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This week, a grand jury in Iowa charged a 53-year-old woman with the murder of a realtor, who was fatally shot while showcasing a model townhouse on April 8, 2011.
According to the Des Moines Register, a Rottlund Homes employee, the company that developed the townhouse, heard a disturbance inside and went to check it out. Upon entering, the employee discovered 27-year-old Ashley Okland lying on the floor and immediately contacted emergency services.
Okland succumbed to her injuries after being shot twice, passing away at Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.
During a Wednesday news conference, West Des Moines Police announced that their “unrelenting pursuit of justice” led to the indictment of Kristin Ramsey. At the time of the incident, she worked as an administrative assistant and sales manager for Rottlund Homes. Ramsey now faces first-degree murder charges.
Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes of West Des Moines expressed, “Ashley’s story has haunted many of us, as we have repeatedly gone over the details, seeking that elusive clue that would connect the dots and point us to the person responsible for this crime.”
At the news conference, police declined to reveal additional details of the case. Court documents d not include a probable cause statement, and Ramsey’s attorney declined comment, although KCRG reports that her attorneys have asked to lower her $2 million bond to $100,000, arguing that she is not a flight risk. They agree that she would wear a GPS monitor, adhere to a curfew, and surrender her passport.
With police not commenting on details of the case, media was stymied to find clues about why Ramsey may have killed Okland. The extent of her criminal record was a speeding ticket in 2001, the Register said. She was married in 1995 and had worked at Rottlund for about 14 years at the time of Okland’s murder.
Rottlund shut down and sold off its assets that same year, and another developer bought its Iowa operations. Ramsey became a title officer at a company that holds Iowa Realty, where Okland was an agent at the time of her death. Midland Title & Escrow removed her name from its website on Wednesday.
“Kristin became associated with the company several months after the events of 2011,” the company said in a statement. “Along with everyone in our community, we are understandably stunned.”
Ramsey is scheduled to be arraigned in April, KCRG said.