Eliza Wasni, 16-Year-Old Girl, Charged With Stabbing, Murdering Uber Driver In Chicago

A 16-year-old girl was charged Wednesday with first degree murder after she was said to have randomly stabbed her Uber driver with a machete and a knife that she had stolen from Walmart in Lincolnwood, Illinois, Chicago, authorities said.

Prosecutors identified the teenager as Eliza Wasni from Chicago, who appeared in court for a bond hearing in Skokie, Illinois . The prosecutors called the act “heinous” and “not provoked in any manner.” On Wednesday afternoon, a Cook County judge ruled that Wasni would be held without bail in the stabbing of the Uber driver Grant Nelson, 34, of Wilmette, Illinois.

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According to Cook County State's Attorney Michelle Cunningham, Wasni had taken two other Uber rides before Nelson picked her up from a Walmart store in Skokie, when she was carrying a machete and a knife. Two minutes later, Wasni stabbed Nelson from the backseat inside the car. Nelson then managed to pull over his car and ran into a condo apartment building lobby where he banged the lobby doors and screamed “Help me, help me. I'm going to die.” Following this, the residents called 911, Cunningham said.

The teenager tried to escape in Nelson’s vehicle however; she hit a median and then left the car and ran on foot. Police officers found a blood trail that led them to the wounded Uber driver. Nelson was taken to a hospital nearby where he later succumbed to his injuries. Wasni was found crouching behind an office building’s air conditioning unit that was quite far from the crime scene. Cunningham said that the officers requested her to put down her weapons but she refused to do so. Then one of the officers tased her and took her into custody.

Police officers were able to track the last rider on the Uber driver’s phone in order to see that “Eliza” was the last customer who rode the vehicle.

Prosecutors said that the surveillance footage from Walmart showed the teenager left the store without paying for the machete and the knife. Prosecutors also stated that Wasni violated Uber’s terms and conditions, which mention that customers must be at least 18 years old to take a ride.

Wasni only confirmed her name during the bond hearing. Her public defender told the court that she attends Taft High School in Chicago and lives with a single mother.

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An Uber spokeswoman said in a statement Wednesday that the company is “heartbroken by the loss of one of our partners, Grant Nelson. Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”

Outside the courtroom, Nelson's brother, Todd Nelson, called him “the most gentle, kind person. He never hurt anyone. He was good to animals, he was good to children.”

His sister, Alexandra Nelson, also added that the family hopes “justice will happen,” condemning the attack and called it “horrifying and maddening.”

“He was not a vindictive person,” Alexandra added. “He was not a cruel person. He didn't deserve this fate.”

The victim’s autopsy results are still pending.

The authorities stated that this was the first homicide in Lincolnwood since 2006, when a man killed his brother over a dispute regarding domestic issues.