LOMPOC, Calif. (Scripps News San Luis Obispo) — The California woman charged with the planned killing of her daughter last fall appeared before a judge and a packed courtroom in Lompoc on Wednesday.
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Ashlee Buzzard appears in court for a hearing on Jan. 7, 2026. (Scripps News San Luis Obispo)
It was Ashlee Buzzard’s second court appearance since her Dec. 23 arrest.
The 40-year-old is being held without bail in the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria on a charge 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 Oct. 9 shooting death of her 9-year-old daughter, Melodee, in Utah.
Buzzard has pleaded not guilty.
In court on Wednesday, it was revealed that Buzzard’s preliminary hearing will not take place before April after she waived her 60-day right to a preliminary hearing.
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The defense is also requesting that a permanent gag order be issued in the case, prohibiting law enforcement from publicly discussing or disclosing details of the investigation.
That, along with a motion regarding details from the warrants the defense would like to obtain, is expected to be heard during a hearing on Jan. 21.
Buzzard was the focus of a multi-state investigation after school administrators in Lompoc notified the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office of Melodee’s prolonged absence back in mid-October.
Authorities said Buzzard was uncooperative, providing no information as to her daughter’s whereabouts.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said it’s believed Buzzard shot Melodee in the head during a multi-state road trip and left her daughter’s body in a remote area of Wayne County, Utah.
Melodee’s remains were discovered in early December.
This story was originally written by Kathrene Herndon, Crystal Bermudez and Katherine Worsham for Scripps News San Luis Obispo, an E.W. Scripps company.
