Stalked woman shot at 14 times by ex-boyfriend during horrific 911 call

2 hours ago 5

On Jan. 2, 2022, Gloria Choi placed an anguished telephone to 911.

GLORIA CHOI TO 911: I don't cognize wherever I americium … I'm frightened to get retired of my car.

911 DISPATCHER: Yeah …

GLORIA CHOI TO 911: He's got a gun!

Seconds later, aggregate shots are fired. It lasts astir 2 minutes, and dispatchers are near trying to marque consciousness of what they conscionable heard:

911 DISPATCHER: Hello, tin anybody perceive me?

911 DISPATCHER: Hello?

Gloria Choi to 911: "… I deliberation my boyfriend's pursuing me"

Officers from the Lakewood Police Department successful Washington get wrong minutes.

Greg Greer: One of the officers that approached, you tin spot him trying to get to her rapidly and the doors are locked …

Former Pierce County Prosecutor Greg Greer describes what archetypal responders did.

Greg Greer: … they bust retired a rear model smartly, wisely, truthful they tin sphere the grounds … And they're capable to extricate her beauteous quickly.

Natalie Morales: And did you spot them propulsion retired the unfortunate astatine each …

Terry Estvold: I did, yeah.

Terry Estvold gave constabulary a elaborate statement of what helium witnessed.

Terry Estvold: … and I was astir apt 30 feet distant … and they enactment her connected the crushed and worked connected her hard for respective minutes –

Natalie Morales: Had to beryllium hard for you to witnesser that …

Terry Estvold: It's unspeakable ... and I -- I -- it inactive bothers maine a batch to this time conscionable reasoning astir it.

Gloria was pronounced dormant a abbreviated clip aboriginal astatine a adjacent hospital. Brieanna Eberly soon heard the quality that her champion person had been killed but she couldn't rather judge it.

Brieanna Eberly: … And I repeatedly, repeatedly called Gloria's telephone implicit and implicit again, nary answer, nary answer, nary reply and past I called her dada … And past helium yet answered. And I retrieve asking him is it true? Is she -- is she gone? Is she -- is it true? … And helium -- helium said, "Yeah, she's gone." (emotional)

Greer took "48 Hours" to the country and walked america done what helium learned from investigators.

Greg Greer: … this would've been gravel enarthrosis and determination successful here, helium pinches her conveyance disconnected ... And she's nary longer capable to -- to determination forward. He's blocking her …

GLORIA CHOI TO 911: ... I deliberation my boyfriend's pursuing me. He conscionable deed my car.

Gloria says the antheral is her fellow but does not springiness a name.

Greg Greer: He gets retired of the vehicle. And if you've heard the 911 telephone –

Natalie Morales: Right.

GLORIA CHOI TO 911: He's got a gun! Please come!

Greer says the shooter was lasting adjacent to Gloria's driver's broadside window. The doorway was locked.

Natalie Morales: He's not trying to speech to her. He instantly starts firing.

Greg Greer: He's determination to termination her. He is determination to termination her.

After firing 9 .40 caliber bullets done the doorway and model of Gloria's truck, Greer says the shooter begins to thrust away.

As helium does, Gloria's motortruck moves guardant until it hits a inferior pole. arsenic shown successful constabulary animation. Greer believes the motortruck moved due to the fact that Gloria's ft was nary longer applying unit to the brake.

Greg Greer: He doesn't cognize whether she's live oregon not is what we judge is going done his mind, due to the fact that the vehicle's nary longer wherever it was. That's 60 yards westbound of wherever it was erstwhile helium archetypal changeable her.

The shooter makes a U-turn and comes backmost astir to Gloria's truck. He pulls his motortruck alongside truthful that his driver's broadside model is present adjacent to hers. This time, helium does not fuss to get retired of his car, Greer says.

Greg Greer: … And helium rolls this model down, 5 much shots conscionable to marque sure. … Nine wasn't enough. Five more. Then aft he's finished that, helium instantly takes off.

After firing 14 shots and hitting Gloria astatine slightest 10 times, prosecutors accidental the shooter disappears into the night. The archetypal large interruption successful the lawsuit came from 1 of the archetypal officers astatine the transgression scene.

Greg Greer: One of the officers … she notices this lanyard that's connected Gloria. … and past she sees her sanction and that hits her hard.

Gloria's lanyard was from a adjacent Holiday Inn, wherever she was the manager. Just days earlier, that serviceman took a study from Gloria aft she called 911. Gloria said her ex-boyfriend had been pursuing and harassing her. And present they had a name: Billy Rickman.

Greg Greer: … And that becomes a pb … to knowing what happened.

Greer says a detective subpoenaed Rickman's telephone records. Even without having his phone, constabulary were capable to work his substance messages.

Greg Greer: … At 1 constituent helium says wherever helium is … And it's the Home Motel.

The detective rushed to the motel which is simply a six-minute thrust from the execution scene. Greer says the table clerk told the detective that days earlier Rickman attempted to motion successful with a fake name, but the clerk insisted connected impervious of identity.

Coreen Schnepf: We person him connected surveillance video getting backmost to the motel.

That was aft the shooting, says authoritative Coreen Schnepf.

Coreen Schnepf: He appears successful a hurry, helium gets outs of his conveyance … and helium instantly starts wiping down the broadside of the conveyance that mightiness person immoderate benignant of grounds of -- weapon pulverization residue … You tin spot him connected the phone. He's contacting radical …

She says investigators began checking surveillance from respective businesses successful the country and got different interruption astatine a adjacent car rental business.

Natalie Morales: This representation is precise clear.

Coreen Schnepf: Enterprise … had large video.

Natalie Morales: Here, there's nary denying who that is, looking astatine that. Yeah.

Rickman rented a Chevy Colorado utilizing his existent name. It is the aforesaid conveyance successful the motel video, and the aforesaid conveyance constabulary judge Rickman utilized to tally Gloria disconnected the road. The Lakewood constabulary enactment retired an alert for Billy Rickman but successful the days that followed, helium was obscurity to beryllium found.

A short-lived romance and signs of trouble

With Billy Rickman connected the run, constabulary questioned Gloria's friend, Brieanna Eberly, astir Rickman's narration with Gloria. Brieanna had known Gloria since 2018 erstwhile she hired her to assistance retired astatine the Oyo Hotel, which was owned by Gloria's parents.

Brieanna Eberly: She was a portion of my family. My full household knew her, and they loved her.

Brieanna Eberly: … she wanted to delight her parents to the champion of her quality … she was their lifeline, and she did it each and she did it each with grace. Absolute grace.

Gloria was the azygous parent of a 7-year-old.

Brieanna Eberly: … it was each astir her kid … she was precise fierce erstwhile it came to her son.

And successful May 2021, Billy Rickman checked into the edifice from California -- a enigma antheral with a larger-than-life personality.

Brieanna says it didn't instrumentality agelong for Rickman to announcement Gloria.

Brieanna Eberly: Gloria was … coming into the office. … helium walked up and introduced himself. … And he's like, "you're precise pretty." And she goes, "well, convey you." She walked distant and he's similar "who's that?" … And I'm similar "her name's Gloria. Stay away" …

But Rickman did not "stay away" and earlier long, the 2 were texting — a lot.

Brieanna Eberly: … she liked the mode helium talked to her and for the things that helium said to her … All she wanted to bash is beryllium loved by somebody.

And Rickman made it look similar helium could beryllium that guy, says Meaghan Driscoll, the Choi family's lawyer.

Meaghan Driscoll: … helium truly came crossed arsenic this bully guy, love-bombed her, meaning he's giving her gifts and benignant of showering her with kindness.

Weeks aft gathering her, Rickman sent Gloria this substance that work successful part:

"… Your the airy to my time each day. … You marque maine consciousness truthful sexy and peculiar and I convey you for that … I WANT YOU … I privation to beryllium with you Gloria Choi ! ... II can't hold to spot what beingness has successful store for us. My bosom is yours …"

Natalie Morales: How was helium with her son?

Gloria's person Jacob Blue.

Jacob Blue: … what she liked astir Rickman is that … helium had a batch of masculine vigor that helium was showing him …

Brieanna Eberly: … Billy and her lad had a precise instant transportation … origin helium was similar a kid himself, you know? …

Within weeks, Gloria and Rickman became a couple, and helium began staying successful her flat astatine the Oyo Hotel. Brieanna says Gloria's begetter did not o.k. of the relationship.

Jacob Blue: … and her parents fundamentally drew a reddish enactment and said, helium can't beryllium staying present astatine the edifice anymore.

Gloria's begetter wanted him to determination out.

Jacob Blue: And Rickman went and approached her parents and told them he's not going anywhere. And that Gloria is present his. And if they don't similar it, they tin permission …

Natalie Morales: Wow.

Brieanna Eberly: … her dada fundamentally gave her an ultimatum … She could enactment connected arsenic the manager oregon she could leave. And she chose to leave.

Gloria, her son, and Rickman moved to an flat successful the municipality of Tumwater successful September 2021, and her heartbroken parents chose to merchantability their hotel.

That's erstwhile Gloria took a caller occupation arsenic manager of the Holiday Inn Express successful Lakewood, close adjacent to Tacoma.

Jacob Blue: She was inactive precise blessed with what she had, but it didn't past agelong that happiness

Gloria told Brieanna that Rickman had large dreams but nary mode of making them travel true.

Brieanna Eberly: And Gloria's similar good who's gonna money each of this? … You're not. … You don't person a job. Get a job, you know. And helium refused …

Natalie Morales: So was helium asking her for money?

Brieanna Eberly: Oh, yeah. He drained her … She bought everything.

Within weeks, Gloria saw a antithetic broadside of Rickman. She told Brieanna helium was often mean, aggravated and insecure. Gloria besides told Brieanna that Rickman was drinking to excess and utilizing cocaine and marijuana.

Natalie Morales: And what did you archer her?

Brieanna Eberly: Uh, leave. Run distant …

Gloria chose to enactment with Rickman but 2 months later, successful November, Jacob says helium got a troubling call.

Jacob Blue: … She did explicit that helium would go carnal with her, propulsion her around, propulsion her astir and that she didn't consciousness harmless conscionable breaking things disconnected with him.

Jacob told Gloria she needed to permission him immediately, but Gloria said she was acrophobic that mightiness trigger thing wrong Rickman.

Brieanna Eberly: … she didn't cognize however she was going to permission Billy. She was frightened to permission him.

Natalie Morales: What frightened her?

Brieanna Eberly: Possessiveness … helium knew everyplace she went …

Natalie Morales: She felt that helium was tracking her each move?

Brieanna Eberly: … She recovered a tag successful her car.

Natalie Morales: An AirTag?

Brieanna Eberly: Mm-hmm. She's the 1 that told maine astir it aboriginal on.

And Gloria suspected determination were different hidden Apple AirTags successful her truck.

Natalie Morales: Are you acrophobic for your person astatine this point?

Brieanna Eberly: Absolutely.

In November 2021, conscionable six months aft they met, Brieanna says Gloria made up her caput to permission Rickman.

Brieanna Eberly: She looked astatine maine dormant successful the look and said "I'm leaving." … And I asked her, you know, "what's your plan?" … She goes "I'm gonna spell to my parents" …

Her parents welcomed Gloria and her lad into their home. But it was not truthful casual to get escaped of Rickman. He had borrowed Gloria's motortruck and refused to springiness it back. So, connected Nov. 28, Gloria went to the Tumwater Police Department to record a study astir the motortruck and, portion she was there, she told the serviceman taking the study astir Rickman:

"When Billy is sober helium is calm, but erstwhile helium drinks, helium has a abbreviated fuse and is precise aggravated … I privation him well, but choosing to not beryllium a portion of his beingness anymore for the information and stableness for my lad and I."

Attorney Meaghan Driscoll, who represents the Choi family, said it was wide the Tumwater serviceman believed Gloria was astatine risk. The serviceman reported that Rickman was "potentially tracking" Gloria with Apple AirTags, owned "numerous firearms" and appeared to beryllium "extremely manipulative."

Meaghan Driscoll: … helium really becomes truly acrophobic for her and her information … So the serviceman really tells Gloria and tells the tribunal … to contented a home unit nary interaction order.

Almost immediately, Rickman was arrested for taking Gloria's motortruck and helium agreed to this recorded interview:

BILLY RICKMAN: It's some of our cars. Like, we unrecorded together. It's not similar I'm a neighbour oregon somethin'.

OFFICER: ... What bash you deliberation her sentiment is of you erstwhile you're drinking?

BILLY RICKMAN: She doesn't similar it.

OFFICER: Do you think, like, possibly she mightiness feel, like, uncomfortable oregon scared?

BILLY RICKMAN: I'll archer you this much. If I had a changeable with my miss again, man, I would ne'er portion different drip of alcohol. And that's the honest-to-God truth.

Rickman was jailed for 3 days for taking Gloria's motortruck and, connected Dec. 1, 2021, helium was brought earlier a justice who slapped him with a strict no-contact order.

But Brieanna says the bid did not faze Rickman. The time helium got retired of jail, helium told Brieanna helium was unconcerned with the legalities.

Brieanna Eberly: He didn't care. He was similar so, "I'm inactive gonna speech to her" …

Tracking Gloria Choi's each move

In aboriginal December 2021, Gloria Choi was backmost surviving with her parents, hoping she had escaped herself of Billy Rickman erstwhile and for all. But Brieanna said Rickman had different ideas, arsenic helium told her the time helium got retired of jailhouse for taking Gloria's motortruck -- which had been returned to her.

Brieanna Eberly: Billy showed up astatine my spot … and he's similar "I request your help," and helium begged maine to speech to her astir getting backmost together. … He said that helium would change. He, you know, would halt drinking. He'd beryllium a amended idiosyncratic to her. … and successful the backmost of my caput I'm like, "no" …

Natalie Morales: You didn't judge him then?

Brieanna Eberly: I didn't …

Natalie Morales: And what's your knowing of a nary interaction order?

Brieanna Eberly: No interaction bid means you can't travel and interaction that person, text, telephone calls, carnal location, thing of that sort.

Natalie Morales: And if you bash what happens?

Brieanna Eberly: You spell to jail.

Brieanna told Rickman that he'd beryllium arrested if helium broke any of those conditions, but 2 weeks later, she got a telephone from a person telling her Gloria was hiding from Rickman successful the bath of a java shop. Brienna wasted nary clip getting there.

Brieanna Eberly (with Morales successful java store parking lot): As I was pulling in, I saw Billy Rickman's car was parked over determination … We made oculus interaction … I went to the bath and knocked connected the door … and she opened it … She knew that Billy was here. … 

It was different reminder to Gloria that Rickman seemed to beryllium tracking her each move.

Natalie Morales: … and you said she was precise affectional inside, locked into the bathroom?

Brieanna Eberly: … she was -- she was petrified. She was crying. She was shaking. … she refused to travel retired until she knew helium was gone.

It's not wide if constabulary were ever called.

Three days later, Brieanna said that Gloria told her that Rickman confronted her successful the Capital Mall portion she was buying with her son. Brieanna said Gloria told her that Rickman pleaded with her to driblet the nary interaction order, but she refused.

Coreen Schnepf: … helium was putting himself successful her way truthful that helium could rekindle the mislaid narration …

That mislaid relationship, says authoritative Coreen Schnepf, was connected Rickman's caput erstwhile helium made cellphone videos directed astatine Gloria.

Coreen Schnepf: You tin spot the videos that helium created to effort and marque her consciousness atrocious astir leaving him.

BILLY RICKMAN (video): This is what Christmas unsocial looks like. The parking batch of the f****** edifice 'cause you ain't got obscurity to spell 'cause you cognize your miss enactment you retired connected the street

Prosecutors accidental everything came to a caput connected the past 2 days of 2021. It started connected Dec. 30 erstwhile Rickman sent Gloria an email aft helium spotted her with Jacob Blue astatine a java shop.

Natalie Morales: And I conjecture Rickman did constitute an email … to Gloria that read, "You near maine for different feline wow."

Greg Greer: Correct.

The email was sent successful existent time, and, portion they were astatine the java shop, Jacob says Gloria began getting calls from a blocked number. When she answered, Rickman was connected the enactment yelling astatine her, according to Jacob.

Greg Greer: … helium believed that this Jacob Blue … was a, you know, imaginable fellow …

They moved connected to a sushi restaurant, but Gloria was becoming progressively bothered by the headlights of a car which were pointed astatine the restaurant, and Jacob says Gloria believed Rickman was down the wheel.

Jacob Blue: … She says, "I cognize that car and I cognize that it's watching america close now." And she got truly uncomfortable.

Jacob says they near the edifice and discovered idiosyncratic had stolen their computers from Gloria's truck. They besides discovered 1 of her truck's tires was slashed. Gloria called the constabulary and asked for their help. It was the archetypal of 4 calls astir Rickman implicit a 48-hour period.

911 DISPATCHER: And what did helium damage?

GLORIA CHOI: Um, my beforehand driver's broadside tire. And helium went done each the worldly successful the motortruck and stole my backpack with my laptop and my friend's laptop container arsenic well.

911 DISPATCHER: OK. OK. I'll person an serviceman telephone you.

Natalie Morales: … and did Gloria explicit that she thought it was Rickman?

Jacob Blue: … she was assured it was Rickman …

Gloria told constabulary that lone Rickman knew the truck's keypad codification to summation entry. She gave them a statement of his achromatic BMW and told the serviceman astir the nary interaction order. The serviceman said helium near Rickman a voicemail connection letting him cognize the constabulary wanted to talk with him.

Gloria and Jacob past drove to the Holiday Inn to retrieve Jacob's Jeep, and that's erstwhile Jacob discovered that 2 of his tires had been slashed.

Jacob Blue: This is simply a snowy night, there's snowfall connected the crushed …

Gloria took cellphone video pursuing the footsteps she thought were Rickman's.

GLORIA CHOU (cellphone video) Gloria: ... Here is ... his footsteps.

Because Gloria managed that Holiday Inn, she was capable to get the surveillance footage. The videos person ne'er been seen by the nationalist earlier now.

Jacob Blue: … we spot a antheral travel successful and sneak successful done the shadows. … He comes up to my Jeep and helium punctures some my tires … And -- and walks off.

They called constabulary a 2nd clip and gave them the video. Both Jacob and Gloria identified the antheral arsenic Billy Rickman by his distinctive walk, but officers said the video was not wide capable to marque an arrest.

Jacob Blue: And the constabulary were like, I'm atrocious … without america being capable to spot his face, there's truly not a full batch to spell disconnected of, not overmuch we tin do

The adjacent time was Dec. 31, New Year's Eve. Jacob returned to his Jeep with 2 caller tires. That's erstwhile helium and Gloria discovered the other two tires were present slashed. That prompted a 3rd telephone to 911.

911 DISPATCHER: What are you reporting?

JACOB BLUE: …Vandalism connected my conveyance by a stalker.

Once again, the surveillance footage showed the antheral Jacob and Gloria believed was Rickman slashing the tires. But constabulary again said the video was not wide capable for them to marque an identification.

Then, connected New Year's Eve, determination was a 4th telephone to 911 -- this clip by the table clerk astatine the Holiday Inn. He spotted the tyre slasher again puncturing the tires connected Jacob's Jeep. The table clerk chased aft him, signaling video astatine the aforesaid clip helium was calling 911.

HOTEL MANAGER TO 911: He took each his licence plates off. He's driving a Chevy Colorado. It's got 1 airy out.

Police accidental Rickman was driving that aforesaid Chevy Colorado erstwhile helium ran Gloria disconnected the road, murdered her, past escaped into the night.

Billy Rickman charged with Gloria Choi's murder

Billy Rickman was capable to elude constabulary for 4 days until Jan. 6, 2022. That's erstwhile authoritative Greg Greer says instrumentality enforcement tracked his telephone to Humboldt County, successful bluish California, wherever Rickman turned up drunk astatine a relative's house.

Greg Greer: … and this comparative did not privation Mr. Rickman staying with him … this comparative offered to instrumentality Mr. Rickman to a -- a adjacent casino and enactment him up successful astatine the casino successful a edifice …

Rickman's relative, driving his achromatic BMW, was stopped by tribal constabulary and they contacted the California Highway Patrol who rushed to the scene. Police accidental Rickman, arsenic seen successful dashcam video, shoved his comparative retired of the driver's spot and onto the pavement, gunned the motor and took off.

Greg Greer: He's got capable of a caput commencement … and they really don't find him. They -- they suffer him.

Rickman wandered astir successful the acheronian for astir 5 hours connected the wet, acold nighttime earlier being recovered and taken into custody.

Greg Greer: … Mr. Rickman … is soaking wet, freezing cold, hypothermic.

Rickman was charged with aggravated first-degree execution and pleaded not guilty.

Some 250 miles south, a pistillate who says she knew firsthand conscionable however unsafe Rickman was, received a telephone call.

Aja Houle: The serviceman from the Oakland Police Department called me. … and erstwhile I answered the phone, she told maine Billy has been arrested.

Aja Houle had filed a constabulary study astir Rickman. In it, said Rickman forced her into prostitution and sexually assaulted her erstwhile she was a 14-year-old runaway surviving successful Oakland successful 2005.

Aja Houle: … I'm a subsister of quality trafficking, and Billy Rickman was my trafficker.

Aja says she endured years of abuse, earlier she astir was killed aft Rickman choked her with a strand of Christmas histrion lights.

Aja Houle: Like, I could not breathe. Like, it was precise scary. … I was terrified.

She escaped to San Francisco.

Aja Houle: It was 1 of the champion moments successful my life, but besides 1 of the astir terrifying due to the fact that I felt free, but I besides felt truthful overmuch fearfulness due to the fact that I had crossed him. And I knew what helium was susceptible of.

Shortly aft leaving, Aja called a woman who was surviving with Rickman.

Aja Houle: He took the telephone retired of her manus erstwhile I called her to cheque connected her erstwhile … and said, "bitch, if I ever find you, I volition ***** termination you." And I knew that helium meant it … I ne'er ever saw that arsenic a threat, I saw that arsenic a committedness due to the fact that helium would -- helium would termination me. He was livid.

Aja says she ever wanted justice, but it was lone portion completing her acquisition and pursuing a master's grade successful nationalist affairs from the University of California astatine Berkeley that she recovered the courageousness to record that study with the Oakland Police. It elaborate aggregate alleged incidents of Rickman's abuse, including "hitting her with closed fists connected the look and body" and causing her to prolong "a achromatic eye, bruises and cuts to the face."

Aja Houle: I wanted him held accountable for what helium did.

Oakland Police enactment retired an apprehension warrant for Rickman successful 2021 successful Alameda County but by that time, helium had near California. Washington State prosecutors accidental they ne'er saw the warrant.

Aja Houle: I was aggravated and upset due to the fact that helium could person been stopped beforehand … I blamed myself successful immoderate benignant of way.

But Aja inactive wanted to help. She emailed the prosecutors moving connected the Gloria Choi execution and offered to springiness them accusation astir Rickman. But prosecutors demurred, saying they wanted to support their lawsuit focused connected Gloria's murder.

Coreen Schnepf: … That wasn't truly portion of our lawsuit … truthful we didn't travel up connected that peculiar element.

Rickman's proceedings for the execution of Gloria Choi began successful November 2023 earlier a assemblage of 9 men and 3 women. Gloria's household were excessively devastated to be the trial.

Brieanna Eberly: … they moved retired of municipality without a word. And we didn't get to accidental goodbye. … But I understood why.

Prosecutor Greer wanted the assemblage to recognize "why" arsenic well. So helium played Gloria's 911 telephone successful its entirety close aft the opening statements.

911 DISPATCHER: What's your determination of your emergency?

GLORIA CHOI: I'm, um, I don't cognize wherever I am, but I deliberation my boyfriend's pursuing maine …

Greg Greer: You could archer the full courtroom was, you know, antithetic portion that was being played.

The prosecution methodically laid retired its lawsuit to the assemblage with each the audio and video grounds they'd collected.

Coreen Schnepf: … What you're astir to spot is simply a compilation of accusation from the defendant's cellphone, arsenic good arsenic surveillance videos that we person astatine the assorted locations … What you're gonna spot archetypal is immoderate GPS coordinates.

Schnepf says Rickman could nary longer travel Gloria aft helium slashed Gloria's tires and enactment her motortruck -- with those AirTags -- retired of commission.

Coreen Schnepf: … arsenic soon arsenic helium slashed the tires connected Gloria's vehicle, helium could nary longer way her …

Rickman was forced to much oregon little conjecture wherever Gloria was and, successful the days that followed, Schnepf says helium spent a batch of clip sitting extracurricular her parents' location wherever she was living.

Natalie Morales: So each of this is breaking this nary interaction order, right?

Greg Greer: Yeah… astir apt each missive of the – the nary interaction order, helium violated.

Coreen Schnepf: … He's conscionable perpetually going backmost to her house.

Natalie Morales: Back and forth. Back and forth.

Coreen Schnepf: Is she there? Is she astatine her house?

Natalie Morales: … it's brainsick to spot this similar this …

Sometime astir 6 p.m. connected Jan. 2, the nighttime of Gloria's murder, Schnepf says Rickman turned disconnected his cellphone and didn't crook it backmost connected until helium was astatine the Home Motel instantly aft the murder.

Coreen Schnepf: The information that helium doesn't crook his telephone off, but for astatine the clip constituent of the murder, helps america to amusement that it was him.

To buttress their case, prosecutors enactment Brieanna Eberly connected the stand.

Brieanna Eberly: … I retrieve looking implicit astatine him. Seeing him, look astatine her picture. … And helium started to cry. And I retrieve it made maine truthful angry. … I had ne'er felt truthful furious successful my life. …

Brieanna Eberly: Billy didn't conscionable instrumentality Gloria's … carnal life. … Billy took everything. He took a daughter, a mother, a friend, a sister, a relative … helium took it each successful a blink of an oculus with nary -- nary regard.

The nonaccomplishment of Gloria Choi weighed heavy connected Greg Greer arsenic the prosecution ended. He knew this was going to beryllium the past lawsuit of his career.

Natalie Morales: So helium was surveilling, helium was stalking. He was hunting that night.

Greg Greer: Absolutely

And Greg Greer was assured he'd proven that to the jury.

Gloria Choi's execution was preventable, says family's attorney

When it was clip to contiguous Billy Rickman's defense, his lawyer did not telephone immoderate witnesses and did not enactment Rickman connected the stand. He argued successful his closing that investigators failed to look astatine immoderate different imaginable suspects, said authoritative Greg Greer.

Greg Greer: The defence tried to marque a lawsuit that idiosyncratic other did it …

Rickman's defence lawyer told jurors that the constabulary probe was incomplete due to the fact that Gloria ne'er named Rickman connected her 911 telephone and alternatively described the idiosyncratic who deed her car lone arsenic her "boyfriend."

GLORIA CHOI to 911: … I deliberation my fellow is pursuing me. He conscionable deed my car.

The proceedings lasted 2 weeks. It lone took the assemblage astir 2 hours to scope their verdict: blameworthy of aggravated murder. Rickman was sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole.

Meaghan Driscoll: Law enforcement didn't instrumentality immoderate steps to find oregon apprehension Rickman successful the days earlier Gloria's death.

Gloria's parents judge Gloria should inactive beryllium alive, says Meaghan Driscoll. She has filed a wrongful decease suit connected behalf of Gloria's lad against the metropolis of Lakewood and its constabulary department.

Meaghan Driscoll: They wanted accountability for what happened to their girl and their sister and their loved one. And they believed that it was mismanaged and mishandled by instrumentality enforcement. …this pistillate was deprived of, uh, justness and should not person been killed.

Driscoll says 1 of the ironies of the lawsuit is that the prosecution utilized Rickman's egregious stalking arsenic grounds to assistance them unafraid the homicide conviction.

Natalie Morales: So, that precise aforesaid grounds that was presented the homicide trial, you're present utilizing successful your … wrongful decease suit to amusement what you judge is the Lakewood Police not doing their jobs …

Meaghan Driscoll: Right. I mean, this decease was incredibly foreseeable … And we cognize that from the prosecution. We cognize that the assemblage convicted him, this wasn't a enigma of who did this oregon why? Um, it was arsenic foreseeable arsenic it was preventable.

Natalie Morales: You're focused connected Lakewood Police and what they did and did not do. So, outline for america what should they person done, plain and simple?

Meaghan Driscoll: … Plain and simple, Lakewood PD should person recovered Rickman and arrested him to support Gloria.

Russ Hicks was hired by Driscoll arsenic an adept witness, successful portion due to the fact that helium has a peculiar transportation to the case.

Russ Hicks: My sanction is Russ Hicks. I'm a retired instrumentality enforcement serviceman … I was a pb teacher for home unit for galore years.

Russ Hicks: … So I cognize they received the due grooming due to the fact that I was their teacher astatine the constabulary academy. … and I taught the 3 officers that were progressive successful this case.

And Hicks says those officers failed Gloria. One example: 1 of the Lakewood officers says helium near a dependable message for Rickman which Hicks considers a mistake.

Russ Hicks: I deliberation it conveys a connection that we're not taking this seriously, and we're not looking for you, conscionable saying that we'd similar to speech to you.

Meaghan Driscoll: And the bittersweet irony of it is erstwhile you telephone a home unit perpetrator similar Rickman … that really conscionable escalates the information to the unfortunate adjacent more.

That serviceman says helium drove astir looking for Rickman's BMW, but Driscoll says determination is nary constabulary grounds of that. Driscoll besides says Gloria told the serviceman she believed Rickman was staying astatine a adjacent motel and, arsenic it turned out, the Home Motel is lone a six-minute locomotion from the Holiday Inn.

Meaghan Driscoll: It would person been truthful casual to find him due to the fact that helium was determination to beryllium found.

Driscoll besides says officers failed Gloria by not pursuing up connected the elaborate statement of the motortruck Rickman was driving that was fixed to them by the table clerk astatine the Holiday Inn.

HOTEL DESK CLERK TO 911: He's driving a Chevy Colorado. It's got 1 airy out.

Meaghan Driscoll: In mean instrumentality enforcement practice, they should nonstop retired a BOLO oregon "be connected the lookout" saying, this is simply a beige Chevy Colorado, breached taillights, look for this guy. They didn't bash that. He was fractional a artifact away.

Some 48 hours earlier her murder, Driscoll says Gloria gave 1 of the officers a broad seven-page document. In it, Gloria details the galore times she said Rickman violated the nary interaction bid -- his emails, his calls, and a inactive framework from 1 of the Holiday Inn videos. Even with that study successful hand, Driscoll says constabulary took nary action.

Meaghan Driscoll: They had everything they needed and much to apprehension him.

In addressing the Choi family's wrongful decease lawsuit, a metropolis lawyer told a justice successful January 2025 the constabulary person nary work to spell and apprehension idiosyncratic similar Rickman if helium is not astatine the scene.

At that hearing, the justice asked the city's lawyer: "A constabulary serviceman could inactive beryllium backmost and bash thing successful effect to a ailment by a home unit unfortunate due to the fact that there's nary work to look for the abuser?" The city's lawyer answered, "That's close …"

John Justice, the lawyer representing the metropolis and the Lakewood Police Department, said helium could not remark connected pending litigation.

Natalie Morales: Tell maine a small spot astir however she changed your life.

Brieanna Eberly: … She ever reminded maine that I was a bully idiosyncratic nary substance what … and that I was a bully ma due to the fact that I doubted myself a batch and she reminded maine each time that I was good.

Natalie Morales: Mmm. How overmuch did that alteration you successful your self-worth?

Brieanna Eberly: (sighs) So much. Um, much than I could astir apt describe. It gave maine hope.

Prosecutor Greg Greer retired successful 2024. He's inactive trying to, successful his words. find his mode backmost to humanity and hide the unit that surrounded him for truthful galore years. But he's inactive haunted by Gloria's past words connected that 911 call.

Greg Greer: I did larn the Korean connection portion I was successful -- successful the Air Force. And I could perceive precise intelligibly … Gloria calling for her parent …

Natalie Morales: And what is the connection that you hear?

Greg Greer: It's … Eomma -- and she's conscionable frantically, desperation calling for her parent … It tells you a batch astir quality quality … it's 1 of the saddest things you'll ever hear.

Gloria's lad lives with relatives successful a antithetic state.

As of May 2026, the wrongful decease suit against Lakewood and its constabulary section remained unresolved.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is simply a unfortunate of home violence, interaction the National Domestic Violence Hotline astatine 1-800-799-7233.

Produced by Paul La Rosa. Megan Kelly Brown is the subordinate producer. Jane Shevlin is the subordinate producer.. Greg Fisher is the improvement producer. Atticus Brady, Michelle Harris, Eric Modena and Diana DeCilio are the editors. Anthony Batson is the elder producer. Nancy Kramer is the enforcement communicative editor. Judy Tygard is the enforcement producer.

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