William “Billy” Hoffman, who had a regular job as a store clerk, agreed right away to become a hitman when Amy Preasmyer requested him to kill her lover, Ricky Cowles Jr. As a result, Billy ambushed Amy’s boyfriend in his Lancaster, California, flat before shooting and bashing him to death with a claw hammer. “Dateline: Killing Time” details the horrific murder and the subsequent investigation that resulted in the capture of the murderers. We have information for you if you are interested in the specifics of the crime and want to know where Billy Hoffman is right now.
Who Is Billy Hoffman?
Billy Hoffman was a store worker who lived in Lancaster, California, and made a peaceful livelihood. Prior to Ricky’s murder, he had never run into any legal issues and was usually regarded as a law-abiding man. In reality, those who knew Billy said he was a pleasant individual who hardly ever got into arguments and was constantly willing to assist others who were in need. Readers would also be shocked to learn that Billy Hoffman did not know Ricky Cowles Jr.
Billy knew the victim’s father and Ricky’s family company involved high-voltage cables, but until killing Ricky in cold blood, he had never even met the man. Amy approached Billy and proposed a cash payment in exchange for his killing her boyfriend just a short time after moving into the Lancaster flat with Ricky and her friend Jennifer Kellogg. Later reports said that Amy was desperate to end the relationship because she had allegedly lost love for Ricky.
Amy Preasmyer, 16, was 15 weeks pregnant by August 1997 and felt that Ricky had ruined her life by giving birth to the child. She therefore desired his departure before making a fresh start. Amy and Jennifer Kellogg welcomed Billy into the flat after he agreed to the proposal and they then talked on the best manner to murder Ricky Cowles Jr. Additionally, Jennifer and Amy even took Billy on a tour of the area and showed him some good cover spots for the ambush. So, on August 12, 1997, Billy didn’t waste any time and waited for Ricky to get home before ambushing him.
The store clerk eventually overpowered Ricky and put him to the floor in the master bedroom after the two men grappled for a while. The victim was then brutally beaten by the attacker with a claw iron before being fatally shot in the head. Amy arrived home an hour after the event, found her boyfriend unconscious in the bedroom, and dialled 911. However, by the time emergency personnel arrived on the site, Ricky had already departed away.
A subsequent autopsy revealed that the victim’s life was taken by a bullet to the head. Naturally, the initial investigation into Ricky’s murder was quite difficult because there were no witnesses or leads. Although Amy was initially a person of interest, she gave the police a convincing alibi, and there was no way to connect her to the crime. Additionally, detectives were unable to uncover any evidence of a forced entrance, and nothing appeared to have been taken from the residence, leading officials to rule out burglary as a possible explanation.
The case languished without any new information for a number of days before an anonymous tip let the authorities know that a store worker had been bragging about killing Ricky. Billy Hoffman was identified as the clerk, and after being subjected to a stern grilling, he broke down and admitted to the murder. Billy insisted that Amy was also implicated, though, because she had asked him to kill Ricky.
Where Is Billy Hoffman Now?
Billy was given the opportunity to recount his side of the story in court, and he frequently brought up Amy’s role in the murder. The prosecution, however, paid little attention to the claim, and Billy was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder and given a life sentence plus an additional ten years in jail in 1999.
Billy converted to Catholicism while he was incarcerated and set out to atone for his previous transgressions. As a result, in a letter to Ricky’s family in 2002, he described the crime and mentioned how Amy and Jennifer had assisted in its planning. The letter prompted additional inquiry, and the police quickly established that Billy was speaking the truth. As a result, they quickly detained Amy Preasmyer, Jennifer Kellogg, and a third conspirator, David Ashbury, before accusing all three of being involved in the killing of Ricky.
Billy, on the other hand, asked the California governor at the time for clemency or early parole after serving 18 years in prison. Thus, the governor commuted Billy Hoffman’s sentence to 20 years to life, and after spending a total of 20 years behind bars, he was ultimately given release. He is currently, however, still on probation, which precludes him from travelling outside of California.
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