extort Brock still have not been found.
“Both families have lost loved ones because of this, and there are no winners here,” Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll said, per the Springfield News-Sun. “The really sad part about this is that we know that the scammers, the folks who started this, haven’t been brought to justice. And hopefully one day the FBI will bring those folks and we’ll be able to prosecute them right here in Clark County for what they did.”
