On Tuesday, Ashlee Buzzard, a woman accused of murdering her daughter in California, was present in court as her lawyer sought the imposition of a permanent gag order on the case.
Buzzard, charged with the murder of her 9-year-old daughter Melodee, attended a brief session at the Santa Barbara Superior Court, as reported by the Lompoc Record. Judge Stephen Dunkle decided to uphold a temporary gag order that restricts the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs from discussing the case publicly. More details can be found here.
Erica Sutherland, Buzzard’s public defender, announced plans to file a Hobbs motion, which concerns sealed warrants, and requested an additional two weeks to prepare the motion.
Deputy District Attorney Jordan Lockey chose not to oppose the request for a continuance.
During the hearing, Buzzard, seated next to her attorney Sutherland, showed “no visible emotion,” according to KSBY News. She spoke only to affirmatively respond “yes” to Judge Dunkle’s questions and avoided eye contact with the crowded courtroom.
Last month, Buzzard entered a plea of not guilty in connection with her daughter’s death, as previously covered by CrimeOnline.
A man and woman who had been taking pictures found Melodee’s remains in Wayne County, Utah, near East State Route 24, on December 6. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office then notified the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said it appeared as if Melodee had been deceased for months, and had likely been killed on October 9.
Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown said during a December press conference that the body had been found with “gunshot wounds to the head.”
UPDATE: Missing Melodee Buzzard’s Body Found in Utah, Death Details Revealed
Police arrested Buzzard at her Vandenberg Village home on December 23, after prying open the front door at her home.
Investigators found an expended cartridge case inside Buzzard’s home during an October 30 search. They also found “a live round of similar ammunition” inside a vehicle she had rented.
She’s faces charges that include:
- First-degree murder
- Discharge of a firearm causing death
- Special circumstance of murder by lying in wait
Judge Dunkle said the defense’s request for a permanent gag order would be revisited during a future court hearing.
“I don’t know what’s going through her mind that she did what she did,” Melodee’s paternal grandmother, Lily Dennes, who attending the hearing, told reporters. “But she could have gave us the baby.”
Buzzard, who remains behind bars without bail at Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria, is scheduled for her next court hearing on January 21.
A preliminary hearing will not take place until after April.
Check back for updates.
Read additional coverage on Melodee Buzzard
[Feature Photo via Santa Barbara County police]
