What happened to Ricky Cowles Jr?
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A NEW DATELINE episode will highlight the 1997 murder of Ricky Cowles Jr.
The episode will premiere on May 5, 2023, on NBC starting at 9am EST.
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What happened to Ricky Cowles Jr?
The city of Lancaster, California, was shaken up in August 1997 following the death of 21-year-old Ricky Cowles Jr., an electrician who worked at his family’s business.
He was found shot in the head on April 12, 1997, in his apartment about a month after he moved in with his girlfriend, Amy Preasmyer, who was 15 weeks pregnant, and their mutual friend, Jennifer Kellogg.
At the time, it was Preasmyer who discovered the body, according to TheCinemaholic.
Preasmyer immediately called the police, who thought it could’ve been a robbery, however, that motive was ruled out after it was discovered that nothing had been stolen.
There were also no signs of forced entry, which led police to suspect that it could’ve been an inside job, TheCinemaholic reports.
Who killed Ricky Cowles Jr?
During the investigation, authorities received a tip alleging that a former store clerk, William “Bill” Hoffman, had confessed to killing Cowles.
At first, authorities were stumped because they could not find a connection between the two, however, during trial, he explained that he had been solicited by Preasmyer to kill Cowles.
Authorities did not think much of Hoffman’s accusations at the time, but in 2002, after he wrote a letter to Cowles’ family confessing, they took a closer look at Preasmyer’s role in the murder.
“It was basically his conscience. He testified he had become a Christian and how he was gravely remorseful for what he had done and was trying to make it right as best he could,” Deputy District Attorney Michael Blake said of the letter, via Los Angeles Daily News.
In 2007, Preasmyer was then found guilty of soliciting Hoffman for the murder.
Prosecutors said that Preasmyer did it because Cowles had gotten her pregnant and “ruined her life.”
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“She had reached a point, I believe, where in her own words, she blamed the victim for the pregnancy and basically told other people he had ruined her birthday and ruined her life,” Blake said.
“There was other evidence she despised the victim. By August 1997, she is actively looking for someone to kill him.”
Where are Amy and Bill now?
Hoffman was convicted of murder in 1999 and then sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 10 years, according to Los Angeles Daily News.
Preasmyer was also sentenced to life in prison without parole, however, the Central California Women’s Facility’s website has an eligible parole date for her listed as March 2029, according to Distractify.
The outlet spoke with the public information officer from the facility who said that she could’ve been granted clemency.
