A Kentucky woman visiting her boyfriend in El Paso, Texas, has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting her Uber driver. Phoebe Copas, 48, initially faced aggravated assault charges, but these were upgraded following the death of 52-year-old Daniel Piedra Garcia.
The incident occurred on June 16th when Copas was traveling in Garcia's Uber. According to an arrest affidavit, Copas saw signs for Juarez, Mexico, and mistakenly believed she was being kidnapped and taken across the border. She then allegedly drew a handgun from her purse and shot Garcia in the head.
The vehicle crashed into barriers on a freeway, far from any border crossing. Police investigations indicate that no kidnapping occurred and that Garcia did not deviate from the intended route. Following the shooting, Copas reportedly photographed Garcia and sent the image to her boyfriend.
Garcia was placed on life support but succumbed to his injuries after his family made the difficult decision to withdraw life support based on doctors' assessments. Copas's bond was subsequently increased to $1.5 million.
Garcia's niece, Didi Lopez, described him as a hardworking, jovial individual who always strived to uplift others. A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support his family, as he was their primary provider and had recently returned to work after recovering from a previous work-related injury. Uber has not yet commented on the incident.
