A 27-year-old single mother who worked seven days a week was allegedly stabbed at work by her ex, and she was the one holding her family together

Alyssa Hill, a 27-year-old mother of two, was fatally stabbed on June 2 while working a shift at a Skyline Chili restaurant in Cincinnati. Her ex-boyfriend, 37-year-old Rick Wright, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the attack. Hill was pronounced dead at a hospital after being transported there following the incident.

Six people called 911 after witnessing the attack. One caller told a dispatcher, “A customer just came in and stabbed one of our waitresses in the back.” As reported by True Crime News, Hill worked seven days a week as the primary breadwinner for her family and was also acting as a caretaker for her father, actively saving to buy a vehicle to drive him to medical appointments.

Her friend Kayla Elliot described the loss, saying, “Her children and family meant everything to her, and the love she had for them was obvious in everything she did.” A GoFundMe page has been established to support Hill’s children. She leaves behind two kids who were dependent on her.

Suspect had an active warrant at the time of the attack

Rick Wright appeared in court on June 3 and was ordered held without bond pending a detention hearing on June 5. Court documents reveal there was an active warrant for his arrest at the time of the attack, stemming from a probation violation tied to a February 2025 assault charge. Sarah McMahon of the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office stated that Wright has prior convictions for assault, menacing, robbery, drug trafficking, and carrying a concealed weapon.

The case reflects a broader pattern of intimate partner violence reaching into the workplace. According to data from The National Domestic Violence Hotline, current or former intimate partners accounted for nearly 33 percent of women killed in U.S. workplaces between 2003 and 2008. Roughly 44 percent of full-time employed adults in the United States have reported experiencing the effects of domestic violence at their place of work, yet more than 70 percent of U.S. workplaces have no formal policy to address workplace violence.

Amid a pattern of such cases, a Michigan man who tracked his ex-girlfriend to her job and shot her dead in front of their daughter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison earlier this year. The broader statistics on intimate partner violence paint an alarming picture. Estimates suggest it affects more than 12 million people annually in the United States, and nearly 3 in 10 women have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by a partner. Women between the ages of 18 and 34 face the highest rates of such violence.

Questions about protective measures have also surfaced in prior cases. A Washington state stabbing that killed four people highlighted gaps in protection order enforcement, after authorities determined the no-contact order tied to the suspect had not been legally served at the time of the attack. Wright’s detention hearing is scheduled for June 5.