A crazed ex-boyfriend is charged with murder in the death of a woman he briefly dated but apparently was obsessed over.
Rick Wright, 37, pleaded not guilty on Friday to the blatant murder of 27-year-old Alyssa Hill, who was killed as she worked a busy lunch shift at a suburban Cincinnati restaurant earlier this week, WLWT reports.
Hill’s friends told investigators that the pair dated for a short time and had broken up some time ago — and that Hill had moved to get away from him.
Prosecutors said in court on Friday that Wright came into the Skyline Chili restaurant in Norwood shortly before noon on Tuesday. Hill asked another staff to wait on him because she wanted no contact. Wright reportedly ordered a glass of water and sat in a booth for several minutes before putting on a “military style hat” and pulling out a large knife from a sheath he wore on his hip, prosecutors said.
Then, he pushed his way past several people to stab Hill in the chest and again in the back as she tried to flee. People in the restaurant chased him out, and police later found him at a bank across the street.
“I will not say what the inculpatory statements were, but he was very proud of his actions. He was smiling, waving to cameras as he was taken in by Norwood police. He’s a real danger, a real threat,” the prosecutor said.
Kayla Elliott, a close friend of Hill, told WXIX that Hill was a single mother who had worked at Skyline Chili for years to support her family.
“We are devastated that she was taken from this world while she was simply working to provide for her children. The loss has been heartbreaking for everyone who knew and loved her,” Elliott said.
Wright was wanted on a warrant issued on May 28 — and another issued last December — at the time of the murder. After a conviction in 2025 for a misdemeanor assault against a police officer — the latest in a string of crimes — he was sent to jail for 60 days and orderde to attend mental health treatment. He failed to show up, provide his address, or meet with his probation officer.
It’s not clear why police didn’t find and arrest him after those warrants were issued.< In court on Friday, he was given a $1 million bond. Skyline Chili set up a fund to help Hill's family. They said they had donated $25,000 to the fund, while soft drink distributor Coca-Cola Consolidated, contributed an additional $25,000. The restaurant also said it would donate 20 percent of its sales from June 8-15 to the fund. Friends also set up a GoFundMe for Hill’s children.
Featured image: Rick Wright/Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Alyssa Hill/GoFundMe
