Kentucky Woman Who Shot Uber Driver In El Paso Dies

In June 2023, Phoebe Copas was visiting El Paso from Kentucky when she shot and killed her Uber driver, Daniel Piedras Garcia. She claimed she believed he was kidnapping her and taking her to Mexico. However, authorities later stated that there was no evidence to support this claim. Piedras Garcia was taken to the hospital, where he died after being removed from life support.

Now, nearly a year later, Copas has died. Her passing comes just months before she was set to stand trial. With her death, the case has taken a new turn, especially after her lawyer released a statement contradicting the state’s previous claims about the evidence.

Get our free mobile app

The Case and Initial Claims

The tragic case of Phoebe Copas and Daniel Piedras Garcia has taken an unexpected turn with Copas’s recent passing. While many people were already upset about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, her lawyer’s latest statement has only added more confusion. His claims directly contradict what the state had previously said, leaving a major unanswered question: Who was telling the truth?

From the beginning, Copas claimed that she believed her Uber driver was kidnapping her and taking her to Mexico. She shot him out of fear, but authorities stated there was no evidence to support her belief that Piedras Garcia was planning to cross the border. The state’s stance seemed clear—there was no proof he had any bad intentions. However, now that Copas has passed away, her former lawyer insists that evidence did exist, suggesting that the state not only had this information but also misled the public about it.

Get our free mobile app

The Lawyer’s Statement

Copas’s former lawyer, Matthew James Kozik, Esq., released the following statement after confirming her death:

“As Ms. Copas’s former counsel, Phoebe Copas was and remains an innocent woman. During the course of litigation, we were able to locate evidence possessed by the State that the Uber driver stated to Ms. Copas he was taking her to Juarez. We were able to locate evidence of the repeated attempts Ms. Copas made to exit the vehicle, but the locks and windows were not operational. We also discovered razor blades throughout the Uber driver’s vehicle. We were able to uncover evidence possessed by the State that local law enforcement knew the statements they made to the El Paso community were false and that at no time did she report defending herself because she saw a sign to Juarez. It has been disappointing to see some in our community react to this case in a way that we, as a diverse community, should know better. No one should rejoice in the death of Mr. Piedras or Ms. Copas.”

Get our free mobile app

Conflicting Claims and Unanswered Questions

If all of this is true, it raises serious concerns about the state’s handling of the case. On the other hand, if the lawyer’s statement is inaccurate or exaggerated, it means the public is being misled in a different way. Either way, the conflicting information makes it impossible to know what truly happened that day.

Now, with Copas gone, we may never get a clear answer. What we are left with is a disturbing contradiction: the state said there was no evidence, while her lawyer insists there was. Without full transparency, the public is left questioning who to believe.