16-year-old Eliza Wasni has been charged with first-degree murder after fatally slashing Grant Nelson, an Uber driver, with a stolen machete.
Grant eventually died from his wounds, but prior to his passing he was able to give police a description of this attacker that led them to Eliza.
via NYDN:
“He was not a vindictive person,” Nelson’s sister Alex told NBC in Chicago. “He was not a cruel person. He didn’t deserve this fate.”
Prosecutors said during a hearing on Wednesday that Wasni climbed into a car driven by Nelson shortly after 3 a.m. and stabbed him and hacked him to death. It was her third ride in an Uber vehicle in the early morning hours.
She had stolen the weapons from a Walmart in Skokie after another Uber driver had taken her to the store, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Nelson picked up the suspect a few blocks from the Walmart, according to the newspaper.
After Wasni began stabbing the 34-year-old Nelson from the backseat, he was able to pull over and ran into a nearby condo building, where he screamed, “Help me, help me! I’m going to die!” until residents called for help, according to prosecutors.
Wasni climbed into the front seat and drove away, but struck a median. She fled on foot.
When Lincolnwood officers arrived, they found the bloody scene and Nelson’s phone open to the Uber app. The app said that Nelson’s passenger was someone named Eliza.
Officers would find Nelson lying in grass after following the trail of blood. He was able to tell the officers what had happened, but passed away at a nearby hospital a few hours later.
Police found Wasni nearby crouching behind an air conditioner, with a machete in one hand and a knife in the other. An officer was forced to use a Taser on her and she was taken into custody.
Wasni was portrayed as a calm girl who “nonchalantly” could be seen walking through Walmart with the weapons in hand before walking out without paying. No reason was given for the attack.
It is the first homicide in Lincolnwood since 2006, according to police.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of one of our partners,” Uber said in a statement. “Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
Maybe we’re behind — but why are machetes being sold at Walmart in the first place? What aisle are they in?
