“It’s just a tragic event, and no one deserves to die, let alone at the hands of their abuser.”

She pulled up the first image. A young woman. A single mom. A server at a popular chili restaurant. A life that ended in the middle of a lunch shift.

“A single mom working as a server, murdered at work. The horrific crime witnessed by Ally Hill’s co-workers and customers. I’ll tell you about Ally Hill, how she’s being remembered, and the man accused of her senseless murder.”

The first hinge landed before the 911 call was even played: “She worked seven days a week. She was the breadwinner for her family. She was caring for her sick father. She was trying to raise money for a van to take him to medical appointments. And on a Tuesday afternoon in June, while she was putting in an order for a customer, a man she had dated for only a few months walked into her restaurant and stabbed her to death. He didn’t take her money. He didn’t take anything. He took her life. And he left two children without a mother.”

Alyssa Hill was loved by many, many people. She had a lot of friends, and she had a daughter and a son. Alyssa went by Ally, so that’s what I’m going to call her here. Ally was hardworking. She worked as a server at a popular chili restaurant in Norwood, Ohio. That’s a small city surrounded by the city of Cincinnati.

Skyline Chili is a Cincinnati institution. There are locations all over. It’s the kind of place where you walk in, sit down, order a cheese coney—a hot dog in a bun covered in chili and topped with cheddar cheese. You can also get a three-way: chili on top of spaghetti. It’s a uniquely Cincinnati thing, and it’s really popular. Service is fast and friendly.

I tell you this not to talk about food, but to paint a picture for you of what was going on when Ally Hill was murdered. Ally was working one of her normal serving shifts on Tuesday, June 2nd. It was the lunch hour, just before noon. She worked seven days a week, so this would be a really busy time at a Skyline Chili.

Ally was putting in an order for a customer when the unthinkable happened. Norwood Police say a man came into the restaurant armed with a knife and stabbed Ally Hill.

The 911 calls began almost immediately.

“We need someone at Skyline in Norwood. A customer just came in and stabbed one of our waitresses in the chest.”

“Okay, ma’am. I’ve got them on the way. Is she breathing right now?”

“I think she’s—I don’t know.”

“Okay. You said she was stabbed in the chest? Anywhere else?”

“Here.”

“Where is the person who stabbed her?”

“He ran out. It was her ex-boyfriend.”

“Okay. Is he still in there?”

“No, he ran out. People ran after him.”

Another caller, frantic, from the drive-thru window.

“Hi, I’m located at the Norwood Skyline. A lady just got stabbed. The man just ran out the door. We don’t know where he’s at.”

“Okay. Do you know what he looked like?”

“No. No, I don’t. There were several people that ran out trying to chase him. And I just hear people screaming inside.”

The second hinge arrived as the 911 calls painted the chaos: “In a busy restaurant, at lunch hour, a woman was stabbed at work. Her co-workers saw it. Customers saw it. People chased the killer out the door. The calls to 911 captured the sound of a community realizing they had just witnessed a murder.

This wasn’t a back alley. This wasn’t a dark street. This was a chili parlor. And the violence didn’t discriminate. It came in through the front door, and it found her while she was doing her job. Working. Trying to survive. Trying to provide.”

Now, I played just a few clips from the 911 calls. There are portions that I’m simply not going to play for you where the dispatcher tells a young woman how to try to help Ally until EMTs arrive. It’s horrific.

That last caller said that people chased the man who stabbed Ally out of the restaurant. Norwood Police found the man they believe stabbed Ally Hill. His name is Rick Wright. He’s thirty-seven years old and lived in Norwood. The prosecutor’s office confirmed that Wright was Ally’s ex-boyfriend.

Court records show that Rick Wright is a convicted felon. He’d served time for robbery, and he’d also been picked up for drug trafficking in the past. In December 2025, he was indicted for assaulting a police officer. But it doesn’t appear that Wright showed up for court.

That same month, Wright was charged with violating his probation because he hadn’t shown up for a check-in and failed to attend court-ordered treatment.

A friend of Ally Hill told LawandCrime.com that Ally had dated Rick Wright for just a short time—maybe three or four months—and there were red flags. Ally had a feeling that Wright might be obsessive. Brooke Crawford said Ally hadn’t talked to Wright in a year as far as she knew and did everything she should have done as a victim of domestic violence. But there weren’t any requests for protective orders or anything like that.

Despite the best efforts of Ally’s co-workers and EMTs, she could not be saved. Ally Hill, a twenty-seven-year-old mother to two young children—a daughter and a son—died. She was murdered. Her life stolen from her, police say, by a man she dated for only a short time.

The third hinge landed as the community gathered outside the restaurant: “She was a sweetheart. She spoke to everybody. She was kind. She was respectful. She treated children with love as if she knew them. People who only knew her as their waitress were crying in the parking lot.

A woman who works at a domestic violence shelter came to pray. She said, ‘The most dangerous thing you can do is leave and ask for help.’ Ally had done everything right. She left. She stayed away. She worked. She provided. And still, he found her. Still, he killed her. The system didn’t fail Ally. The system failed to stop him before he got to her.”

A GoFundMe for Ally’s children says she worked seven days a week and was the breadwinner for her family. She worked hard to provide for her children, and she was caring for her father who was ill. She was actually trying to raise money for a van to take him to medical appointments when she was murdered.

Ally’s mom passed away somewhat recently, and her family is now enduring another tragedy: the murder of Ally, and they’re working to care for her two beautiful children.

The Skyline Chili in Norwood was closed on Wednesday, June 3rd, but will reopen. Outside of the restaurant that’s usually bustling with customers and staff sit pots of flowers and messages of support to Ally’s family and friends. People stopped by to grieve, still stunned over what happened.

“Something told me when I went to go get lunch for my children that I needed to stop eating. I needed to pray for her. And not only her, but her children, and for the justice system to open their eyes and do something this time to hold him accountable, so that the rest of the abusers in the world see that you can’t just walk free from something like this.

I started praying, and tears started falling. I knew her. That’s all I’m doing here today is praying for her. Every time we came in here, she was kind, respectful. She treated my children with love as if she knew them, and she didn’t personally. I know that it’s just a tragic event, and no one deserves to die, let alone at the hands of their abuser.

It’s my heart. Those are babies that no longer have a mom. A mom that was working hard to give them what they needed. It’s not right. It’s not okay. And until this world figures out what has to be done to help them, it’s going to be—”

The woman speaking worked at a domestic violence shelter.

“It’s a very evil cycle. It’s disturbing. There’s women that beg for help. The most dangerous thing you can do is leave and ask for help. It’s just a dangerous situation all the way around. But our goal is to put them in a safe location until they get back on their feet and get them far away from where they’re abused. Sad, sad sight.”

I also spoke with a man who worked next door to the Skyline Chili and was a frequent customer.

“Well, I didn’t know who it was at first. I just saw on Facebook that there was an incident at the Skyline Chili. I said, ‘Oh, wow.’ But then I heard that somebody was stabbed, and then I found out that somebody had died. But I didn’t know who it was until they mentioned her.

And when I saw that, it kind of messed me up because she was a sweetheart. She spoke to everybody. She came in—just a real nice person. They would get my order ready before I came into the building. That’s how much I ate there. They knew exactly what I was going to get.”

Rick Wright was booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center on charges of aggravated murder, murder, and felonious assault in Ally’s death. He’s now been indicted on those same charges. He’s being held without bond.

The fourth hinge arrived as the legal analysis began: “He has a criminal record. Robbery. Drug trafficking. Assault on a police officer. Probation violations. Failure to appear. He was a convicted felon who was already supposed to be under supervision. And yet, he was free.

He was free to walk into a restaurant during lunch hour and stab his ex-girlfriend while she was putting in an order. He didn’t care about witnesses. He didn’t care about cameras. He didn’t care about his own future. He only cared about making sure she couldn’t live without him. And now she’s dead. And he’s finally behind bars. But it took her murder to get him there.”

Let’s dig a little more deeply into this case with Mark Weaver. He works as a prosecutor in the state of Ohio and also sits as a judge at times. Mark, I just thought of you when I thought of this case because you’ve prosecuted so many cases over the years. And we have Rick Wright accused of walking up to his ex-girlfriend in her place of work and stabbing her. What does that say to you as a prosecutor?

“First of all, as a person, it’s just a horrible crime. From what I’ve read, this woman was doing everything right. She was raising children, and she was trying to pay her bills by making a living. And now apparently this man comes and kills her. So it’s horrific.

But when it’s done in a place like this, as a prosecutor, the first thing I think about is witnesses, right? So many of the crimes I’ve worked on over the years have been just the victim and the suspect and maybe no other witnesses. When you kill somebody in a busy restaurant like a Skyline, there are going to be witnesses, and that’s going to make the case a lot easier to prove. Much easier to prove.”

“And you know, the talk on social media is that Ally was putting in an order. She’s just doing her job, working her shift, putting in an order, and Rick Wright walked up and stabbed her in the back. I’m sure it was busy. The Skyline in Norwood, Ohio is a pretty busy place. It’s along a well-traveled road.

Skylines are quick-turn restaurants. You go in, sit down, get your cheese coney or your three-way, and then you’re out. So this had to be just absolutely—I can’t imagine what Ally’s family and her children are going through, and her father. But to these workers and the people who run the Skyline and the customers—a horrific event.”

“Yeah. Every time we talk to witnesses of cases like this, there’s a certain amount of PTSD because they’ve witnessed probably the most horrible thing they’re ever going to see in their life. So the prayers and the condolences of course go to her father and her family.

But every one of those people who saw this happen will remember this for most of, if not all of, their life. And then we as prosecutors are going to call on them to come forward and describe that and then be questioned by a defense lawyer. It can be an intimidating thing.

So for some of these witnesses, they went there to get a coney dog, and now they’re going to have this memory, and they’re probably going to have to be called as witnesses, assuming this case goes to trial, which I think it might not because the evidence is so strong that I imagine whichever defense lawyer takes the case will be racing to the prosecutor’s office to make some sort of plea bargain.”

“In the state of Ohio, they have a murder charge that carries a sentence of fifteen years to life, but they also have an aggravated murder charge, and that is a charge that applies when a crime is premeditated. But there are also some other things that play into that charge, some other requirements. Do you see the prosecutor at grand jury bumping this up to an aggravated murder charge when presenting the case?”

“Yeah, from the face of it, it doesn’t look like they will do that. If they did, it would be a great bargaining chip because when you—I’ve done this at least once or twice before—you indict as aggravated murder and then you’re willing to reduce it to murder, and you still get a murder conviction.

So a lot of it will be fact-dependent. I don’t know how old this man is, but he’s likely to go to prison for, I would suspect, twenty to thirty years. A lot of it depends on the judge. A lot of it depends on the prosecutor’s agreement. But he needs to serve serious time.

It’s not going to be a death penalty eligible case. For those of your viewers who are thinking that there might be the death penalty, Ohio does have the death penalty. I’ve worked on death penalty cases. This would not qualify for the death penalty in Ohio.”

“This is a guy though who has quite the background. He had a probation violation. The court records show for a misdemeanor assault, and apparently it was an assault on a police officer. He violated that probation, it looks like, back in December from what the records are saying. But he was never picked up.

That is a little bit surprising, and maybe it’s because it was a misdemeanor. Cops have to pick and choose when you have limited resources which cases get priority.

He also has past convictions for other crimes. It just seems though, wow, if he had been picked up on that probation violation in December, maybe depending on the judge, just maybe he would still be locked up.”

The fifth hinge arrived as Weaver explained the warrant system: “Most people think that when an arrest warrant is issued, the police leap into action and comb the streets looking for somebody. That might be true for serious felony cases. On misdemeanor warrants, that’s rarely true.

There are just too many of them and too few police officers. This is why traffic enforcement is more than just about traffic safety. It’s also about finding people who should be behind bars. But for Rick Wright, traffic enforcement came too late.

He was stopped after he killed her, not before. And a woman who worked seven days a week to support her children is dead because a warrant for a misdemeanor wasn’t a priority.”

“That’s right. Most people think that when an arrest warrant is issued that somehow the police leap into action and go comb the streets looking for somebody. That might be true for serious felony cases, and often is. On misdemeanor warrants, that’s rarely true.

There are just too many of them and too few police officers to go work them, particularly in a larger suburb like Norwood. What typically happens is a warrant is issued. It goes into the national system. When a police officer stops you for a traffic offense, they go back and run your name.

They’re looking for warrants. So this is why traffic enforcement is more than just about traffic safety. It’s also about finding people who should be arrested, who have active warrants like this person.”

“It’s just a horrific case. I was shocked when I read it. The fact that somebody is going into a restaurant with a weapon and targeting a person, and it’s a domestic violence situation—that just shows you this person does not care.

Does not care about themselves, does not care about the victim, and is willing to do anything. They have nothing to lose.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m not popular with my defense lawyer friends when I make the following point. There are just a small percentage of people in the world who have agreed or somehow are willing to cause serious violence or death to others.

We need to keep them behind bars for most of their life. That’s to protect the rest of us. This is why I’m in favor of aggressive prosecution for violent crimes and long prison sentences. When we do that, we’re keeping the people who’ve shown themselves to be the most dangerous away from the most vulnerable.”

The sixth hinge arrived as Weaver predicted the outcome: “He’s not going to make bond. He’s going to stay behind bars. And if there were the number of witnesses we can infer there were, his defense lawyer is going to be eager to cut a deal.

Because if this goes to trial, the jury will be very moved against this defendant. They will do a very quick guilty plea. And depending on the judge, I would expect a sentence at the higher end of the possible punishment. Rick Wright walked into a restaurant and stabbed a woman in front of dozens of people.

He didn’t hide. He didn’t wear a mask. He didn’t care. And now he’s going to pay for that arrogance with decades of his life. But Ally already paid with hers.”

Yeah, it’s really horrific. Really an awful case. So you predict, and I think you’re right, you predict eventually a guilty plea in this case. This guy’s being held without bail right now. There’s going to be another hearing on Friday, and maybe they will set a bond at that time.

But I mean, he already had a probation violation, wasn’t showing up despite that probation violation for court or what have you. So it’s going to be a high bond. Whatever they set the bond at, it’s going to be a high bond.

“Yeah. In Ohio, the voters a few years ago amended the state constitution so that judges must take into account public safety when they set the level of a bond. So I agree with you. It’s going to be a very high bond. He’s not going to make bond. He’s going to stay behind bars.

And if there were the number of witnesses that we can infer there were, as I mentioned earlier, his defense lawyer is going to be eager to cut a deal because if this goes to trial, the jury will be very moved against this defendant.

They will do a very quick guilty plea, and depending on the judge, I would expect a sentence at the higher end of the possible punishment.”

Yeah, just awful. Mark Weaver, thank you so much for making time. We appreciate it.

“Thank you, Annette.”

The seventh and final hinge arrived as the community responded: “Skyline Chili donated twenty percent of their sales for a week. They put in twenty-five thousand dollars. Coca-Cola matched it. The GoFundMe will help her children. Her father will get his van. But none of that brings Ally back.

None of that fills the hole where her smile used to be. None of that explains to her daughter why Mommy isn’t coming home from work. The restaurant will reopen.

The customers will return. The cheese coneys will still be served. But for two children in Cincinnati, nothing will ever be the same. And for a man named Rick Wright, the only thing left to decide is how many years he spends in a cage. The verdict is already written. The only question is the number.”

There’s of course the GoFundMe that’s been set up to help Ally’s children, but also Skyline Chili has set up a fund to help Ally’s children and her family.

The restaurant put a statement out on Facebook. It says, “Skyline Chili is devastated by the loss of its longtime server, Ally Hill.

The Norwood Skyline, owned by the Misleh family, will donate twenty percent of the restaurant sales for the week of June 8th through the 15th to an established fund that will directly benefit Ally’s two children.

Skyline Chili has contributed $25,000 to the fund. Our partners at Coca-Cola Consolidated have also contributed $25,000 to this fund. Thank you all for your prayers and support.”

Rick Wright is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear back in court on Friday, June 5th.

That’s it for this episode of Crime Fix. I’m Annette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I’ll see you back here next time.