Overview
- Buzzard, 40, was ordered held without bail after the arraignment on a first-degree murder charge with special allegations.
- Prosecutors said they will not seek the death penalty and will instead pursue a life-without-parole sentence.
- Judge John McGregor approved a temporary gag order barring the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office from public comment or releasing nonpublic evidence.
- Investigators say the killing was premeditated during an October road trip; Melodee was last seen Oct. 9 near the Colorado–Utah border and her mother returned to California alone the next day.
- FBI DNA testing identified remains found Dec. 6 in rural Utah as Melodee’s, and ballistics matched Utah cartridge cases to a casing from Buzzard’s home; the firearm has not been recovered and a motive has not been determined.