Uber Driver Killed for Stress Relief

Stress relief is something that most of us could use right now. The job market is in the toilet, and the economy only works for the wealthy. We all have things that stress us out. However, learning that an Uber driver was killed for stress relief is a severe overreaction to our challenging times. 

Sheliky Sanchez (left) and Joseph Andrus (right)

The Plot 

On August 7, 2025, 18-year-old Sheliky Sanchez was hanging out at his girlfriend’s house at around 1 am. We don’t know the details of their evening. However, we do know that Sheliky was stressed. He asked his girlfriend to call him an Uber. He told his girlfriend that a friend of his had a car for him, and he needed an Uber to go pick it up.

30-year-old Joseph Andrus was the Uber driver who showed up to pick Sheliky up that evening. On their drive, Joseph and Sheliky had what Sheliky would later call a “cool conversation”. Not long after Sheliky was picked up, his girlfriend received a text from Uber. The message asked if she was okay. The app had sent an alert because the car had stopped and had not reached its destination. 

That was the exact moment that Sheliky pulled out a gun and told Joseph to get out of the car. Joseph did as he was told, and Sheliky shot him dead. Sheliky’s girlfriend called him to make sure that he was OK. Sheliky said that he was fine, but he left out that he had just shot his Uber driver and was now watching him bleed out in the street. 

Sheliky Sanchez Mugshot

The Get Away 

Once he was sure Joseph was dead, Sheliky stole the car and drove back to his girlfriend’s house. Some people from the neighborhood reported hearing the gunshots just after 1 am to the cops. When the cops arrived at the scene, they found the body of Joseph Andrus, shot three times, dead on the side of the road. 

By 3 am, the police had identified Joseph. They learned he was an Uber driver. His last ride request came from Sheliky’s girlfriend. For reasons that make absolutely no sense to me, the cops sent a SWAT team to Sheliky’s girlfriend's house, where he was dragged out of the house and arrested. I understand that cops would have no idea what kind of situation they are walking into, but it seems like bringing the SWAT team out was a bit much. 

The Arrest 

The cops were able to get Sheliky out of the house and arrested without incident. During his interview, Sheliky was asked if he had ordered an Uber. Sheliky said no, because his friends take him everywhere he needs to go. He denied knowing that his girlfriend had called an Uber for him. The cops told Sheliky there was a dead Uber driver’s car in the driveway at his girlfriend’s house. Sheliky tried to act shocked and indignant, saying that he had bought the car from a friend and paid cash. 

After rambeling about going to bed early the night before and waking up at 8 am, the cops had had enough of Sheliky. They told him that his story didn’t make any sense. Sheliky is not a master criminal. He stopped telling lame stories. He told the cops he killed Joseph to "let off some steam." Because he is stressed out. Now, I am stressed the fuck out all of the time. Most of us living in this shitty timeline on this crappy earth have something to be stressed out about. Being stressed out is a normal part of being an adult. It’s not great, but I will save that for another day. 

Sheliky admitted that his original plan was to steal a car or shoot a driver. He followed this foolproof plan by saying he “couldn’t take it out on some people, so he took it out on whoever he could find.” When Sheliky asked his girlfriend to call him an Uber, he looked at many driver pictures. He finally chose Joseph from the list of available drivers nearby. 

Joseph Andrus

Uber Driver Killed for Nothing 

Sheliky said the drive with Joseph was nice. They had a good chat on the way to Sheliky’s fake drop-off point. At that point, Sheliky asked Joseph to pull over, asked him to get out of the car, and shot Joseph to death. Sheliky followed up his confession by saying, “I don’t know what this is. He seemed like a good guy. I don’t really go for good people.”

Sheliky doesn’t go for good people, but sadly, good people will go for him while doing their jobs, and an Uber driver was killed for no reason other than some asshole felt like it. Shelikly is in jail waiting for his trial. It looks like he will use a public defender. He likely does not have enough money for a private lawyer. 

This entire situation is sad and chilling. Since the 2010s, ride share has become a standard part of life. It doesn’t matter if you are a rider or a driver. Everyone in a ride share hopes the driver and passengers will be kind. They want to reach their destination safely. We have heard stories of women being sexually assaulted by ride-share drivers. Now, drivers also worry about getting shot while doing their job. My heart aches for Joseph and his family. However, one part of this story will stay with me for a long time. It isn’t the randomness of life that troubles me.

During his interview, Sheliky told the police that he stood over Joseph as he died. Sheliky said he “felt bad for the guy (Joseph) a little bit, but just getting that satisfaction out of the way.” It’s like a relief. It’s like an in and out breath.” I know what that relief feels like. It can be a wonderful feeling after a rough day, but you don’t have to kill anyone to get that feeling.