The mother charged with murdering 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard returned to court this week, as the child's grandmother said she believes the killing was planned, weeks after Melodee's body was found in a remote area of Utah with gunshot wounds to the head.
Ashlee Buzzard appeared in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Lompoc on Jan. 7 to set a date for her preliminary hearing in the murder case involving her daughter, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.
Buzzard is charged with first-degree murder in Melodee's death. The girl was reported missing in October after leaving California on a road trip with her mother. Her body was recovered in Wayne County, Utah, on Dec. 6, nearly two months later. Authorities have said Melodee died from gunshot wounds to the head.
Prosecutors have also filed two sentencing enhancements against Buzzard, alleging use of a firearm during a felony and murder while lying in wait, the Independent reported.
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Buzzard was arrested on Dec. 23 and arraigned three days later. At that time, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office announced it would seek a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, rather than the death penalty. Buzzard has pleaded not guilty, is being held without bail, and is tentatively scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 21 in Lompoc.
Outside the courthouse, Melodee's paternal grandmother, Lilly Denes, spoke publicly about the case and reflected on her early impressions of Buzzard, according to the Independent.
"When I met her nine or 10 years ago, she was not like this. I don't know what happened," Denes said.
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Denes recalled the first time her son, Rubiell Meza, brought Buzzard to the family home.
"When my son brought her to the house, she was really quiet and just looking at me from head to toe," Denes said. "I told my son, 'Mijo, is this lady, is this girl OK? … She's just staring.'"
Denes said Meza, who later died in a motorcycle accident while Melodee was still an infant, dismissed her concerns at the time, telling her his girlfriend was simply shy.
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She told the Independent that while she did not see much of Buzzard afterward, the family embraced Melodee, including hosting a large baby shower.
"All my family came," Denes said. "That can tell you how much we loved her. We loved our baby, very much."
Denes also questioned any potential insanity defense, saying she believes the crime was planned.
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"I don't think that's right because she planned everything," Denes said, referencing allegations that Buzzard switched license plates on a rental car during a road trip with Melodee.
Investigators have said Melodee was considered "at-risk" after she failed to appear at school and her whereabouts could not be verified.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown previously said Melodee's remains were discovered by two people taking photographs in a remote area of rural Utah. Forensic evidence later tied the killing to Buzzard, including ballistic evidence matched by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and DNA analysis by the FBI crime lab, which confirmed the victim's identity.
Authorities believe Buzzard acted alone and have said there are no additional suspects. The murder weapon has not been recovered, and a motive has not been publicly disclosed.
"This is an extremely tragic case," Brown said, describing the killing as an instance of maternal filicide, which he called rare and difficult to comprehend. He described the alleged crime as involving "calculated, cold-blooded and criminally sophisticated premeditation."
"The loss of a child is among the most profound tragedies any community can endure," Brown said. "That loss is exacerbated when it is at the hand of someone else and particularly at the hand of the one who should have loved them the most."
Fox News Digital reached out to Buzzard's lawyer for comment.
