Trial date set for Kentucky woman charged with murder in El Paso Uber driver's death

A Kentucky woman who claimed she fatally shot an El Paso Uber driver because she feared she was being kidnapped is set to go to trial early next year.

Phoebe Copas, 48, is set to go to trial Feb. 2, on a murder charge in connection with the June 16 fatal shooting of Daniel Piedra Garcia, 52, as they drove on U.S. 54 southbound in South-Central El Paso, court records show.

A plea deadline is listed as Dec. 6. If a plea agreement is not reached by then, the case will move forward to trial.

Copas' attorney Matthew Kozik was not available to discuss the case Friday, Sept. 8, an official from his law office said.

The case is being heard in the 120th District Court with Judge Maria Salas-Mendoza presiding.

If convicted of murder, Copas faces up to 99 years or life in prison.

Copas released from El Paso jail as she awaits trial

Copas was released Aug. 16 from the El Paso County Jail after posting a $500,000 split bond, jail records show. The bond was split as a $250,000 surety bond and $250,000 personal recognizance bond, also known as a PR bond, court documents state.

Copas had to pay the $250,000 for the surety bond, while she only had to sign an agreement to follow court-ordered conditions to be released on the PR bond.

The conditions include attending all court hearings, not possessing any firearms, not violating any laws and not using any illegal drugs or alcohol. A condition also states Copas can only travel to Kentucky unless given permission by the court, a bond order states.

Copas was originally booked June 17 into the El Paso County Jail with a bond set at $1.5 million. The bond was reduced to the $500,000 split bond during a Aug. 16 bond hearing.

Who is Phoebe Copas?

Copas is originally from of Tompkinsville, Kentucky, and was in El Paso to visit her boyfriend, J.C. Knott. The day of the shooting she ordered an Uber to drive her to Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, 122 S. Old Pueblo Road, to meet Knott.

Knott and several of Copas' family members testified during a June 29 bond hearing about Copas' character.

Copas is a loving mother to a daughter who has had medical issues, Copas' mother, Ana Johnson, testified.

Johnson described her daughter as "outgoing, friendly and would do anything to help people."

Knott testified the gun used in the shooting belonged to him and Copas was legally carrying the gun. He added he believed Copas was trying to save her own life when she shot Piedra.

Copas was previously arrested in Kentucky in connection with a 2021 domestic violence incident during which she allegedly fired a gun.

A Kentucky grand jury declined to indict her in that case, so it was dismissed, Kozik said during the bond hearing. The dismissal meant Copas had no criminal record nor any other interactions with the law, he added.

Remembering Daniel Piedra Garcia

Piedra was working as an Uber driver to help support his family, his niece Didi Lopez told the El Paso Times. He was the sole provider for the family, she said.

"He was a hardworking man and really funny," Lopez said. "He was never in a bad mood. He was always the one that if he saw you in a bad mood, he'd come over and try to lift you up and always was making us laugh. Such a funny, caring and hardworking man."

Piedra began his shift as an Uber driver picking up passengers at 7 a.m. and ending it around 2 p.m.

After the shooting, he was taken to University Medical Center of El Paso for treatment. He was placed on life support with life-threatening injuries caused by a gunshot wound to the head, a complaint affidavit states.

He was taken off life support June 21. The decision to remove him from life support devastated the family, Lopez said.

"His status was not gonna change if we did not disconnect him," Lopez said. "It was basically just gonna be like in a vegetative state. We didn't want to see him suffering. We didn't want him to live out his life like that."

Copas claims she was being kidnapped

Piedra picked up Copas about 2 p.m. June 16 in a gray Nissan Maxima on the West Side, a complaint affidavit states.

He took U.S. 54 southbound in South-Central El Paso to take Copas to Speaking Rock Entertainment Center in the Lower Valley.

As he drove, Copas saw traffic signs that showed the words "Juarez, Mexico." The signs allegedly led Copas to believe Piedra was attempting to kidnap her and take her across the border, the affidavit states.

She allegedly grabbed a silver and brown handgun from her purse and shot Piedra in the back right side of his head, the affidavit states.

The vehicle then crashed into roadway barriers before coming to a stop on the freeway.

The crash site was "not in close proximity of a bridge, port of entry or other area with immediate access to travel into Mexico," the affidavit states.

"The roadway (Copas) was traveling on is a normal route to drive to the destination requested by the (Copas)," the affidavit states.

Copas allegedly took a photo of Piedra after he was shot and sent it to her boyfriend via text message before calling 911.

Officers arrived at the scene about 2:20 p.m. and saw Copas being helped out of the car by her boyfriend.

She then dropped everything she was holding in her hands on the ground, including a brown and silver handgun, the affidavit states.

Piedra was found slumped over in the driver's seat of the car with a gunshot wound to the head.

Copas was detained by the officers as they investigated the shooting. She was later arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.

After Piedra died, the charge against Copas was upgraded to murder.

During the June 29 bond hearing, Kozik claimed Piedra told Copas he was taking her to "la feria," or the fair, in Juárez. He added, because of national media coverage of violence in Mexico, Copas had a "founded fear" she was being kidnapped.

Copas told Piedra she didn't want to go to Juárez and to stop the car, Kozik said. However, the attorney claimed Piedra ignored Copas and continued to drive toward a port of entry and increased his speed of travel.

She then shot Piedra because she feared for her life, Kozik said. His client acted in self defense, he added.

"Her fears of going to Juárez were founded," Kozik said.

El Paso County District Attorney's Office prosecutor Shantal Ortega argued at the bond hearing that Copas' belief she was being kidnapped was "unreasonable." She added no facts in the case proved Copas was being kidnapped.

"Simply because this is a border city and there may be signs showing miles away from some port of entry, it is unreasonable that she wouldn't have come across that before as she was in a border city she had been to before," Ortega argued.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Murder trial set for woman charged in El Paso Uber driver's death