A judge on Tuesday approved a request allowing the Vandenberg Village mother charged with murdering her 9-year-old daughter last fall to use a stress ball during her upcoming preliminary hearing in September.
Ashlee Buzzard, 40, was not transported to court Tuesday because of an illness, according to Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Stephen Dunkle, who has been overseeing the case.
During the hearing, Buzzard’s defense attorney, the prosecutor, and judge discussed conditions surrounding the accommodation request to allow Buzzard to use a stress ball during the hearing. Prosecutors said they took no position on the motion.
Paul Lee with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office appeared remotely, asking the court to approve several security-related conditions tied to the use of the stress ball, requesting:
- A bailiff provide the stress ball to Buzzard at the start of court proceedings and collect it at the end of each hearing day
- The stress ball not be allowed outside the courtroom
- Buzzard’s hands must remain visible either on top of the table or in her lap while using the item
Defense attorney Erica Southerland said she did not object to the stress ball remaining in the possession of courtroom staff before and after hearings or to the restriction preventing it from leaving the courtroom.
However, she objected to a proposal requiring Buzzard’s hands to stay on the table at all times.
Southerland argued the stress ball is “a completely benign object that cannot be used as a weapon” and said it would be reasonable for Buzzard to keep her hands in her lap when she is not taking notes.
Lee told the court deputies monitor hand movements and behavioral indicators during hearings and requested Buzzard’s hands remain visible while using the stress ball.
The judge ultimately decided Buzzard may keep her hands visible either on the table or in her lap, but not underneath the table while using the item.
The case is scheduled to return to court in Santa Maria on Aug. 10 ahead of Buzzard’s preliminary hearing, which is set for Sept. 16.
The preliminary hearing is an opportunity for both sides to present evidence to the judge, who will then determine whether enough evidence exists for a case to move forward to trial.
Buzzard has been held without bail at the Northern Branch Jail since her Dec. 23 arrest. She has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, a special allegation of discharge of a firearm causing death, and a special circumstance of murder by lying in wait in connection with the death of Melodee.
Prosecutors allege Buzzard took a multi-day road trip spanning multiple states with her daughter before shooting and killing her, leaving Melodee’s body in a remote area of Utah.
Authorities say during the trip, Ashlee and Melodee wore wigs, and Ashlee also swapped out the license plate on her rental car at least once before returning home to Lompoc on Oct. 10 without her daughter.
The search for Melodee began on Oct. 14 when school administrators in Lompoc notified authorities of the girl’s prolonged absence.
The sheriff’s office stated Ashlee was uncooperative with the investigation from the start, providing no information as to her daughter’s whereabouts.
During a press conference shortly after Buzzard’s arrest, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said cartridge cases found at the crime scene in Utah were positively linked to an expended cartridge case that was found at Ashlee's Mars Avenue home during one of the searches served there. The sheriff also added that "a live round of similar ammunition" was located inside a car rented by Buzzard.
Melodee’s body was discovered in early December. A positive identification came later that month, leading to her mother’s arrest.
