Ashlee Buzzard pleads not guilty in connection to daughter’s death
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (NBC, KYMA) - In a California courtroom Friday, Ashlee Buzzard pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder of her daughter, Melodee Buzzard.
She was ordered to be held without bail.
In the courtroom, there seemed to be an audible response following the plea given by Buzzard's attorney.
The body of nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard was found in Utah, nearly two months after she went missing in October.
A Santa Barbara County Sheriff said she "died from gunshot wounds to the head." The sheriff also said investigators have uncovered a "significant amount of evidence" that indicates Buzzard killed her daughter.
Melodee's grandmother, Lilly Denes told reporters outside of the courthouse she was outraged.
"Did you hear the court? Everybody went, 'What?' You know, so we just gonna have to go day by day and see what happens," Denes expressed.
"I don't have words for what happened in there. I think, I mean, they're gonna see life in prison. That's fine, but I think for what she did, it should be a lot worse," said Marvin Meza, Melodee's uncle.
