Attorneys for Kristin Ramsey, charged earlier this year in the murder of a co-worker in West Des Moines nearly 15 years ago, are asking the court to dismiss her case and accusing prosecutors of misconduct.
The April 2011 shooting death of Ashley Okland, a real estate agent whose body was found in a townhome she had been showing to customers, drew years of public scrutiny and hundreds of tips and investigative leads before police arrested Ramsey, 53, on March 17. At the time of the killing, Ramsey worked for the developer of the townhome project.
Ramsey is scheduled to stand trial in January. Her attorneys filed the motion to dismiss the case against her Friday, July 17.
In the 44-page motion, they assert the state manipulated the investigation’s key witness — a neighbor living in a nearby townhome — and presented misleading evidence to the grand jury that indicted Ramsey.
The prosecutors could not immediately be reached for comment.
A hearing on the motion has not yet been scheduled.
In March, Ramsey “adamantly maintain[ed] her innocence” in a motion to reduce her bond from $2 million to $100,000. Her bond was reduced to $500,000, with a cash amount of $50,000, and she was able to return to her Woodward home after a judge found her unlikely to flee or reoffend.
Only eyewitness changed story after she learned she was prime suspect, motion says
The motion says the neighbor, identified as the only eyewitness to Ramsey’s presence at the scene of Okland’s murder, initially gave three statements to investigators — one the day of the April 8, 2011, crime, one the next day, and one three days after the murder. In all three, it said, she told them she heard the gunshots and then, three minutes later, saw Ramsey drive up to the townhome.
In an interview with an investigator five days after the murder, the neighbor changed her story after learning she herself was the prime suspect, indicating she heard shots fired and immediately saw Ramsey outside the townhome, the motion says. She also told investigators she had a “concussion from a fractured skull” and had some memory problems, it says.
Afterward, the neighbor moved to Florida and did not stay in contact with the investigators.
Investigators accused of misconduct in 2026 witness interview
In January 2026, the state sent an investigative team to meet with the former neighbor to “gauge her recollection” of her statements, the motion says, but they did not record the interview.
It says that during the interview, the neighbor, who is not identified in the motion, was “literally handed” evidence and asked to review it, rather than being asked “open-ended, non-leading questions.” A three-page report presented to Ramsey and her attorneys did not indicate what materials the neighbor was given.
According to the motion, the neighbor “said she did not recall anything different” from her last interview in 2011, after she changed her story.
The neighbor was called to testify before the grand jury that indicted Ramsey, telling the jurors she had heard gunshots and that she immediately saw Ramsey outside the townhome. The three statements from around the time of the murder, contradicting that account, were not mentioned, according to the motion.
Ramsey’s attorneys claim the state failed to present exculpatory evidence, including the initial statements from the neighbor.
In addition, the motion asserts that “the State never found the murder weapon in this case, and it told the grand jury — without a shred of supporting evidence — that its inability to find the gun meant that Ms. Ramsey got rid of it.”
By not presenting the prior statements that indicated Ramsey arrived at the scene after shots were fired, as well as claiming she disposed of the weapon despite a search of her vehicle and home that failed to turn up the murder weapon, the state committed misconduct, Ramsey’s attorneys assert.
This article was updated to include new information.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Woman charged in 2011 West Des Moines murder seeks dismissal of case
Reporting by William Morris and Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By William Morris and Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
