On Jan. 2, 2022, Gloria Choi made a terrified 911 call from inside her truck, telling dispatchers she didn’t know where she was and saying, “He’s got a gun.” Seconds later, multiple shots rang out. Officers arrived within minutes, broke a rear window to pull Choi from the vehicle and began lifesaving measures, but she was pronounced dead soon after at a nearby hospital.
Prosecutors say the shooter, identified as Billy Rickman, pulled Choi’s truck onto a gravel shoulder, stood at the driver’s-side window and fired nine .40-caliber rounds through the door and glass. As the truck rolled forward and struck a utility pole, Rickman allegedly made a U-turn, pulled alongside and fired five more shots through his rolled-down window. Investigators say Rickman fired 14 shots in all and struck Choi at least 10 times before fleeing the scene.
A lanyard identifying Choi as a Holiday Inn manager helped detectives identify her and begin tracing the suspect. Subpoenaed phone records and motel surveillance led investigators to the Home Motel about six minutes from the scene. Motel footage showed a man wiping down a vehicle and making calls; other surveillance and rental records linked a Chevy Colorado registered to Rickman to that motel and to other nearby businesses. The vehicle matched descriptions given to 911 by a motel clerk, who reported a truck with “one light out.” Rickman eluded authorities for four days before being found hypothermic and intoxicated in Humboldt County, California. He was arrested in early January 2022 and charged with aggravated first-degree murder; he pleaded not guilty.
Background and escalation
Choi, a single mother who managed hotels, met Rickman in May 2021 after he checked into her family’s hotel. According to friends and family, the relationship moved quickly and initially seemed affectionate, but over months Rickman’s behavior turned controlling and violent. He drank heavily, used drugs, demanded money and, by fall 2021, became physically abusive.
Choi decided to leave him in November 2021 and moved back in with her parents along with her son. Rickman took her truck without permission and was arrested for theft; a judge issued a strict no-contact order on Dec. 1, 2021. Prosecutors say he continued to stalk her despite the order. Choi reported finding an AirTag on her car and suspected other tracking devices were hidden in the vehicle. In the days before her death, she reported incidents that included a man following her to a coffee shop and a mall. Surveillance captured a person slashing tires on vehicles belonging to Choi and a friend; hotel staff later identified the man as driving a Chevy Colorado with a missing license plate—the same model rented by Rickman.
Over a 48-hour period before the killing, Choi called police four times to report harassment, vehicle tampering and theft. A Tumwater officer who took one report noted Rickman owned multiple firearms and described him as “extremely manipulative,” recommending a domestic violence no-contact order. Prosecutors say Choi provided a seven-page document listing violations of the order and a still frame from hotel video, but law enforcement did not locate or arrest Rickman before Jan. 2.
Trial, conviction and sentence
At a November 2023 trial, prosecutors played Choi’s 911 call for jurors and presented cellphone data, GPS coordinates, surveillance videos, motel footage of Rickman cleaning his vehicle and rental records tying him to the Chevy Colorado. They portrayed Rickman as stalking and hunting Choi that night, pointing to repeated violations of the no-contact order in the days ahead of her killing and to his turning off his phone during the murder.
The defense called no witnesses and did not present Rickman. Defense counsel argued investigators had not fully explored other suspects and noted Choi never named Rickman on the 911 call, referring only to “my boyfriend.” After about two hours of deliberation, the jury found Rickman guilty of aggravated murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Other allegations
Following Rickman’s arrest, a woman in California, Aja Houle, said she had reported being trafficked and assaulted by Rickman years earlier, alleging he forced her into prostitution and physically abused her as a teenager. Oakland police had issued an arrest warrant in Alameda County in 2021, prosecutors said, but Washington authorities said they were not aware of that warrant while building the homicide case. Houle later contacted the prosecutors in Choi’s case to offer information.
Civil claims and ongoing questions
Choi’s family, devastated by her death, did not attend the criminal trial and moved away. Their lawyer, Meaghan Driscoll, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city of Lakewood and its police department, alleging officers failed to protect Choi despite repeated reports and clear warning signs. Driscoll and an expert witness, retired officer Russ Hicks, contend that standard domestic-violence procedures would have required more proactive steps to locate and arrest Rickman—such as issuing a BOLO (be on the lookout), following up on motel leads and acting on the detailed reports and video evidence Choi provided.
Lakewood’s attorneys have argued police have no affirmative duty to arrest a suspect who is not at the scene. As of May 2026, the wrongful-death lawsuit remained unresolved.
Aftermath
Prosecutor Greg Greer, who retired in 2024, said he remained haunted by Choi’s final words and her calls for her mother on the 911 tape. Friends remember Choi as devoted to her son and family; her friend Brieanna Eberly called her “part of my family.” Choi’s son now lives with relatives in another state.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.