A 16-year-old girl allegedly killed a 34-year-old Uber driver in the Lincolnwood area of Cook County, Illinois Tuesday. Eliza Wasni has been charged with first-degree murder as an adult in the death of Uber driver Grant Nelson, CBS Chicago reported. Wasni was denied bail Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Wasni first took an Uber to a train station, then ordered another ride to a nearby Walmart. Surveillance footage from the store reportedly shows Wasni stealing a machete and knife. After the alleged theft, Wasni took the Uber driven by Nelson. Minutes after being picked up, Wasni allegedly started to "hack at him and stab." The attack occurred at approximately 3:20 a.m. local time. Earlier that day, Nelson had attended a family Memorial Day event.
Wasni first tried to flee the scene and change her clothes before being spotted by responding officers behind a nearby building. Wasni and Nelson did not know each other. In a statement to reporters Wednesday, the victim’s sister responded to Wasni's denied bail:
"It's not a hole that can be easily filled," Alexandra Nelson said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "Really, truthfully, at this time, we don't know much more information than you guys. So we don't have any answers toward this case that we can give. We hope that justice for Grant Nelson does happen, and we hope that the press will respect our privacy at this time."
Uber released the following statement on the case to BuzzFeed News Thursday:
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