Competency Evaluations Pause Case Against Ashlee Buzzard
The murder case against Ashlee Buzzard, accused of killing her 9-year-old daughter in Utah, is scheduled to return to Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria. Proceedings are paused as mental competency evaluations for Buzzard continue, which will determine…
Santa Barbara Santa Maria San Luis Obispo, CA, October 26, 2026 —
Proceedings in the murder case against Ashlee Buzzard are paused while mental competency evaluations continue. Buzzard is accused of killing her 9-year-old daughter.
The evaluations are intended to determine whether Buzzard is fit to stand trial or requires treatment. The case is scheduled to return to Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, according to the information provided. No date for the return to court was specified.
The summary identifies the alleged killing as having taken place in Utah while naming a court in Santa Maria, California. It does not provide further details explaining that geographic context. The location of the alleged killing and the court named in the summary are therefore reported as stated, without additional explanation.
The available information does not identify when the evaluations began, who is conducting them, or when their findings are expected. It also does not describe any prior court proceedings, charges beyond the murder case, or a ruling on Buzzard’s competency. The evaluations remain ongoing, and the case’s next steps depend on the determination of whether she is fit to stand trial or requires treatment.
Buzzard is described as accused, and the information provided does not state that she has been convicted. No statements from Buzzard, her representatives, prosecutors, or the court were included. Further details about the case and the timing of the next hearing were not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Janene Scully, Noozhawk North County Editor on www.noozhawk.com, see more information here.
