Kentucky woman who shot and killed El Paso Uber driver over fears he was kidnapping her and taking her to Mexico reveals his chilling last words

An lawyer representing a Kentucky pistillate who changeable and killed an El Paso Uber operator has claimed helium threatened her successful the moments earlier she changeable him.

Phoebe Copas, 50, has maintained that she was acting successful self-defense erstwhile she shot 52-year-old Daniel Piedra Garcia successful the caput successful June 2023, saying she feared helium was kidnapping her and taking her to Mexico.

Copas had hired Garcia earlier successful the time to instrumentality her to Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, and told officers aft the shooting that she thought helium was alternatively bringing her to Juarez, Mexico.

He had told her determination was a just happening successful the Mexican city, and adjacent though she replied she did not privation to spell to the fair, Piedra sped up and ignored her pleas to beryllium fto out, Copas' attorney, Matthew James Kozik, told the El Paso Times. 

'She asked for him to halt the vehicle. She attempted to unfastened the doors, but the doors were locked,' helium claimed. 'She tried to bash everything anybody would expect idiosyncratic to bash earlier an escalation of force.'

Copas past pulled retired her limb and 'she begged for him to conscionable propulsion implicit the vehicle,' Kozik continued.

'He turned astir and said, "I'm going to instrumentality you. We're going to Juarez," and helium sped up the car.' 

'She didn't conscionable constituent the weapon and sprout him. That is not what happened,' Kozik told the outlet. 'She told him she didn't privation to spell to Juarez. She tried to flight for respective minutes. She conscionable wanted to get retired of the car. She feared for her life.'

At the clip of the shooting, constabulary claimed Copas changeable Garcia due to the fact that she saw postulation signs saying they were approaching 'Juarez, Mexico' - though the road helium was driving connected besides pb to the casino Copas wanted to spell to.

After helium was shot, the Nissan Maxima Garcia was driving crashed into barriers, which a constabulary affidavit noted was 'not successful adjacent proximity of a bridge, larboard of introduction oregon different country with contiguous entree to question into Mexico.'

'The roadway Copas was traveling connected is simply a mean way to thrust to the destination requested by the Copas.

'The probe does not enactment that a kidnapping took spot oregon that Piedra was veering from Copas' destination,' constabulary said.

At a June 29, 2023 earing, El Paso County District Attorney's Office authoritative Shantal Ortega besides claimed that nary facts successful the lawsuit proved Copas was being kidnapped. 

'Simply due to the fact that this is simply a borderline metropolis and determination whitethorn beryllium signs showing miles distant from immoderate larboard of entry, it is unreasonable that she wouldn't person travel crossed that before,' she argued.

District Attorney Bill Hicks adjacent went arsenic acold arsenic to assertion Copas' actions were 'very unreasonable.'

'El Paso is simply a harmless community. and to person idiosyncratic respond the mode she did, I deliberation highlights a misconception astir El Paso being dangerous,' helium said.

'And that's wherefore it's truthful important that we basal up for not conscionable this Uber driver, not conscionable this family, but for our community, to accidental to El Paso, to the state, to our state that El Paso is simply a harmless assemblage and behaviour that reacts immoderate different mode is not acceptable.'

But Kozik argued that the assertion Copas simply saw a motion for Juarez and changeable Garcia is 'literally a figment of instrumentality enforcement's imagination.'

He noted that a reappraisal of constabulary assemblage camera footage and an interrogation of his lawsuit amusement she ne'er mentioned the roadworthy signs.

Instead, Kozik claimed, it was the archetypal serviceman who arrived connected the country who told different serviceman astir the roadworthy motion - and from determination the communicative spread, to adjacent beryllium included successful the constabulary affidavit.

'She ne'er says she saw a motion of Juarez and past changeable him,' Kozik insisted. 'She says "yes" during her interrogation erstwhile asked if she saw signs of Juarez, but she besides says she saw signs saying Fort Bliss.'

Footage from the time of the shooting besides shows Copas crying, praying and asking officers whether Garcia was dormant arsenic she sat successful the backmost of the patrol car, the El Paso Times reports.

'She gets into the backmost of the conveyance and she is saying, "Jesus. I'm sorry. Oh God, ohio God. Oh Lord. Jesus. Sir is helium dead?"' Kozik said. 'She repeatedly asks if helium is dead.

'Is tis immoderate racially-motivated attack? Doesn't look similar it from however she is reacting and from each the grounds successful the case.'

Police had besides alleged that earlier she called 911, Copas took a photograph of Piedra aft the shooting and texted it to her boyfriend.

When constabulary arrived connected the country astatine astir 2:20pm they recovered Copas being helped retired of the car by her boyfriend. 

But Kozik said Copas took the photograph due to the fact that she called her fellow for assistance and helium thought she was joking astatine first.

The lawyer besides noted that constabulary recovered razor blades and a crowbar wrong Garcia's limb span, adding credibility to Copas' fears she was being kidnapped.

'I can't talk for everyone, but everyone I cognize doesn't transportation razor blades connected [them] oregon adjacent their steering wheel,' Kozik argued. 'I've ne'er heard of oregon cognize anyone that does that. 

'Razor blades and a crowbar... are weapons,' helium noted. 'These are weapons that could beryllium utilized to perpetrate a crime. 

'These aren't accusations. These items were recovered successful the car.'

Further supporting Copas' claims, helium said, is Uber operator information that showed Garcia took an antithetic way to get to the casino.

'All of this adds up to amusement this was not a mean Uber ride,' helium claimed. 

Garcia's household has described the unfortunate arsenic a hard-working antheral trying to marque wealth for his family.

They said they believed helium was working his past thrust of the time erstwhile helium picked up Copas.

He was yet found slumped implicit successful the driver's spot of the car having been changeable successful the head.

He was hospitalized for respective days earlier his household took him disconnected beingness enactment aft doctors told them helium would not recover. 

The execution proceedings is present acceptable for December 9, with a last pretrial proceeding acceptable for December 3.

However, the proceedings whitethorn beryllium pushed backmost to 2025 arsenic Copas continues to endure superior wellness conditions, including bosom failure, kidney complications and bouts of unconsciousness.

She is present retired connected bond, surviving backmost successful Kentucky, and is awaiting a doctor's support to question to El Paso for the trial.