EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The woman accused of shooting and killing an Uber driver in the summer 2023 has died.
Her former defense attorney, Matthew Kozik, said he was informed by the District Attorney’s Office about her death. He confirmed that Copas had died within the past 24 hours in El Paso, he said.
Other details about her death remain limited, but we have reached out to both the El Paso Police Department and to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
Copas, from Kentucky, was arrested and charged with murder in the death of Uber driver Daniel Piedra Garcia in June 2023. Copas said she feared he was kidnapping her and taking her to Mexico.
She had been out of jail awaiting trial.
Kozik issued the following statement:
“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.”
We will update this story when we learn more.
Read: Read More