Girl, 17, accused of stabbing female Uber driver to death in southern California
A teenage girl in California has denied murdering an Uber driver after she was discovered covered in blood near the scene of the crime.
The 17-year-old, whose identity has not been released, was arrested soon after police discovered the body of Raquel Spohn Webber, 58, in National City, south of San Diego, according to a statement by local police Sergeant Kenneth Springer.
Police found it easy to identify the “juvenile female” suspect due to her having “blood all over her”, according to an update provided on 8 July by Sgt. Springer. The police relied on intel from neighbours, who had seen the girl run down the road covered in blood.
According to police, the killing happened at 3pm on 6 July. Authorities were called after an attack took place against Ms Spohn Webber. After an attempt to revive her by medical professionals, she died of her injuries while still at the murder scene. She was found unconscious in her car with numerous serious stab wounds.
Sgt Springer could give“no confirmation as to whether the suspect and Wehber were acquaintances”, and they currently have not established a motive for the attack.
Prosecutors are attempting to try the unidentified teenager as an adult, however they acknowledged the decision was up to Judge Ana Espana to make. The girl’s next court date is July 20 and currently she is in a juvenile detention centre.
Beatrice Garcia, friend of Ms Spohn and fellow driver, spoke out about the crime, labelling it an “outrage” to NBC Los Angeles.
She said, “I mean it wasn’t one stab, it was multiple stabs, and I don’t know what happened, but whatever happened, she didn’t deserve to die that way.”
Uber issued a statement about the death of Ms Spohn Webber, in which they explained they have a special task force for instances like this and that they had suspended the account of the person who had requested the lift. It is unclear what their relationship to the suspect is.
The ride-share app also offered their condolences to Ms Spohn Webber’s family. The woman typically drove people around the San Diego area but lived in Tijuana, Mexico.
“The senseless and brutal crime that took the life of Raquel Spohn Webber is heartbreaking and our thoughts are with her family. We stand ready to work with law enforcement.”
