Ex-boyfriend charged in fatal Skyline Chili stabbing of mother of two

Customers at the Skyline Chili on Montgomery Road in Norwood saw the violence unfold in seconds when Alyssa Hill, a 27-year-old mother of two, was stabbed to death during the lunch rush. Police arrested 37-year-old Rick Wright near the scene and charged him with murder after court documents and 911 calls identified him as Hill’s ex-boyfriend.

Surveillance video captured the attack, according to reporting on the case. Wright entered the restaurant, sat near the server station, then attacked Hill from behind with a Bowie-style knife before running out. Customers and employees immediately rushed to help, and several people chased him outside. The speed and visibility of the assault turned an ordinary lunch shift into a public crime scene that left workers and diners stunned.

Hill had worked at the Norwood Skyline for more than two years, and people who knew her described her as high-spirited, sweet, hardworking, independent, and deeply devoted to her children and father. The restaurant is a familiar gathering place in the community, and owner Stephen Misleh said reopening was part of the healing process for employees after the June 2 killing.

Wright was initially held without bond, and a Hamilton County judge later set bond at $1 million on June 5, 2026. Prosecutors also said Wright had a history of violent crimes, adding another layer to a case that has already drawn intense attention because of the relationship between the suspect and victim and the fact that the attack happened in full view of the lunch crowd.

The aftermath has centered just as much on Hill’s children as on the criminal case. Skyline Chili and Coca-Cola Consolidated each donated $25,000 to a fund for her two children, the Norwood location pledged 20% of sales from June 8 through June 15, and the Norwood Police Association planned a fundraiser at Cappy’s in Norwood on June 20. Flowers, cards, and photographs gathered outside the restaurant as the lunch rush spot where Hill worked became a memorial to the mother whose death unfolded where customers and coworkers could not look away.