In the quiet heart of the Midwest, few would suspect Kristin ‘Krissy’ Ramsey of being involved in anything nefarious. Yet, her recent arrest has left the small town of Woodward, Iowa, in disbelief.
At 53, Ramsey is a devoted mother and lifelong resident of this close-knit community, where she has lived alongside her high school sweetheart, now her husband. This tranquil image was shattered last month when Ramsey was unexpectedly implicated in a chilling cold case.
In a town of just 1,346 people, the news of her being charged with the first-degree murder of realtor Ashley Okland has sent shockwaves. The crime, which occurred at a show home in West Des Moines back in April 2011, had long remained unsolved, leaving many questions unanswered.
Ramsey steadfastly maintains her innocence and recently requested a reduction of her $2 million bail, arguing for a more manageable amount. Her plea will be considered by a judge later this week, as she continues to deny the charge of first-degree murder.
A judge will rule on Ramsey’s request by the middle of this week. She has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
Prosecutors claim Ramsey is a threat to the very community she professes to adore.
They have filed a disturbing new response to her petition to lower bail that sheds some fresh light onto what the authorities say happened on the day of Okland’s death.
Meanwhile, Ramsey’s attorneys have hit back with their own detailed filings, which they say poke holes in the case against their client.
Kristin Ramsey with her son Tanner and husband Toby. Her attorney presented this photo to the court in a petition to have her $2 million bail be lowered to a more affordable amount
Kristin Ramsey and her high school sweetheart Toby on their wedding day. The defense highlighted their happy marriage in its petition for bond reduction
Ashley Okland’s killing has baffled investigators and haunted the Des Moines community for almost 15 years
They highlighted in the court paper how a female witness to the murder, who dialed 911, tried to kill herself two weeks later.
They also noted how one of Okland’s male co-workers shot himself dead two months after the murder, with prosecutors criticized for failing to mention either incident.
The only known link between Ramsey and Okland is through work.
On the day of the murder, Okland was showing a prospective buyer around a show home constructed by Rottlund Homes.
That is the same company where Ramsey was working as a sales manager.
Ramsey was at the scene of the crime that day, according to grand jury records obtained by the Daily Mail.
Minutes before her murder, Okland sent an email to a friend about upcoming social plans.
The 27-year-old lived with her boyfriend Eric and their new puppy Indi. She had everything to live for, friends and family said.
Kristin Ramsey pictured in a recent mugshot. She has vehemently denied murder and no potential motive for Ashley Okland’s killing has been shared
Her lawyer submitted this photo in evidence to show the close relationship she had with her family. Ramsey pictured with her father Chris as they celebrated a recent birthday
Ramsey and her family with her 101-year-old grandfather, a decorated WWII veteran. Her attorney noted in the bond reduction petition that Ramsey regularly visits her grandfather
But shortly after Okland sent her final email, her life was snuffed out.
Wanda Fowler, a woman who lived in a townhouse adjacent to the property Okland was showing, heard two loud thuds coming from it, a court filing says.
The noises, which investigators believe were the shots fired at Okland, came about three to four seconds apart, Fowler said.
Fowler reported seeing Ramsey outside the front door of the townhouse shortly after hearing the thuds, prosecutors said in a response to the defendant’s motion to reconsider bond.
Fowler then saw Ramsey pacing by her vehicle, the court filing said.
Ramsey backed her car up at a ‘high rate of speed in an erratic manner’ and then left the area before later returning, the prosecution alleged in its response.
A response filed by Ramsey’s lawyers say she left the property to try to get help for Okland and denied that she had fled the scene, citing her subsequent return.
It was Fowler who called 911, the filing said, with prosecutors’ notes claiming that ‘no other person was observed in the immediate area that was associated with the model home where Okland was shot.’
Ramsey shared a photo of her son Tanner’s first Christmas in the bond reduction petition in order to illustrate her dedication as a mother
To illustrate her dedication as a mother, the defense also shared a photo of Ramsey hugging her son Tanner after his Woodward-Granger baseball team qualified for the state tournament
Tanner attends the University of Iowa and is frequently visited by his parents. They attend college football games with him and prepare meals for him
The Ramsey family lives in a modest $286,240 two-bedroom, two-bathroom home that they built themselves in the small town of Woodward, Iowa
Investigators recovered two fired .380 caliber cartridge cases from the scene and determined there was no sign of struggle at the townhouse.
They later searched Ramsey’s $286,240 Woodward, Iowa, home on May 3, 2011, and several firearms, illegal substances, drugs and violent posters inside, prosecutors alleged in the court filing.
Officials found the same items at the residence when they executed a search warrant after her arrest of March 17 this year.
Prosecutors, in their filings arguing against a reduction in bail, allege Ramsey ‘does not have a safe and law-abiding home to return to.’
Ramsey has been interviewed over Okland’s death on multiple occasions, with prosecutors claiming she provided conflicting accounts of her whereabouts that day.
Her statements also contradicted those of other witnesses, the filing noted.
While new grand jury documents have offered an insight into how Okland might have been killed, investigators are yet to offer any explanation as to why.
It is unclear what, if any, interaction Ramsey and Okland had prior to the killing – and there is no suggestion of bad blood between the pair.
Okland was shot twice in broad daylight inside this model townhome on April 8, 2011
Okland, with her dog, was shot dead on April 8, 2011 in a model townhouse in West Des Moines
The defense argues there is ‘minimally sufficient evidence’ to indict Ramsey in a murder that took place 15 years ago, the bond reduction motion showed.
Ramsey is a happily married wife, dedicated mother to her college student son Tanner and loving daughter to her elderly parents, her attorneys said.
By her lawyers’ account, she is a much-loved pillar of her close-knit rural community.
Photos shared with the court by Ramsey’s lawyers paint a picture of a contented family woman who appears to live a quiet, deeply fulfilled life.
She is pictured in church with her husband Toby on the couple’s wedding day, with the couple still devoted to one another decades later, according to filings.
Other photos show her attending Tanner’s college football games at the University of Iowa. Tanner said in a filing that Ramsey ‘has been the best mother I could ever ask for.’
Ramsey’s lawyers say her family background and lifelong commitment to the town of Woodward make the risk of releasing her on bail non-existent.
They have also condemned prosecutors for failing to flag the suicide attempt and suicide in the wake of Okland’s murder.
Okland’s colleague Joseph Kruse was found inside his black Oldsmobile Bravada with a gunshot wound to his head on June 8, 2011
Okland with her then-boyfriend Eric Grubb. Okland’s obituary described Grubb as being the ‘love of her life’
Wanda Fowler, the woman who heard the apparent gunshots and dialed 911, tried to kill herself two weeks later, The Des Moines Register reported. It is unclear if the suicide attempt was connected to Okland’s murder, although there has never been any suggestion of wrongdoing on Fowler’s part.
Meanwhile, Okland’s coworker Joseph Kruse killed himself in June 2011, around two months after the murder.
The Des Moines Register reported that he was found dead in his black SUV with a gunshot wound to his head. It is also unclear if the death was in any way related to Okland’s.
Ramsey’s lawyers have blasted prosecutors for failing to highlight that a black SUV was seen in the vicinity of the show home around the time of Okland’s murder.
But The Des Moines Register’s 2011 story about Kruse’s suicide said the car spotted at the murder scene was a different make and model from the Oldsmobile Bravada he was found dead in.
Kruse’s sister said he had been investigated and cleared of any involvement in the Okland murder.
The unanswered questions surrounding the case have left Woodward on edge. Many hope Krissy Ramsey will be allowed to return to the community pending her trial.
Others, though, including the family of Ashley Okland, will recoil at the thought of the woman accused of murdering the promising young realtor being freed to walk the town’s streets.
