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Suspect in Iowa real estate agent's cold case murder was spotted by witness at the scene: Court docs

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Arrest made in 2011 cold case murder of Iowa real estate agent
Iowa Attorney General
ByMariama Jalloh and Emily Shapiro
April 09, 2026, 8:48 PM

The woman accused in the 2011 cold case murder of an Iowa real estate agent was allegedly spotted by a witness outside the crime scene just after the fatal gunshots, according to new court documents.

Kristin Ramsey, 53, was arrested last month for first-degree murder in the April 8, 2011, death of Ashley Okland, according to the West Des Moines police.

Okland was working at a model townhouse when she was shot twice at close range: once in the chest and once in the face, according to court documents.

An undated photo of Ashley Okland who was killed in 2011.
Iowa Attorney General

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A woman who was in the neighboring townhome said shortly after 2 p.m. she heard two loud noises a few seconds apart that sounded like "thuds," prosecutors said Wednesday in a filing regarding Ramsey's motion for bond. Authorities believe those "thuds" were gunshots, prosecutors said.

The witness said after hearing the noises she saw Ramsey "outside the front door of the model home," the court documents said. "Shortly after that the witness observed the Defendant from the second floor window of her home pacing by her vehicle on her cell phone."

The witness then said she saw Ramsey back her car up quickly and "in an erratic manner," and then drive away, the documents said.

Kristin Ramsey, 53, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ashley Okland.
West Des Moines Police

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“Concerned that something was wrong, the witness entered the model home and discovered Ms. Okland unresponsive on the ground," according to the court documents. The witness called 911, and "shortly after she left the Defendant returned to the area of the townhome," the documents said.

While police have yet to release a potential motive, court documents said the model home was owned by the same company for which Ramsey was a sales manager.

Ramsey was interviewed multiple times and has allegedly given "conflicting versions of her whereabouts and other events" from that day, according to the court documents. Her statements themselves conflict, and they also conflict with other witness statements, the documents said.

Ramsey has not entered a plea and is due in court on Friday for a bail hearing. Her attorneys did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

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