ADEL, Iowa (Court TV) — A woman charged with killing a realtor found shot to death at an open house is fighting to have her bond reduced ahead of trial.
Kristin Ramsey cries as her mother testifies during a bond hearing on April 10, 2026. (Court TV)
Kristin Ramsey, 53, was indicted in March on a charge of first-degree murder in the 15-year-old killing of Ashley Okland. Her bond is currently set at $2 million — cash only.
Okland was working at an open house on April 8, 2011, when she was shot and killed. In a filing reviewed by Court TV, prosecutors said a witness told officers they heard two loud noises, believed to be gunshots, from next door. When they looked outside, they saw the defendant on the phone, pacing by her vehicle. “The witness then observed the Defendant back up at a high rate of speed in an erratic manner and leave the area,” prosecutors said.
No other people were seen at the crime scene, and officers said that the doors and windows of the model home where the open house was being held were locked. There was no sign of a struggle at the scene; police recovered two spent .380 caliber cartridge cases.
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Detectives with the Des Moines Police Department said five years ago, on the day marking 10 years since Okland was killed, that they had investigated nearly 900 leads and had contact with approximately 500 people during their investigation. Ramsey was interviewed multiple times over the years; prosecutors said her statements “not only conflict with each other but also conflict with other witness statements.”
Ashley Okland was shot and killed at an open house in 2011. (Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa)
At Friday’s bond review hearing, Ramsey’s attorneys called several witnesses to the stand to testify to her character. Among the witnesses was Ramsey’s neighbor, Eugene Grell, who said he’d never heard any kind of disturbances coming from the defendant’s home through the years. “She’s the last person in that town that I would think would be involved,” Grell said.
Ramsey’s mother, Julie Boyles, also spoke on her daughter’s behalf and told the Court that she would be willing to act as custodian for the defendant and have Ramsey live with her.
Prosecutors pressed each of the defense’s witnesses on their knowledge of Ramsey’s behaviors, specifically whether they knew her to use drugs or have firearms. In their motion opposing a reduction in bond, prosecutors said that search warrants served on Ramsey’s home in 2011 and 2026 revealed firearms, illegal substances and “posters threatening violence.” Ramsey’s defense pushed back, saying Ramsey had nothing to do with the drugs.
The judge said he would take the arguments under consideration and issue a written ruling on whether Ramsey’s bond will be reduced, likely by the middle of next week.
