Mom accused of killing daughter Melodee Buzzard seems in courtroom

[ad_1] California mom pleads not guilty in daughter's murder Ashlee Buzzard pleads not responsible to the first-degree homicide of her 9-year-old daughter, Melody. Authorities element a cross-country journey with makes an attempt to keep away from detection, culminating within the discovery of Melody's physique in Utah.

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The mom charged with murdering 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard returned to courtroom this week, because the baby’s grandmother stated she believes the killing was deliberate, weeks after Melodee’s physique was present in a remote area of Utah with gunshot wounds to the top.

Ashlee Buzzard appeared in Santa Barbara County Superior Court docket in Lompoc on Jan. 7 to set a date for her preliminary listening to within the homicide case involving her daughter, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.

Buzzard is charged with first-degree murder in Melodee’s dying. The woman was reported lacking in October after leaving California on a highway journey together with her mom. Her physique was recovered in Wayne County, Utah, on Dec. 6, almost two months later. Authorities have stated Melodee died from gunshot wounds to the top.

Prosecutors have additionally filed two sentencing enhancements towards Buzzard, alleging use of a firearm throughout a felony and homicide whereas mendacity in wait, the Impartial reported.

MELODEE BUZZARD'S MOTHER ARRESTED ON CHARGE UNRELATED TO HER DAUGHTER'S DISAPPEARANCE

Ashlee Buzzard was escorted by legislation enforcement inside Santa Barbara County Superior Court docket in Lompoc on Jan. 7. (KKFX)

Buzzard was arrested on Dec. 23 and arraigned three days later. At the moment, the Santa Barbara County District Lawyer's Workplace introduced it could search a sentence of life in jail with out the opportunity of parole, moderately than the dying penalty. Buzzard has pleaded not responsible, is being held with out bail, and is tentatively scheduled to return to courtroom for a preliminary listening to on Jan. 21 in Lompoc.

Outdoors the courthouse, Melodee’s paternal grandmother, Lilly Denes, spoke publicly in regards to the case and mirrored on her early impressions of Buzzard, in line with the Impartial.

"Once I met her 9 or 10 years in the past, she was not like this. I don’t know what occurred," Denes stated.

MISSING MELODEE BUZZARD’S MOTHER ALLEGEDLY TOLD MAN SHE LEFT DAUGHTER WITH STRANGERS SHE MET AT ZOO: REPORT

Melodee Buzzard's grandmother speaks to reporters after a courtroom look for Melodee's mom on Wednesday, Jan. 8. (KKFX)

Denes recalled the primary time her son, Rubiell Meza, introduced Buzzard to the household dwelling.

"When my son introduced her to the home, she was actually quiet and simply taking a look at me from head to toe," Denes stated. "I informed my son, ‘Mijo, is that this woman, is that this woman OK? … She’s simply staring.’"

Denes stated Meza, who later died in a motorbike accident whereas Melodee was still an infant , dismissed her issues on the time, telling her his girlfriend was merely shy.

MELODEE BUZZARD DISAPPEARANCE: FBI, DETECTIVES EXECUTE SEARCH WARRANTS AS 'AT-RISK' 9-YEAR-OLD REMAINS MISSING

She informed the Impartial that whereas she didn't see a lot of Buzzard afterward, the household embraced Melodee, together with internet hosting a big child bathe.

"All my household got here," Denes stated. "That may let you know how a lot we beloved her. We beloved our child, very a lot."

Denes additionally questioned any potential madness protection, saying she believes the crime was planned .

MISSING ‘AT-RISK’ GIRL MELODEE BUZZARD’S MOM APPEARS IN COURT AFTER ALLEGED BOX-CUTTER STANDOFF

Ashlee Buzzard, left, the mom of Melodee Buzzard, proper, is seen in a surveillance picture taken at a rental automotive enterprise in Lompoc, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2025. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Workplace)

"I don’t suppose that’s proper as a result of she deliberate every little thing," Denes stated, referencing allegations that Buzzard switched license plates on a rental automotive throughout a highway journey with Melodee.

Investigators have stated Melodee was thought of "at-risk" after she failed to seem at college and her whereabouts couldn't be verified.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Invoice Brown beforehand stated Melodee’s stays had been found by two individuals taking pictures in a distant space of rural Utah. Forensic proof later tied the killing to Buzzard, together with ballistic proof matched by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and DNA evaluation by the FBI crime lab , which confirmed the sufferer’s id.

Authorities imagine Buzzard acted alone and have stated there are not any extra suspects. The homicide weapon has not been recovered, and a motive has not been publicly disclosed.

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"That is an especially tragic case," Brown stated, describing the killing for example of maternal filicide, which he referred to as uncommon and troublesome to grasp. He described the alleged crime as involving "calculated, cold-blooded and criminally refined premeditation."

"The loss of a kid is among the many most profound tragedies any neighborhood can endure," Brown stated. "That loss is exacerbated when it's on the hand of another person and significantly on the hand of the one who ought to have beloved them essentially the most."

Fox Information Digital reached out to Buzzard's lawyer for remark.

Stepheny Value covers crime, together with lacking individuals, homicides and migrant crime. Ship story tricks to stepheny.value@fox.com.

Stepheny Value is a Author at Fox News with a concentrate on West Coast and Midwest information, lacking individuals, nationwide and worldwide crime tales, murder circumstances, and border safety.