Gloria Choi’s love-bombing romance ended in deadly stalking, murder

Gloria Choi was still on a 911 call when nine .40-caliber bullets tore through the door and window of her truck, ending a terrifying sequence that began with repeated pleas for help. The single mother, 33, had called Lakewood police four times in 48 hours to report that an ex-boyfriend was stalking her. On Jan. 2, 2022, she told the dispatcher she was scared to get out of her car and cried out, “He’s got a gun!”

Investigators said Billy Rickman, also identified in court as William L. Rickman, ran Choi off the road before firing into her vehicle. Choi was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead shortly after. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled her death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds and identified her as Gloria Choi of Chehalis, Washington.

The case has become a stark example of how coercive control can escalate from romance to lethal violence. Friends said Rickman had “love-bombed” Choi, showering her with gifts and kindness before the stalking began. That pattern matters because it can mask danger early, especially when abuse is still being framed as devotion rather than possession. The warning signs were not subtle here: repeated 911 calls, a documented fear for safety, and an ex-partner who continued to close in until Choi was killed while asking for help.

Rickman was arrested in Northern California and returned to Washington to face charges. In February 2022, he pleaded not guilty to aggravated first-degree murder. His prosecution underscored a central public-safety problem: stalking is not a nuisance offense, but conduct that can create a reasonable fear for safety and cause severe emotional distress. Domestic violence can involve dating partners or former partners, and the danger often intensifies when control is challenged or the victim tries to leave.

The broader lesson is about prevention as much as punishment. Choi’s death shows how quickly intimate-partner violence can move from manipulation to pursuit to homicide, and how much depends on whether threats are treated as emergencies before a gun is raised. For communities, the case is a reminder that coercive control is a health issue, a policing issue and a policy failure when warning signs go unanswered.