“The Love Bombing of Gloria Choi”: 48 Hours Reports May 2 2026
CBS’s 48 Hours returns Saturday, May 2, 2026, at 10:00 PM ET/PT with The Love Bombing of Gloria Choi, a new episode reported by Natalie Morales. The hour examines the death of Gloria Choi, a 33-year-old single mother from Pierce County, Washington, whose relationship with William “Billy” Rickman began as an intense romance before turning into a pattern of fear, harassment, and violence.
The episode focuses on how a relationship that appeared loving to outsiders became dangerous after the couple broke up. Through interviews with Gloria’s best friend Brieanna Eberly, friend Jacob Blue, eyewitness Terry Estvold, and prosecutors Greg Greer and Coreen Schnepf, 48 Hours explores the warning signs, the police calls, the evidence, and the trial that ended with Rickman being sentenced to life in prison without parole.
- Who Was Gloria Choi & What Happened to Her? 2026 Update & Profile
- Who Is William “Billy” Rickman & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Profile
Gloria Choi’s Life Before The Case
Gloria Choi was a young mother whose family and friends described her as devoted to her loved ones and focused on her son. She worked at a hotel connected to her family, and those close to her said she had a strong sense of responsibility toward her family and the people around her.
Her best friend, Brieanna Eberly, worked with her and later spoke about the depth of their friendship. Eberly said Gloria was the last person she expected to lose in such a violent way, and she remembered her as someone who should still have been raising her son and building her life.
The Relationship With Billy Rickman
Gloria met William “Billy” Rickman in what first seemed like a chance encounter. According to the 48 Hours preview and reporting on the case, Rickman showed Gloria intense attention early in the relationship. To people around her, he appeared to be devoted and affectionate.
That early pattern is central to the episode’s title, The Love Bombing of Gloria Choi. “Love bombing” refers to overwhelming attention, affection, and gestures that can be used to create attachment and control. In Gloria’s case, investigators and prosecutors later examined how the relationship moved from romance to harassment after she ended it.
The Breakup And Escalating Harassment
Gloria broke up with Rickman in late 2021, about two months before her death. After the breakup, prosecutors said Rickman followed and harassed her in violation of a domestic-violence no-contact order.
Court records and reports described repeated incidents across Pierce, Thurston, and Lewis counties. Gloria called police several times seeking help. She reported that Rickman had followed her, contacted her by phone and text, and appeared at places where she was present.
In late November, Gloria contacted Tumwater police and reported that Rickman had put a tracking device on her belongings. She also told police he was unpredictable, suicidal, had drinking problems, and owned firearms. A no-contact order was later issued in December, but the reported contact and confrontations continued.
Repeated Calls For Help
In the weeks before Gloria was killed, she sought help from law enforcement in multiple jurisdictions. Reports later stated that at least 11 incidents were reported in a period of barely more than a month.
One incident involved Gloria seeing Rickman’s car outside a coffee shop in Chehalis. Brieanna Eberly said Gloria called her for help, and Eberly walked her out to her truck. Eberly recalled seeing Rickman appear around the corner and described the moment as stalking.
Days before the murder, Gloria reported that Rickman had followed her, broken into her truck, slashed one of her tires, and stolen backpacks and laptops while she was eating dinner with a co-worker at a Lakewood sushi restaurant. Prosecutors also said the co-worker’s tires were slashed, with surveillance video later placing Rickman in the parking lot.
The Night Gloria Choi Was Killed
On January 2, 2022, Gloria was near the 6100 block of 112th Street SW in Lakewood, Washington. Prosecutors said Rickman followed her from the hotel where she worked, ran her vehicle off the road, and pinned her truck against a telephone pole.
Gloria called 911 around 7:25 p.m. and told the dispatcher she had been in a collision with her boyfriend. She then said he was armed with a gun. Prosecutors later described the call as frantic, with Gloria pleading for help before screams and gunfire were heard.
Police found Gloria slumped over the steering wheel of a 2019 Ford Ranger. She was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy found she had been shot 10 times, mostly in the back and arm. Detectives found 14 bullet defects in the vehicle and recovered 12 shell casings from the scene.
The Arrest Of William Rickman
After the shooting, Rickman left Washington. A warrant was issued three days after Gloria’s death, and he was arrested on January 7, 2022, in Humboldt County, California, after a pursuit.
Rickman was later extradited to Washington to face an aggravated first-degree murder charge in Pierce County. He pleaded not guilty after being brought back to Washington and was ordered held without bail.
Prosecutors also pointed to Rickman’s prior criminal history in California. Records cited in reporting stated he had two felony convictions and four misdemeanor convictions from 1993 to 2009, including domestic-violence offenses.
Evidence Presented By Prosecutors
The prosecution built its case around the timeline of harassment, the no-contact order, the 911 call, eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, and Rickman’s conduct before and after the murder. The shooting itself, the bullet defects in Gloria’s truck, and the shell casings recovered at the scene were key parts of the case.
Prosecutors also cited a statement Rickman allegedly made to one of Gloria’s former boyfriends two days before the murder. According to charging papers, Rickman complained that Gloria had left him for another man and allegedly said, “I’m gonna take care of it tonight. I’m gonna be on the news.” The former boyfriend reportedly believed Rickman meant he planned to assault someone, but later learned Gloria had been killed.
The Trial And Conviction
Rickman went to trial in Pierce County in December 2023. The trial lasted eight days, and the jury convicted him of aggravated first-degree murder on December 7 after about two hours of deliberations.
Jurors also made special findings that Rickman was armed with a firearm and that the murder was aggravated because it occurred in violation of a no-contact order and because Gloria was shot from Rickman’s truck or nearby. Those findings shaped the sentence available to the court.
Sentencing And Outcome
On December 15, 2023, Rickman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Because of the aggravated first-degree murder conviction, that was the only sentence the judge could impose.
At sentencing, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Greg Greer said Rickman’s crime was rooted in selfishness. Judge Edmund Murphy also referenced the 911 call, saying he had not heard many things like it. Prosecutors said Gloria cried out in Korean during her final moments, calling for her mother.
The Civil Lawsuit Against Lakewood Police
After Gloria’s death, attorneys representing her estate filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Lakewood and the Lakewood Police Department. The lawsuit alleges that police knew Rickman posed an imminent threat, had repeatedly violated the no-contact order, and should have arrested him before Gloria was killed.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages on behalf of Gloria’s estate and her son, who was 8 years old when his mother was killed. Attorneys for the estate have argued that Gloria’s death was preventable.
The City of Lakewood has denied the allegations. In its court response, the city denied that police had direct knowledge that Gloria was in immediate danger from Rickman, and it denied that police conduct placed her in harm’s way. The civil case remained ongoing in the reporting provided ahead of the 48 Hours episode.
Why The Case Is Being Featured On 48 Hours
The Love Bombing of Gloria Choi looks beyond the murder itself and examines the warning signs that came before it. The episode focuses on how a relationship that began with intense affection became a case involving stalking, domestic violence, repeated police calls, and a fatal shooting.
By featuring Gloria’s friends, eyewitnesses, prosecutors, and case evidence, 48 Hours presents the case as both a murder investigation and a broader story about the risks faced by people trying to leave dangerous relationships. The episode also raises questions about what protections were available to Gloria and whether more could have been done before the night she was killed.
More “The Love Bombing of Gloria Choi”
- “The Love Bombing of Gloria Choi”: 48 Hours Reports May 2 2026
- Who Was Gloria Choi & What Happened to Her? 2026 Update & Profile
- Who Is William “Billy” Rickman & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Profile
