A preliminary hearing date has been set in the case against a Vandenberg Village mother charged in connection with her daughter’s murder.
Ashlee 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 her 9-year-old daughter, Melodee Buzzard.
Buzzard, 40, appeared in a Santa Maria courtroom before Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Stephen Dunkle Monday morning, where both sides agreed to a Sept. 16 preliminary hearing date. The hearing, which is an opportunity for both sides to present evidence to the judge, who will then rule whether there’s sufficient cause to uphold the charges against Buzzard, is expected to take all day.
Buzzard is expected back in court on July 13 for a preliminary hearing setting. Her attorney told the judge she's planning to file a motion regarding accommodations this week that she'd also like to be heard next month.
Prosecutors allege Buzzard took a multi-day road trip spanning multiple states with Melodee before shooting and killing her, leaving her daughter'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.
