Naman Shrestha
In Lakewood, Washington, the gruesome murder of a young mother named Gloria Choi in January 2022 left the entire community shell-shocked. Her ex-boyfriend, William “Billy” Rickman, was responsible for the crime, but it took the authorities a few days to connect him to the killing. CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Love Bombing of Gloria Choi’ provides a detailed account of the detectives’ efforts to solve the homicide of Gloria and how they apprehended the perpetrator with the help of witnesses and other key evidence. The documentary features insightful and emotional interviews with Gloria’s loved ones and the officials who worked hard to get to the bottom of the case.
William “Billy” Rickman Stalked Gloria Choi For Weeks Before Shooting Her to Death
Born around 1975, William “Billy” Lee Rickman fell in love with a young, single mother named Gloria Choi, who worked at a hotel in Lakewood, Washington. However, not long after, cracks began to appear in the couple’s relationship. As per Gloria’s friend’s account, Billy had threatened to kill Gloria if she ever broke up with him. However, she parted ways with him anyway in November 2021. Billy then began following her everywhere and harassing her in different ways after putting a tracking device on her belongings. When it all got too much for her, she got a no-contact court order against him in December, claiming that he had a drinking problem and owned firearms. Despite having a restraining order against him, Billy continued to stalk Gloria as he texted her and called her throughout December.
He also had various run-ins with her at a mall and a coffee shop in Chehalis, Washington. She filed a report against him in three different counties — Pierce, Thurston, and Lewis. On December 30, he also allegedly broke into her truck and stole her backpacks and laptops while she was at a Lakewood restaurant with a co-worker. According to the surveillance footage of the hotel where Gloria worked, Billy also slashed the tires of her co-worker’s car parked in the parking lot. On the fateful night of January 2, 2022, Billy followed Gloria in his car after she finished her shift at the hotel and crashed her truck against a telephone pole on the 6100 block of 112th Street Southwest.
While she was on a 911 call with a dispatcher, he approached her truck and shot multiple bullets at her, killing her. With the help of witness statements and other evidence, the police obtained an arrest warrant against Billy three days after Gloria’s passing. On January 7, 2022, he was found in Humboldt County, California, and arrested after a brief pursuit. It turned out that he had a long criminal history in the state of California, including domestic-violence offenses, two felonies, and four misdemeanors from 1993 to 2009. He was extradited to Washington, where he was charged with the aggravated first-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend, Gloria Choi.
William “Billy” Rickman is Currently Incarcerated at a Washington Prison Facility
During his bail hearing at the Pierce County Courthouse, William “Billy” Rickman pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in connection with the shooting death of Gloria Choi. About two years later, his jury trial got underway in late November 2023. While the prosecution presented a series of incriminating evidence against Billy, including testimonies from Gloria’s friends and family, the defense argued that there was no physical evidence linking the defendant to the crime scene or the murder.
Ultimately, after an eight-day trial, on December 7, 2023, the jury deliberated for a couple of hours before reaching a verdict. They found him guilty of aggravated first-degree murder. About a week later, on December 15, William “Billy” Rickman was sentenced to life in prison. As of today, the 51-year-old killer is serving his sentence at Monroe Correctional Complex – Washington State Reformatory Unit (WSR) in Monroe, Washington.
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