Mother Charged in Daughter's Murder Appears in Court for Preliminary Hearing Date

A preliminary hearing date has been set for Ashlee Buzzard, the Vandenberg Village mother charged with first-degree murder in 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 on Monday morning, where both sides agreed to a September 16 preliminary hearing date.

The hearing, expected to take a full day, will allow both the prosecution and defense to present evidence to the judge, who will then determine whether there is sufficient cause to uphold the charges against Buzzard.

Buzzard has been held without bail at the Northern Branch Jail since her December arrest. She faces charges of first-degree murder, with a special allegation of discharge of a firearm causing death, and a special circumstance of murder by lying in wait.

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 October 10 without her daughter. The search for Melodee began on October 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, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said cartridge cases found at the crime scene in Utah were positively linked to an expended cartridge case 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, and a positive identification came later that month, leading to her mother's arrest.

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.