Naman Shrestha
The gruesome and shocking murder of 21-year-old electrician, Ricky Cowles Jr., in his apartment remained unsolved for several months until the police received an anonymous tip. Although the killer, William “Billy” Hoffman, who fired the fatal gunshot to Ricky, was apprehended, it would take the investigators several years before they captured the mastermind behind the murder — Amy Preasmyer, Ricky’s pregnant girlfriend at the time of the killing. In NBC’s ‘Dateline: Killing Time,’ the entire case is covered in a detailed manner, including Amy’s involvement and how the detectives managed to bring her to justice for her crimes.
Amy Preasmyer Orchestrated the Plan to Kill Her Boyfriend
Amy Lynn Preasmyer was not only dating Richard “Ricky” Cowles Jr., but was also carrying his child when she orchestrated a deadly plan with her friends to get him killed in their apartment in the 43400 block of Gadsden Avenue in Lancaster, California. Before things turned rough between the couple, they traveled together to different places. By showering her with gifts, Ricky made her feel special and happy. Their lives were turned upside down when the 16-year-old found out that she was pregnant, which she reportedly blamed on him. Thus, a rough phase in their relationship began.
Several weeks into her pregnancy, Amy reportedly started plotting Ricky’s murder, alongside her friend, Jennifer Kellogg, who started living with the couple. Amy and Jennifer reached out to William “Billy” Hoffman and hired him to carry out the killing. Reportedly, the two friends also brought Billy to the apartment, where they showed him a few places where he could hide and then ambush Ricky. The three accomplices also stalked him to study his movements and patterns of routine before the murder. With the plan in place, Billy hid in the Lancaster, California, apartment and attacked the 21-year-old electrician with a gun and a claw hammer on August 12, 1997, while Amy was out with her friends, including Sarah Chapin.
The Convicted Hitman Revealed That Amy Preasmyer Was Behind the Murder Plot
When Amy and Sarah returned to the former’s apartment an hour after the attack, they discovered Ricky lying in a pool of blood in the bedroom. They immediately called 911 and informed the police of the situation, with Sarah claiming, “He’s not moving or anything.” As the detectives could not find any concrete clues or evidence, they were tipped off about Billy’s involvement in the crime as he had told multiple people in his circle of the same. After he was arrested, he stood trial, during which he testified that Amy had hired him to kill her boyfriend. Despite his allegations, the police did not have enough evidence against her to arrest her as she continued to deny her involvement.
A few years after his sentencing, Billy admittedly found God and decided to come clean about the murder of Ricky Cowles Jr. In 2002, he drafted a letter that detailed the plot for murder Amy had orchestrated and how the plan was executed, and sent it to the victim’s family members. This letter drove the investigators to look at Amy Preasmyer closely and find enough circumstantial evidence against her. Eventually, they had enough to make an arrest. Thus, in 2005, Amy and her friend, Jennifer, were arrested and charged with murder, solicitation of murder, and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the killing of Ricky Cowles Jr.
Amy Preasmyer is Serving Her Sentence at a California Prison Facility Today
In 2007, Amy Preasmyer finally stood trial for her involvement in the murder of her boyfriend, Ricky Cowles Jr. While she and her defense claimed that she was innocent of the crime, the prosecution presented the jury with a large amount of evidence against the defendant, claiming that she believed her boyfriend was responsible for ruining her life by getting her pregnant. On July 30, 2007, after deliberation, the jury returned with a verdict and convicted her of all the charges against her, including murder, solicitation of murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Several months later, in early 2008, at her sentencing hearing, the judge stated, “A young man was brutally killed, and Amy Preasmyer, you are responsible for that.” She was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As of today, 44-year-old Amy Preasmyer is currently incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California, with her parole suitability hearing scheduled tentatively for November 2025.
Read More: Ricky Cowles Jr Murder Details and Investigation Timeline
