Crime
What do we know about the fatal shooting of Loletha Hall during an Uber concert
It was an atypical scam that ended with an unusual result – tragically in a driveway in Ohio.
This week, authorities said William J. Brock fatally shot an Uber driver because he wrongly assumed she was participating in a scheme to acquire $12,000 in alleged bail for a relative. Loletha Hall was a victim of the same scam, summoned by the scammers to Brock’s home to select up a supposed package for delivery.
Brock later told investigators he believed Hall got here to get the money the scammers wanted.
Now he faces murder charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Hall’s family is in mourning. Uber helps investigators catch the person behind the fraud attempt.
Experts say the gimmick is widely generally known as a scam or grandparent scam that takes advantage of older people’s love for family. Callers pretend to be anyone from grandchildren to the police, and tell victims that something terrible has happened and that their younger relative needs money.
Here’s what we know about the shooting and the investigation thus far:
What exactly happened?
Brock, 81, received the scam calls on the morning of March 25 at his home in South Charleston, a city of about 1,800 people situated between Dayton and Columbus. According to a press release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the calls were about an imprisoned relative and “continued to make threats and demands for money.”
The sheriff’s office said that while Brock was on the phone, Hall received a request through the Uber app to select up a package from Brock’s home for delivery. Hall, 61, of Columbus, was unaware of the attempted fraud.
“After contacting Ms. Hall, Mr. Brock produced a gun and held it at gunpoint, demanding the identity of the people he spoke to on the phone,” the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said Hall was unarmed and never threatened or made any demands on Brock.
The sheriff’s office said Brock took Hall’s cellular phone and would not let her leave. When she tried to get back to the automotive, Brock shot her. In the ensuing fights, he shot her a second and third time.
Brock then called 911 to report that he had shot an individual on his property who was attempting to rob him.
The police body camera footage shows him briefly discussing what he believes happened.
“I’m really happy to see you guys here because I was on the phone for a few hours with this guy who was trying to tell me that I have a nephew in jail and I was in an accident in Charleston but I was just hanging on and they need the bond money,” he said Brock. “And this woman was going to get it.”
The video shows investigators discussing the $12,000 while sitting on a table in Brock’s home.
The video also shows a Clark County Sheriff’s Office detective at Brock’s home talking on the phone to a person who had previously spoken to Brock. He identified himself as an officer and told the detective, “You’re going to get in trouble.”
When the detective introduced herself as an actual police officer, the phone hung up. During a subsequent phone call with the man, the detective told him that the Uber driver had been in a serious accident, was in the hospital and “wasn’t feeling well.”
The man told the detective he could be there in 20 minutes. He was not.
On Monday, Brock was charged with murder, assault and kidnapping. He posted $200,000 bail and was released from the Clark County Jail on Wednesday. His lawyer, Paul Kavanagh, didn’t immediately return an email searching for comment Friday.
How common are these types of grandparent scams?
Grandparent scams have grow to be increasingly common over the past 10 to fifteen years — partly because of the great amount of personal information available about people online, said Anthony Pratkanis, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Criminals search social media for details about relatives and use them to persuade victims their loved one is in trouble, said Pratkanis, whose research includes fraud crimes.
“Basically, the criminal is taking advantage of our human nature,” he said. “You are in a state of panic and high emotional arousal. This is an appeal to fear. And the best way to get rid of that fear is to give the criminal that money.”
Pratkanis said fraudsters typically prefer financial transactions that do not require physical proximity, reminiscent of bank transfers, gift cards or cryptocurrencies. This case is unusual because the fraudsters used Hall as an unsuspecting money mule.
“Most people involved in fraud today don’t actually have any contact with the criminal – there’s a distance,” Pratkanis said. “But if that’s not the case, there’s a chance that the victim’s anger will cause the victim to take action.”
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Uber said Wednesday it was helping investigators look into the account that sent Hall to Brock’s home. The shipping company called Hall’s death a “terrible tragedy.”
“A Bond Like No Other”
Some posthumous Hall described her as the mother of a son and stepson, a loyal member of her church and a talented cook known for her delicious pound cakes.
She retired from the Ohio Regional Income Tax Agency and worked in behavioral health at school and for Uber. She studied horticulture at Ohio State and commenced a cleansing business.
At the memorial service which was broadcast online, her son Mario Hall talked about how close they were regardless that they lived in several states, and infrequently talked on the phone several times a day. He said they’d “a bond like no other.”
“Thank you for all your sacrifices and everything you have instilled in me,” he said. “You are the best mother anyone could wish for. And I promise that I’ll proceed to make you proud.
Crime
Luigi Mangione, 26, in police custody in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO
New York authorities have identified 26-year-old Luigi Mangione as an individual of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
According to police, a McDonald’s worker recognized Mangione in a photograph taken by NYPD Crime Stoppers and called authorities to report that he was eating at the restaurant, which led to his arrest.
Police say Mangione was carrying an anti-corporate manifesto, false identification and a ghost gun.
“It fits the description we were looking for,” Mayor Eric Adams said. An early NYPD report drew criticism online for calling the suspect a “light-skinned male” fairly than simply saying he was white.
The New York Post reports that Mangione previously attended the University of Pennsylvania, was valedictorian of the highschool in 2016 and had ties to Towson, Maryland. His social media posts indicate motivation related to dissatisfaction with the health care industry.
The shooting gained national attention because of the lukewarm response to Thompson’s death from many voters, who criticized the high insurance denial rate and greed that contributed to the American loss of life.
NYPD officers will now travel to Pennsylvania to query Mangione. Watch the entire press conference below:
Crime
OJ Simpson’s audio testimony claims have been proven false
Iroc Avelli, OJ Simpson’s former bodyguard, claimed to have a recording of the late NFL player admitting to killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. According to .evaluation of the audio recording showed the claim to be false.
In June 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) contacted the Bloomington, Minnesota police department to realize access to thumb drives confiscated during Avelli’s 2022 arrest.
Bloomington Police Department arrested Avelli for alleged assault in 2022; upon arrest, the police seized Avelli’s backpack and obtained an order to gather relevant evidence on the scene. The backpack contained multiple flash drives that the previous security guard said contained Simpson’s confessions.
According to Peasant! News“search warrant filed in Hennepin County requested by Officer George Harms seek for image pendrives in order that “a full forensic examination could possibly be carried out on all of the pendrives to acquire the recording.”
The Bloomington Police Department didn’t return the drives, opting as an alternative to conduct an internal forensic examination. After a digital forensics specialist examined the drives, Bloomington police didn’t disclose any information of “probative value” to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The further investigation into the Simpson and Goldman murders is strange because on October 3, 1995, OJ Simpson was acquitted of all charges. The former San Francisco 49er maintained his innocence until his death from cancer on April 11, 2024.
After his acquittal, OJ Simpson continued to benefit from his fame. In 1996, the Buffalo Bills player published a book titled If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer. Many found the book’s title and content distasteful and criticized it Naked weapon the actor’s constant presence in celebrity culture.
However, many individuals imagine that Simpson’s acquittal ought to be enough to just accept his presence in all spaces. BLACK ENTERPRISES reports on rapper Cam’Ron’s response to criticism after Simpson was invited on his sports show before his death.
The It is what it’s the host and businessman believes that the accusations – proven in court – shouldn’t result in ostracization. Cam’Ron believes that Simpson’s race may have played a job in continuously questioning his innocence throughout his life.
“Look, if he was guilty, we wouldn’t have him on the show,” he said. “You wish to proceed convicting an innocent man. He is innocent. If it was another person, whiter, you’d all say, “Oh, he’s innocent.” TO BE reported.
It appears that the hearings and investigation into Orenthol James Simpson’s role, or lack thereof, in his ex-wife’s murder will proceed even after his death.
Crime
Suspect charged with fatally shooting 3-year-old on Thanksgiving Day
Tatisha Refuge, a 47-year-old New Orleans resident, turned herself in to authorities after the death of 3-year-old Rudy Ratliff. Refuge is charged with “manslaughter by negligence.”
Rudy’s mother, Leshawn Ratliff, lives in Texas but visited Refuge, her foster mother, in the previous few days of Thanksgiving. Nov 8 News.
“I came here on Saturday to pick up my older son. He was here over Thanksgiving break, and I came down on Saturday to pick him up so we could go home on Sunday and they could go back to school on Monday.” Ratliff he said.
While playing UNO, Refuge’s unsecured gun fell from her belt and fired, striking Rudy. Ratliff she recounted how the scene unfolded when she discovered Rudy had been shot.
“I began seeing blood coming out of his chest. That’s once I knew he had been shot. So I called 911.
The mother didn’t wish to wait for 911. Instead, she decided to take Rudy to University Medical Center for treatment. She said that after they arrived at the ability, Rudy seemed to be alive. Unfortunately, 20 minutes later she was informed of his death.
Tatisha Refuge has been charged with negligent homicide within the shooting death of 3-year-old Rudy Ratliff. #Khou11 @AmandaHTV
https://t.co/BFIeGhAHYG— KHOU 11 Houston News (@KHOU) December 4, 2024
Ratliff she nurtured her relationship with Refuge and is torn now that the accusations involve her foster mother.
“It was a random shooting. His grandfather’s gun fell. It wasn’t within the secure. It wasn’t within the gun position. I believe it went into the pocket and fell out and shot my son,” Ratliff said. “I understand it was a mistake. I imagine in my heart that it was a mistake. I just don’t understand. I just don’t understand.
The grieving mother began a GoFundMe and is asking the general public for help with Rudy’s burial. To support the Ratliff family of their time of need, click here.
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