A Kentucky woman’s charges have been upgraded to murder after the Uber driver she allegedly shot died.
On June 16, 2023, Phoebe Copas was riding in an Uber driven by Daniel Piedra Garcia. Phoebe hails from Tompkinsville, Kentucky, but was traveling in El Paso, Texas, to visit her boyfriend. She became fearful when she saw signs for Juarez, Mexico, and believed she was being kidnapped. She took matters into her own hands and allegedly shot Garica in the head.
As a result of the shooting of Garcia, the car crashed on the freeway. Copas allegedly took a photo of Garcia after the fact and sent it to her boyfriend. Police stated that there were no signs of an attempted kidnapping and it is not believed that Garica veered from the route.
Garcia was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was kept on life support for days. His family had to make the difficult decision to take him off life support on doctors' advice because it was believed he would not recover.
Didi Lopez spoke fondly about her uncle to the El Paso Times. “He was never in a bad mood,” she said. “He was always the one that, if he saw you in a bad mood, he’d come over and try to lift you up.” She also remembered him as “hardworking” and “funny.”
More from LittleThings: Everything You Need To Know About The Alleged Lori Vallow Daybell 'Zombie' Murders
The original charges against Copas were aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. She was being held on a $1 million bond. When Garcia died, the charges were upgraded to murder and the bond rose to $1.5 million.
