Shraman Mitra
Although William “Billy” Hoffman made a normal living as a store clerk, he immediately agreed to turn into a hitman when Amy Preasmyer approached him and asked him to kill her boyfriend, Ricky Cowles Jr. Hence, Billy ambushed Amy’s boyfriend in his Lancaster, California, apartment before beating him with a claw hammer and shooting him to death. ‘Dateline: Killing Time’ chronicles the gruesome murder and follows the ensuing investigation that brought the perpetrators to justice.
Who Is Billy Hoffman?
A resident of Lancaster, California, Billy Hoffman earned a living as a store clerk and lived a quiet life. He had never been in trouble with the law prior to Ricky’s murder and was generally considered to be a law-abiding citizen. In fact, people who knew Billy described him as a friendly person who rarely got into altercations and was always ready to help others in need. On top of it, readers would be surprised to know that Billy Hoffman was not acquainted with Ricky Cowles Jr.
Although Ricky’s family business dealt with high-voltage wires and Billy knew the victim’s father, he never once met Ricky before murdering him in cold blood. Shortly after moving into the Lancaster apartment with Ricky, and her friend, Jennifer Kellogg, Amy approached Billy and offered to pay him money in exchange for her boyfriend’s murder. Reports later mentioned that Amy was desperate to get out of the relationship as she had reportedly fallen out of love with Ricky.
On top of it, 16-year-old Amy Preasmyer was already 15 weeks pregnant by August of 1997, and she believed Ricky had ruined her life with a baby. Hence, she wanted him out of her life before starting anew. Once Billy agreed to the proposition, Amy and Jennifer Kellogg invited him into the apartment before discussing the best possible way to kill Ricky Cowles Jr. Moreover, Jennifer and Amy even showed Billy around and pointed out effective hiding spaces he could use during the ambush. Thus, without wasting time, Billy waited for Ricky to return home on August 12, 1997, before ambushing him.
Although the two men wrestled for a bit, the store clerk eventually overpowered Ricky and threw him down to the floor in the master bedroom. The assailant then used a claw iron to beat the victim mercilessly before shooting him dead in the head. An hour after the incident, Amy returned home, noticed her boyfriend lying unresponsive in the bedroom, and called 911. However, Ricky had already passed away by the time first responders arrived on the scene.
An autopsy later determined that the bullet to the head ended the victim’s life. Naturally, with no witnesses or leads, the initial investigation into Ricky’s murder was pretty challenging. Even though Amy was a person of interest in the beginning, she provided a rock-solid alibi to the police, and there was no way of tying her to the crime. On top of it, detectives were unable to find any signs of forced entry, and nothing appeared to be stolen from the house, which made authorities rule out burglary as a motive.
With no new information, the case sat without any progress for quite a few days before an anonymous tip informed the police that a store clerk had been boasting about killing Ricky. The clerk turned out to be Billy Hoffman, and once put under tough interrogation, he broke down and confessed to the murder. Nevertheless, Billy was adamant that Amy was equally involved, as she had asked him to murder Ricky.
Billy Hoffman Remains Under Probation Today
When presented in court, Billy got a chance to tell his story, and he kept mentioning Amy’s involvement in the murder. However, the prosecution did not pay much attention to the allegation, and Billy was eventually convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with an additional ten years in 1999.
In prison, Billy became a Catholic and was determined to make up for his prior sins. Hence, in 2002, he wrote a letter to Ricky’s family, detailing the crime and mentioning how Amy and Jennifer had helped him plan it. The letter led to further investigation, and the police soon realized that Billy was telling the truth. Hence, they soon arrested Amy Preasmyer and Jennifer Kellogg, as well as a third conspirator, David Ashbury, before charging the three for their roles in Ricky’s murder.
On the other hand, after serving 18 years behind bars, Billy petitioned the then-governer of California for clemency or early parole. Hence, the show mentioned that the governor reduced his sentence to 20 years to life, and Billy Hoffman was finally granted parole after serving a total of 20 years in prison. However, at present, he remains under probation, which prevents him from venturing outside the state of California.
Read More: Where Are Ricky Cowles Jr and Amy Preasmyer’s Daughter Now?
