A woman accused of fatally shooting her Uber driver in Texas after falsely believing he was being driven to Mexico against her will has been charged with murder, authorities said.
Phoebe D. Copas, 48, of Tompkinsville, Ky., remained in the El Paso County Jail after her arrest on June 16, the day the driver was shot, according to police records. El Paso police and the county jail.
The family of driver Daniel Piedra Garcia, 52, said he was taken off life support Wednesday, NBC affiliate KTSM of El Paso reported.
Daniel Pedravia Facebook
Although Copas was initially booked on suspicion of aggravated assault causing great bodily harm, the case was upgraded to homicide after the driver died this week, according to police and jail records. Bonds for Copas increased from $1 million to $1.5 million.
An attorney assigned to defend Copas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The detectives believe Copas was in El Paso visiting her boyfriend, according to a complaint affidavit obtained by KTSM. She was in the back seat of the Uber on her way to meet him at a casino when she saw signs on the road that read “Juárez, Mexico,” which is just across the border from El Paso, according to the affidavit.
Believing she was being kidnapped and taken to Mexico, Copas shot the driver, causing the vehicle, a Nissan Maxima, to hit a freeway barrier and stop along U.S. 54 South, police said.
Police are investigating the shooting of Uber driver Daniel Piedras in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday.KTSM
Copas did not call authorities before shooting and did not call for help immediately after opening fire, according to the document.
Rather, she took a photo of the injured driver and texted it to her boyfriend, detectives said in the affidavit. He then called for help, the document says.
The boyfriend, who was not identified, went to the scene and was gone when police arrived, according to the affidavit.
First responders arrived to find Piedra bleeding profusely from the back of his head, according to the affidavit. He was hospitalized in critical condition.
Several shots had been fired, the document says, and after Copas got out of the Nissan he dropped everything he was holding, including a gun.
“The investigation does not support that there was a kidnapping or that Piedra was diverted from Copas’ destination,” police said.
In a statement about the case, Uber said it would cooperate with investigators if their help is needed and added that it has contacted the driver’s loved ones.
“We are appalled by the pilot’s actions,” he said.
Ana Piedra, the victim’s wife, wrote on a GoFundMe set up to help with hospital and funeral expenses that her husband was the sole provider in their household.
After doctors expressed zero hope that he would survive, Daniel Piedra was taken off life support, he stated on the fundraising page, which was verified by the site.
Didi Lopez, the victim’s niece, told KTSM that her uncle was not a criminal or a kidnapper.
“It’s very easy to make your assumptions and make up scenarios. But that’s not who he is,” he said. “He’s a hardworking man.”
A bond hearing was scheduled for Thursday, according to a court filing in the case.
