Ashlee Buzzard delayed court proceedings with missed court dates, but finally, the mom accused of murdering her daughter, Melodee (9), appeared in a Lompoc courtroom this week. Read on to find out more.
Delaying Tactics
On Wednesday this week, it seemed that Ashlee took heed of what the judge said about her last appointed date that she missed. If you don’t know, she missed two hearings, one in February and one in early March. Allegedly, she cited medical reasons as to why she shouldn’t be there.
Of course, fans familiar with the Melodee Buzzard missing person case knew very well that she mainly failed when it came to any sort of cooperation. Backing up our report on it, The Santa Barbara Independent reminded true crime followers that Judge Stephen Dunkle warned he’d issue an “extraction order” to force her attendance if she did that again.
Legal Strategy Goes Technical
The hearing wasn’t long at all, given the severity of the murder charges against Buzzard. Ashlee’s appointed legal defender, Erica Sutherland, very quickly challenged the case by the prosecution.
On a technicality, she claimed that there could be issues of truthfulness in the way the cops obtained a search warrant. Remember, there were some rather bizarre aspects to the searches. Anyway, Sutherland filed a “motion to traverse.” Basically, it questions the validity of the way investigators got a search warrant.
A Serious Challenge
Actually, while it sounds like yet another delaying tactic, and Ashlee Buzzard seems good at squirming out of tight corners, it’s a serious consideration. Most likely, a lot of evidence arrived from the various searches carried out. If you don’t know, if Ashlee Buzzard’s defense is able to prevent it being used, it greatly reduces the chances of a murder conviction.
In California law, if a judge decides that law enforcement was untruthful or reckless when getting the warrant, then any items from Buzzard’s home, storage locker, or the rental car, could be suppressed.
Inadmissible evidence like that could be disastrous for the state prosecution. However, exactly which warrant won’t be made public.
A Short Recap
The true crime case all started when a school administrator became concerned because of missed assignments by Melodee. So, she reported that the child was potentially missing. Crime fans watched a lot of the investigation, and it involved a long and convoluted tracking of Ashley Buzzard’s movements.
Remember, she drove to Nebraska and Utah in a rented car. Along the way, footage from a camera revealed she switched license plates, and also changed her appearance by wearing many wigs. Oh, how she loves those wigs.
Footage also showed young Melodee near the border between Colorado and Utah back in October. That was the last time anyone saw the child alive. Later, Ashley returned to California alone.
The Discovery Of Dead Melodee
Sad Christmas season news arrived when the police revealed that folks on vacation discovered the body of Melodee in Wayne County, Utah.
Official statements noted that the child died from “gunshot wounds to the head.”
At the time, many people already suspected that the child was dead, but their hearts went out to the family of Ashlee’s deceased husband. Mainly, that came because they also heard that Melodee’s relatives had hoped for custody of the kid.
What’s The Next Legal Step?
Judge Dunkle obviously couldn’t make an instant decision on the filing about the warrants. So, he scheduled the next hearing for April 1. In a way, it’s a rather ironic date given Ashlee Buzzard’s very strange behavior in the months leading to her arrest for murder.
For the time being, Ashlee remains behind bars in the Northern Branch Jail. Apparently, she’s got no major objections to that, because if she waives her time through May, it gives her legal team more time on discovery.
Viewers React
When true crime followers saw the coverage by KSBY on YouTube this week, they felt very irritated all over again. That’s because “the soonest a preliminary hearing could happen is June.”
In the comments section, folks went in to have their say. One of them opined, “This woman was always a monster to that poor girl. God bless Melodee’s precious soul. The horror she lived through is over and it seems like Ashlee’s has just begun.”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- I don’t trust the defense. They’re trying to cover something up.
- Let’s [hope] some swift prison justice happens.
- Ugly inside and out.
Well for now, folks who follow this very sad case will have to sit tight to find out what happens next.
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