IA - Ashley Okland, 27, West Des Moines, 8 April 2011 *arrest March 2026*

[Seattle1]

Woman arrested for 2011 cold case murder of Iowa real estate agent

A woman has been arrested in the 2011 cold case murder of an Iowa real estate agent, authorities said.

abcnews.com

3/18/26

Police and prosecutors did not discuss what led to Ramsey's arrest, but Ramsey at the time worked for Rottlund Homes, the company that built the model home where Okland was killed, Ramsey’s then-boss, Steven Kahn, told ABC News.

Khan said nothing about Ramsey led him to suspect she may have been involved in Okland’s death.

"She was the nicest lady. I’m totally shocked," he said.

Kahn noted that he sat next to Ramsey at Okland’s funeral.

“There’s nothing from a business standpoint that I could see why it would have happened,” Kahn said, adding about Ramsey, “I have no idea about anything in her personal life.”

 

[Seattle1]

IOWA DISTRICT COURT -- DALLAS COUNTY:


Case No. FECR051688

COURT'S RULING ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR BOND REVIEW, 16 pgs. pdf

https://who13.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2026/04/Bond-Reduction-Order.pdf

Page 13:

15 At the hearing, the State alleged that Defendant’s home is not a safe place because it contained drugs and weapons. There is no evidence any weapons were possessed illegally.

The Court is ordering that all weapons be removed from the home. As to the allegation about drugs, the State presented no evidence on the type or location of where any alleged drugs were found in the Defendant’s home which she shared with her husband and son.

The Defendant has not been charged with any drug offenses. There having been no proof of this claim presented to the Court to evaluate, the Court has given it no consideration.

 

[Seattle1]

IOWA DISTRICT COURT -- DALLAS COUNTY:

Case No. FECR051688
4/13/26
Ramsey's FIRST MOTION FOR PRODUCTION OF MANDATORY DISCOVERY, EXCULPATORY AND IMPEACHMENT EVIDENCE, AND DISCRETIONARY DISCOVERY- pgs 1-21 pdf.

https://who13.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2026/04/First-Motion-to-Produce.pdf

 

[Seattle1]

https://who13.com/news/ashley-okland-case-defense-drops-bombshell-claim-that-key-evidence-is-missing-or-destroyed/

4/15/26

This week, Ramsey’s attorney filed a motion seeking evidence from prosecutors. It reads in part, “The State has informed the defense law enforcement has either lost or destroyed evidence, case information, or both since Ms. Okland’s death.”

The defense is requesting a record of any evidence that was lost, how it was lost, and the efforts taken to locate it.

 

[Seattle1]

https://who13.com/news/metro-news/defense-says-state-cherry-picked-evidence-to-grand-jury-in-ashley-okland-murder-case/

4/10/26

DES MOINES, Iowa — Defense attorneys for the woman accused of killing realtor Ashley Okland 15 years ago claim that the state “cherry-picked” the evidence that was provided to the grand jury.

[..]

Kristin Ramsey, 53, was indicted by a Dallas County grand jury with first-degree murder. Police say that Ramsey worked for Rottland Homes at the time, which owned the townhomes that Okland was showing, and the two often worked together.

The state’s motion to resist provided more previously unreleased details about the events surrounding Okland’s death. The filing detailed how a witness, who was in the townhome next door, heard noises, which investigators believe were gunshots, and allegedly saw Ramsey outside pacing in front of her vehicle, and then driving away erratically. The witness grew concerned and went into the model home, where she discovered Okland on the floor, unconscious, and called 911.

In a response filed on Thursday, Ramsey’s defense team said that the state’s motion contained “numerous misrepresentations” and claimed that the state didn’t produce any concrete evidence to the grand jury proving that Ramsey pulled the trigger.

[..]

According to the response filing, the state didn’t provide all the evidence it had collected over the last decade and a half. The filing states that the state lied when it said that no evidence indicated anyone else could have been involved in Okland’s death. Ramsey’s attorneys claim the state didn’t tell the grand jury about the number of leads, estimated at over 1,000, that were investigated.

 

[Seattle1]

But there's also some confusion about the witnesses: we know that a witness heard a couple of pops, determined to be gunshots, and one reported allegedly viewing Ramsey from a second-story window -- pacing outside her vehicle while talking on her phone, before quickly driving away.

The defense further alleges that one witness was partially blind, but it's not really clear how many witnesses they are talking about here, or if the evidence is all coming from the same witness. JMO

We have some clarification from the Defense's April 9, 2026 - Reply to the State's Resistance for Defense Motion for Bond Reduction:

The "ear witness" never heard gunshots, but a "crashing sound." When this witness called 911, she reported a potential fall or medical emergency, not a shooting.

It was after the victim was discovered having been shot, and the witness was being interviewed by a paramedic at the scene, that the witness's description was changed to noise sounding like "shots."

When the "ear witness" heard crashes, they first went to check on their nearly blind and elderly mother, looked out of windows, and changed their clothes numerous times before leaving their condo to investigate.

See more at the link below:

Pages 1-13 pdf.

https://who13.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2026/04/Reply-to-States-Resistance-for-BR.pdf

 

[Seattle1]

IMO, marijuana was likely the drug found in KR's residence during the search warrants of 2011 and 2026 (although she was not charged with any drug use/possession). While Medical MJ was approved in May 2017, recreational use of MJ is still illegal in Iowa.

Medical Cannabis For Law Enforcement and Public Safety

Medical Cannabis information for law enforcement and public safety.

hhs.iowa.gov

 

[Same Old Stella]

Maybe they found Marinol, a marijuana pill dispensed only by a doctor's rx. My daughter was given it for a few months after a car wreck years ago for pain. LE could call it a drug, but it's a prescription drug. No law against that. Sounds like someone is trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. One thing that puzzles me in her supposedly killing AO: why would she hang around outside and make a phone call after committing murder? People peeking out their windows. You do something like that, you get the heck out of there ASAP before you're seen.