Amy Preasmyer is an American woman who drew much attention to herself in 2005 after she was arrested for hiring a hitman to kill her 21-year-old boyfriend, Rick Cowles Jr., in 1997.
Although she was initially left off the hook due to a lack of evidence, she was later arrested in 2005, eight years after the crime was committed. Read on for who Amy Preasmyer is and what she has been up to lately.
Who is Amy Preasmyer?
Amy Lynn Preasmyer is an American woman who drew much attention for conspiracy in the murder of her boyfriend, Ricky Cowles Jr., when she was just 16 years old. Amy and Ricky met at a house party. At the time of their meeting, Amy was in her second year at the local high school, while Ricky had just graduated from college and was working as an electrician in his family’s business.
The duo shared a mutual connection that blossomed into what appeared to be a harmless, young, romantic relationship. They spent a lot of time together afterward, and because Ricky truly loved her, he was ready to shower his affection on her through expensive gifts and trips. However, great trouble loomed over the young couple’s love story, and this led to a tragic ending for the two of them.
What Happened Between Amy Preasmyer and Ricky Cowles Jr.?
Amy’s relationship with Ricky hit its first significant rock in 1997 after Amy discovered that she had gotten pregnant for him. The free-spirited girl was not thrilled over this development since the pregnancy limited her from her wild lifestyle. She believed that Ricky had ultimately ruined her life by getting her pregnant, and this made her grow resentful of him.
Knowing how she felt about the pregnancy, Ricky tried to make things better by showering her with more love. However, their relationship went further down the hole and led to a series of arguments between the couple. With time, Amy’s bitterness towards Ricky and their unborn child kept growing, and she started looking for ways to get back at him.
Amy and Two Other People Connived to ill Ricky Cowles Jr.
She went about the city, actively looking for someone that would help her kill Ricky. She later met a local store clerk, William “Billy” Hoffman, who agreed to do the dirty work for a fee. With her girlfriend Jennifer Kellogg in connivance, the trio proceeded to plan how they would murder the unsuspecting expectant father.
Amy and Jennifer snuck Billy into the apartment she shared with Ricky, and they went through the details of the future murder and even deliberated on ways to dispose of Ricky’s body afterward.
After watching his movement for some time, Billy was able to ambush Ricky in the bedroom of his two-story apartment in the 43400 block of Gadsden Avenue, Lancaster. He hit him severally with a claw hammer and finally shot him in the head with a 32-caliber semi-automatic handgun. About an hour later, Amy got home to meet her boyfriend in a pool of blood. She became hysterical and called the authorities to report the murder. At the time of Ricky Cowles Jr.’s murder in August 1997, Amy was 16 years old and about 15 weeks pregnant.
Who was Arrested for Ricky Cowles Jr.’s Murder?
When the police arrived at the crime scene, they suspected the murder to have been the aftermath of a robbery attack. However, further inspection showed that there had been no forced entry into the apartment and that nothing was missing from the apartment. Thus, they surmised that the robbery had been premeditated with the help of an insider.
While the investigation was ongoing, the police got a tip that Billy had confessed to the murder. They arrested him, and after a brief questioning and interrogation, Billy revealed that he had been hired by Amy to kill the 21-year-old electrician. Amy was later arrested, but with no evidence that directly linked her to the murder, she was released while Billy got a life sentence with no parole in October 1999.
Amy Preasmyer’s Trial
After spending about three years in prison and converting to Christianity, Billy grew remorseful of his crime and sent a letter to Ricky’s family. In the letter, he owned up to his crime and revealed that he had been instigated by Amy to kill the young man. Getting wind of the letter’s content, the prosecutors of Ricky’s murder soon reopened the case, and in 2005, Amy Preasmyer was arrested for lying in wait, conspiracy, and solicitation to murder when she was about 24 years old.
Throughout her trial, Amy Preasmyer pled not guilty to the charges against her. However, two years after her arrest, the prosecutors had garnered enough evidence to prove her guilt. Two years later, she was sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole.
Besides Amy, her girlfriend Jennifer Kellogg and a young man named David Ashbury were equally arrested in connection to the crime. David got a two-year sentence for being an accessory to murder, while Jennifer pled guilty to the charges of solicitation to commit murder and was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment in 2008. However, prison records show that she earned parole and was released sometime later. She is now free, but her probation prohibits her from leaving California.
Is Amy Preasmyer Still in Jail?
Amy is currently in jail and has been serving time for about 17 years now. In 2013, the movie Mean Teen Mom was created as an adaptation of her life story.
Amy Preasmyer’s Release Date
Although her conviction stated that she had gotten a life sentence with no parole, her sentence seems to have been amended, given that her current prison records show that she will have a right to parole in 2029.
Where is Amy Preasmyer Today?
Amy Preasmyer is currently doing time for her crime at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California. In 2022, a letter that was supposedly from her was published on the prison writer’s site. She used the letter as an avenue to speak for the prisoners’ standard of living, asking that the inmates of the prison be treated with more dignity as legal American citizens.
