Teen girl charged with fatally stabbing Uber driver

LINCOLNWOOD, Illinois (KTRK) -- A 16-year-old girl has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder after allegedly stabbing her Uber driver to death in suburban Chicago.

Police said they responded to a report of a man screaming for help at about 3:20 a.m. Tuesday when they found Grant Nelson, 34, with multiple stab wounds.

Prosecutors said Eliza Wasni hailed three Uber rides the night she allegedly murdered Nelson. The second ride took her to a local Walmart, where prosecutors said she stole a knife and machete. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Wasni stealing the items.

Her third Uber ride was driven by Nelson, who had just finished Memorial Day dinner with his family when he decided to make some extra cash driving the ride-sharing service, his family said.

Two minutes into the ride, Wasni "hacked and stabbed" Nelson from the back seat, according to Cook County prosecutors.

When police found Nelson, he said he was an Uber driver and that his passenger stabbed him, police said.

Police say they located Wasni behind a building near the crime scene in possession of two weapons.

Nelson died at a nearby hospital a few hours later.

Uber officials said the company was working with police to provide information relevant to the investigation.

"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."

Described as a gentle and kind man with no enemies, Nelson's father syas the killing was random.

It is the first homicide in Lincolnwood since 2006, police said.

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