16-Year-Old Girl Killed Wilmette Uber Driver in 'Random Act Of Violence,' Judge Says

LINCOLNWOOD, IL — A teenage girl accused of stabbing a 34-year-old Uber driver to death early Tuesday in Lincolnwood allegedly used the ride-sharing service earlier in the morning to go to Walmart, where she shoplifted a machete and a knife used in the crime, prosecutors said Wednesday. Eliza Wasni, 16, of Chicago, is charged with first-degree murder in what authorities described as a premeditated attack on driver Grant Nelson, 34, who was stabbed just minutes after picking Wasni up, prosecutors said.

Calling the killing a "random act of violence," Cook County Judge Michael J. Hood denied bond for the teenager, who allegedly attempted to steal Nelson's vehicle but crashed into a median almost immediately, according to the criminal complaint. Prosecutor Michelle Cunningham said Wasni then attempted to run, taking off her bloody shirt and fleeing in only a bra and leggings.

Hood said there was no relationship between Wasni, who suffered no visible injuries, and Nelson prior to the attack, which he called "extremely violent in nature."

In a criminal complaint, Cunningham outlined the timeline leading up to the fatal Tuesday morning attack. At 1:25 a.m., Wasni took her first Uber to the Des Plaines train station, according to court documents. She took a second Uber to the Skokie Walmart, 3626 Touhy Avenue, where surveillance video allegedly shows her stealing a knife and machete and walking out of the store without being stopped around 2:30 a.m. Skokie police said theft of the blades was not immediately reported. (Sign up for the latest breaking news alerts and daily newsletters from Wilmette, Skokie or another local community.)

She ordered her third and final Uber from Nelson at 3:18 a.m., according to court documents. Prosecutors said she attacked Nelson just two minutes into the ride. A fatally wounded Nelson also fled the vehicle, seeking help at a nearby apartment building, authorities said. A neighbor called 911 after hearing Nelson pounding on a door and yelling for help, according to Cunningham.

Lincolnwood police responded to a call of a man screaming for help near the intersection of North Lincoln Avenue and Touhy. They located Nelson, who suffered multiple stab wounds, after following a blood trail leading from the vehicle. Nelson was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 8 a.m., police said.

Lincolnwood police said they found Wasni behind a nearby building, hiding behind an air conditioning unit. Police Tasered the teenager after she refused to drop her weapons, according to the complaint. A shirt matching the one Wasni was wearing in the Walmart surveillance video was located at the scene with blood on it matching Nelson's, according to officials.

Nelson, who lived with his parents in Wilmette, was working as a driver for Uber when he was killed, according to police. Police said Nelson told officers his white, female passenger had just stabbed him.

Footage from the scene showed police investigating a blood-spattered gray 2015 Hyundai sedan with stickers for ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft.

Although Wasni is a juvenile, defendants charged with first-degree murder are automatically tried as adults. According to her public defender, the 16-year-old lives with her single mother and attended Taft High School in Chicago. Her next court appearance has been scheduled for June 21.

Nelson described as kind person, animal lover

Nelson's sister Alex addressed reporters outside the courtroom Wednesday. She said it was "horrifying and saddening" to hear prosecutors' description of her brother's final moments.

"Obviously this is a time of heartbreak and tremendous loss for us. Grant was an extraordinary figure in our lives. He was a gentle soul, he was a good man. He was a wonderful lover of animals, classical music, opera, military history, just a wide variety and wide breadth of interests," Alex said.

"The loss of intelligence and conversation and nuance and thoughtfulness that he brought into all of our lives is going to be felt and it will reverberate with us throughout the coming weeks and months and years and it's not a hole that can be easily filled," she said

After finishing Memorial Day dinner with his family, Nelson decided to make some extra cash working for Uber, his father told WBBM. He described the killing as random and his son as a gentle man with no enemies. Nelson was nice, happy, quiet, shy and the type of person who would walk away from an altercation, friends and former colleagues told WLS.

Nelson was a 2001 graduate of New Trier High School and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition to working as a ride-share driver, he was a server at DiPescara in Northbrook.

Uber said it has been in contact with local law enforcement and will continue to provide any information needed for the ongoing investigation.

"We are 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,” a company spokesperson said.

Uber has "driver safety tips" in place developed with feedback from police, and no form of transportation is immune from crime or free of "incidents and accidents," according to the company. Uber's terms of service forbid minors from using its product, but Wasni was using an account under her own identity.

The incident is being investigated by the Lincolnwood Police Department and the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force. Lincolnwood police said they have not recorded a homicide in the village since 2006.

Top photo: Eliza Wasni booking photograph | Lincolnwood PD