The Love Bombing of Gloria Choi

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2:44I was with the prosecutor's office for 30 years, and this was my last trial in my career. Being a prosecutor has a lifelong effect on you. There has to be some way to come back to humanity. Put the violence aside, this was an aggravated murder case. The victim's name is Gloria Choi. She was a hard-working mom, a good role model, and Gloria's parents talk about how she was kind of their angel. She spent most of her life working in the family business of running hotels. She came off very shy and quiet, but she was nothing of those. She was passionate about her family and her son, had hopes and dreams for herself.

3:40What we know is there were four calls placed to law enforcement in the final 48 hours before she was killed. This person continues to stalk her, has slashed her tires, has stolen thousands of dollars worth of property. She called for help and she was deprived of help that she's entitled to under the law time and time again. The evening that she was murdered, she was going home actually just taking a break to eat dinner. He was right behind her when she left. He knew everywhere she went. What's the location, Mrensa?

4:18Natalie Morales:I don't know where I am, but I'm scared to get out of my car. He forced her vehicle off the road. She doesn't know at that point who this is, and she's not able to drive anymore. Let me get police on line with us, okay? Do you see a street sign? I'm right in front of the crew over there, I'll call it. And he approaches her vehicle, and she notices he has a gun. He's got a caller. Hello, can you hear me? All of a sudden, we heard a rapid fire, about seven or eight shots. And he just unloaded, and I was just in shock. And I saw him disappear, and I then ran over and called the police. There's a pickup there against the telephone pole with its lights on, motor running.

5:03I don't see anybody in it. So you heard three pops? No, we heard a lot more than that. So in all, 14 shots just riddles her car with bullets, right? He's close range. He's shooting right through her driver's side window. She should have been protected, and she wasn't. Do you blame the police for not taking better care of your friend? I do blame the police for not taking it seriously. You have a perpetrator who's escalating. Any law enforcement officer who's following the training would know this woman was in incredible danger.

5:49Natalie Morales reports the love bombing of Gloria Choi.

5:58On January 2nd, 2022, Gloria Choi placed that anguished call to 911.

6:13Natalie Morales:Seconds later, multiple shots are fired. The audio is too graphic to play in full. It lasts about two minutes, and dispatchers are trying to make sense of what they just heard. Hello, can anybody hear me? Hello? Officers from the Lakewood Police Department in Washington arrive within minutes. One of the officers that approached, you can see him trying to get to her quickly, and the doors are locked. Former Pierce County Prosecutor Greg Greer describes what first responders did. We either bust that window after I took pictures already, or we bust that. They bust out a rear window smartly, wisely, so they can preserve the evidence.

7:02And they're able to extricate her pretty quickly. And did you see them pull out the victim at all? I did, yeah. Terry Estevold gave police a detailed description of what he witnessed. And I was probably 30 feet away and they put her on the ground and worked on her hard for several minutes. Had to be hard for you to witness that. It's terrible and it still bothers me a lot to this day just thinking about it. Gloria was pronounced dead a short time later at a nearby hospital. Brianna Eberle soon heard the news that her best friend had been killed, but she couldn't quite accept it. And I repeatedly, repeatedly called Gloria's phone over and over again, no answer, no answer, no answer.

7:54And then I called her dad, and then he finally answered. And I remember asking him, is it true? Is she gone? Is it true? He said, yeah, she's gone.

8:15Greer took us to the scene and walked us through what he learned from investigators. This would have been gravel shoulder. And somewhere in here, he pinches her vehicle off. And she's no longer able to move forward. He's blocking her. I think my boyfriend's following me. He just hit my car. Gloria says the man is her boyfriend, but does not give a name. He gets out of the vehicle, and if you've heard the 911 call, she describes exactly what he's doing.

8:54Greer says the shooter was standing next to Gloria's driver's side window. The door was locked. He's not trying to talk to her. He immediately starts to run her. He's there to kill her. He is there to kill her. After firing 9.40 caliber bullets through the door and window of Gloria's truck, Greer says the shooter begins to drive away. As he does, Gloria's truck moves forward until it hits a utility pole, as shown in this police animation. Greer believes the truck moved because Gloria's foot was no longer applying pressure to the brake. He doesn't know whether she's alive or not is what we believe is going through his mind because the vehicle's no longer where it was.

9:37That's 60 yards west of where it was when he first shot her. The shooter makes a U-turn and comes back around to Gloria's truck. He pulls his truck alongside so that his driver's side window is now next to hers. And this time, he does not bother to get out of his car, Greer says. And he rolls his window down five more shots just to make sure. Nine wasn't enough. Five more. Then after he's finished that, he immediately takes off. After firing 14 shots and hitting Gloria at least 10 times, prosecutors say the shooter disappears into the night. The first big break in the case came from one of the first officers at the crime scene.

10:24One of the officers, she notices this lanyard that's on Gloria and she sees her name and that hits her hard. Gloria's lanyard was from a nearby Holiday Inn where she was the manager. Just days earlier, that officer took a report from Gloria after she called 911. Gloria said her ex-boyfriend had been following and harassing her. And now they had a name, Billy Rickman. And that becomes a lead to understanding what happened. Greer says a detective subpoenaed Rickman's phone records. Even without having his phone, police were able to read his text messages. At one point, he says where he is, and it's the home motel.

11:12The detective rushed to the motel, which is a six-minute drive from the murder scene. Greer says the desk clerk told the detective that days earlier, Rickman attempted to sign in with a fake name, but the clerk insisted on proof of identity. We have him on surveillance video getting back to the motel. That was after the shooting, says prosecutor Corrine Schneff. He appears in a hurry. He gets out of his vehicle and he immediately starts wiping down the side of the vehicle that might have any kind of evidence of gunpowder residue. You can see him on the phone. He's contacting people. She says investigators began checking surveillance from several businesses in the area and got another break at a nearby car rental business.

12:05This picture is very clear. Enterprise had great video. Here, there's no denying who that is, looking at that. Rickman rented a Chevy Colorado using his real name. It is the same vehicle in the motel video, and the same vehicle police believe Rickman used to run Gloria off the road. The Lakewood police put out an alert for Billy Rickman. But in the days that followed, he was nowhere to be found.

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15:19She was a part of my family. My whole family knew her and they loved her. With Billy Rickman on the run, police questioned Gloria's friend, Brianna Eberle, about Rickman's relationship with Gloria. Brianna had known Gloria since 2018 when she hired her to help out at the Oyo Hotel, which was owned by Gloria's parents. She wanted to please her parents to the best of her ability. She was their lifeline. She did it all. And she did it all with grace. Absolute grace. Gloria was the single mother of a seven-year-old. It's all about her kid. She was very fierce when it came to her son. And in May 2021, Billy Rickman checked into the hotel from California.

16:05A mystery man with a larger-than-life personality. Brianna says it didn't take long for Rickman to notice Gloria. Gloria was coming into the office. He walked up and introduced himself. He's like, you're very pretty. And she goes, well, thank you. She walked away and he's like, who's that? And I'm like, her name's Gloria. Stay away. But Rickman did not stay away. And before long, the two were texting a lot. She liked the way he talked to her. and the things that he said to her. All she wanted to do is be loved by somebody. And Rickman made it seem like he could be that guy, says Megan Driscoll, the Choi family's lawyer.

16:52He really came across as this nice guy. Love-bombed her, meaning he's giving her gifts and kind of showering her with kindness. Weeks after meeting her, Rickman sent Gloria this text. You're the light to my day every day. You make me feel so sexy and special. And I thank you for that. I want you. I want to be with you, Gloria Choi. I can't wait to see what life has in store for us. My heart is yours. How was he with her son? Gloria's friend, Jacob Blue. What she liked about Rickman is that he had a lot of masculine energy that he was showing him. Billy and her son had a very instant connection.

17:36Because he was like a kid himself, you know? Within weeks, Gloria and Rickman became a couple, and he began staying in her apartment at the Oyo Hotel. Brianna says Gloria's father did not approve of the relationship. And her parents basically drew a red line and said, he can't be staying here at the hotel anymore. Gloria's father wanted him to move out. And Rickman went and approached her parents and told them he's not going anywhere, and that Gloria is now his, and if they don't like it, they can leave. Wow. Her dad basically gave her an ultimatum. She could stay on as the manager, or she could leave.

18:24And she chose to leave. Gloria, her son, and Rickman moved to an apartment in the town of Tumwater in September 2021. And her heartbroken parents chose to sell their hotel.

18:42That's when Gloria took a new job as manager of the Holiday Inn Express in Lakewood, right next to Tacoma. She was still very happy with what she had, but it didn't last long, that happiness. Gloria told Brianna that Rickman had big dreams, but no way of making them come true. And Gloria's like, well, who's going to fund all of this? You're not. You don't have a job. Get a job, you know? And he refused. So was he asking her for money? Oh, yeah. He drained her. She bought everything. Within weeks, Gloria saw a different side of Rickman. She told Brianna he was often mean, angry, and insecure. Gloria also told Brianna that Rickman was drinking to excess and using cocaine and marijuana.

19:36What did you tell her? Leave. Run away. Gloria chose to stay with Rickman. But two months later, in November, Jacob says he got a troubling call. She did express that he would become physical with her, push her around, throw her around, and that she didn't feel safe just breaking things off with him. Jacob told Gloria she needed to leave him immediately. But Gloria said she was afraid that might trigger something inside Rickman. She didn't know how she was going to leave Billy. She was scared to leave him. What scared her? Possessiveness. He knew everywhere she went. She felt that he was tracking her every move.

20:23She found a tag in her car. An AirTag? Mm-hmm. She's the one that told me about it later on. And Gloria suspected there were other hidden Apple AirTags in her truck. Are you concerned for your friend at this point? Absolutely. In November 2021, just six months after they met, Brianna says Gloria made up her mind to leave Rickman. She looked at me dead in the face and said, I'm leaving. And I asked her, you know, what's your plan? She goes, I'm going to go to my parents. Her parents welcomed Gloria and her son into their home.

21:08But it was not so easy to get rid of Rickman. He had borrowed Gloria's truck and refused to give it back. So, on November 28th, Gloria went to the Tumwater police to file a report about the truck. And while she was there, she told the officer taking the report about Rickman. When Billy is sober, he is calm. But when he drinks, he has a short fuse and is very angry. I wish him well, but choosing to not be a part of his life anymore for the safety and stability for my son and I. Attorney Megan Driscoll, who represents the Choi family, said it was clear the Tumwater officer believed Gloria was at risk.

21:51The officer reported that Rickman was potentially tracking Gloria with Apple AirTags, owned numerous firearms, and appeared to be extremely manipulative. He actually becomes really concerned for her and her safety. So the officer actually tells Gloria and tells the court to issue a domestic violence no-contact order. Almost immediately, Rickman was arrested for taking Gloria's truck, and he agreed to this recorded interview. It's both of our cars. Like, we live together. It's not like I'm a neighbor or something. What do you think her opinion is of you when you drink? She doesn't like it. Do you think, like, maybe she might feel, like, uncomfortable or scared?

22:34I'll tell you this much. If I had a shot with my girl again, man, I would never drink another trip of alcohol. And that's the honest-to-God truth. Rickman was jailed for three days for taking Gloria's truck. And on December 1st, 2021, he was brought before a judge who slapped him with a strict no-contact order. But Brianna says the order did not faze Rickman. The day he got out of jail, he told Brianna he was unconcerned with the legalities. He didn't care. He was like, so? I'm still going to talk to her.

23:28in early december 2021 gloria choy was back living with her parents hoping she had rid herself of Billy Rickman once and for all. But Brianna said Rickman had other ideas as he told her the day he got out of jail for taking Gloria's truck, which had been returned to her. Billy showed up at my place and he's like, I need your help. And he begged me to talk to her about getting back together. He said that he would change. He would stop drinking. He'd be a better person to her. And in the back of my mind, I'm like, no. You didn't believe him then? I didn't. And what's your understanding of a no-contact order?

24:09No-contact order means you can't come and contact that person. Text, phone calls, physical location, anything of that sort. And if you do, what happens? You go to jail. Brianna told Rickman that he'd be arrested if he broke any of those conditions. But two weeks later, she got a call from a friend telling her Gloria was hiding from Rickman in the bathroom of this coffee shop. Brianna wasted no time getting there. As I was pulling in, I saw Billy Rickman's car was parked over there. We made eye contact. I went to the bathroom and knocked on the door and she opened it. She knew that Billy was here.

24:53It was another reminder to Gloria that Rickman seemed to be tracking her every move. And you said she was very emotional, locked into the bathroom. She was petrified. She was crying. She was shaking. She refused to come out until she knew he was gone. It's not clear if police were ever called. Three days later, Brianna said that Gloria told her that Rickman confronted her in the Capitol Mall while she was shopping with her son. Brianna said Gloria told her that Rickman pleaded with her to drop the no-contact order. But she refused. He was putting himself in her path so that he could rekindle the lost relationship.

25:37That lost relationship, says Prosecutor Corrine Schneff, was on Rickman's mind when he made these cell phone videos directed at Gloria. You can see the videos that he created to try and make her feel bad about leaving him. This is what Christmas alone looks like. The parking lot of a f***ing hotel, because you ain't got nowhere to go, because, you know, your girl puts you out in the street. Prosecutors say everything came to a head on the last two days of 2021. It started on December 30th, when Rickman sent Gloria an email after he spotted her with Jacob Blue at a coffee shop. And I guess Rickman did write an email to Gloria that read, you left me for another guy.

26:22Wow. Correct. The email was sent in real time, and Gloria began getting calls from a blocked number. When she answered, Rickman was on the line yelling at her, according to Jacob. He believed that this Jacob Blue was a potential boyfriend. They moved on to a sushi restaurant, but Gloria was becoming increasingly bothered by the headlights of a car which were pointed at the restaurant and Jacob says Gloria believed Rickman was behind the wheel. She says, I know that car and I know that it's watching us right now. And she got really uncomfortable. Jacob says they left the restaurant and discovered someone had stolen their computers from Gloria's truck.

27:07They also discovered one of her truck's tires was slashed. Gloria called the police and asked for their help. It was the first of four calls about Rickman over a 48-hour period. And what did he damage? My front driver's side tire and he went through all the stuff in the truck and stole my backpack with my laptop and my friend's laptop bag as well. Okay. I'll have an officer call you. And did Gloria express that she thought it was Rickman? She was confident it was Rickman. Gloria told police that only Rickman knew the truck's keypad code to gain entry. She gave them a description of his black BMW and told the officer about the no contact order.