An Iowa woman pleads not guilty in the 2011 killing of real estate agent
[April 11, 2026]
By HANNAH FINGERHUT
ADEL, Iowa (AP) — A woman charged in the killing of a young real estate
agent in Iowa pleaded not guilty Friday, almost 15 years to the day that
the death rattled the industry and led to heightened safety practices
for agents nationwide.
Iowa Realty agent Ashley Okland, 27, was found dead at a model townhome
in West Des Moines, where she was hosting an open house April 8, 2011.
Her family and friends filled the courtroom for a Friday hearing for
Kristin Ramsey, 53, who was arrested last month after an indictment
charged her with first-degree murder.
“That Friday afternoon when Ashley was taken from us seems so long ago,”
Brittany Bruce, Okland’s sister told reporters in March. “We had lost
our hope in finding answers and having any justice for Ashley.”
Prosecutors have said little about Ramsey following her March 17
indictment by a grand jury and arrest, withholding information on what
they consider to be a potential motive or whether there is new evidence
in the case.
Court documents filed this week ahead of the arraignment and bond review
hearing Friday give limited insight into the grand jury proceedings.
Prosecutors said a neighbor who called 911 reportedly saw Ramsey, who
worked with Okland, outside the front door of the model home and pacing
by her car while talking on her cellphone before she drove off. State
Assistant Attorney General Scott Brown said during the hearing Friday
that Ramsey returned 15 minutes later.
Ramsey’s attorneys said there are gaps in the case prosecutors presented
to the grand jury, including by misrepresenting what the witness
reported in the 911 call, and attorney Alfredo Parrish said the grand
jury even pushed back.
“You don’t wait 15 years and then say: ‘OK, let’s make a go of it,’"
Parrish said.
Grand jury proceedings, a rare occurrence for criminal cases in Iowa,
are generally kept confidential. The prosecution released the details in
resisting a motion from Ramsey’s attorneys to lower her bail amount,
currently set at $2 million.
Okland's killing impacted the real estate community
Okland’s death rippled throughout Des Moines’ small, tight-knit real
estate community, said her coworker Scott Steelman, president of the Des
Moines Area Association of Realtors and an agent at Iowa Realty. He
described the killing as “so out of character for our business, our
industry, our profession.”
After Okland’s death, the realtors' association pushed to create safety
standards and guidance.
“Nationwide, it’s caused the real estate community to take greater
caution when interacting with the public," Steelman said. “We will not
show any property to someone who we don’t know, aren’t familiar or at
least have not vetted."
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Kristin Ramsey, charged in the killing of a young real estate agent,
enters a hearing at the Dallas County courthouse, Friday, April 10,
2026 in Adel, Iowa. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register via
AP, Pool)
That safety pledge crafted in Iowa is promoted by the National
Association of Realtors and is being used by hundreds of state and local
associations across the U.S.
Since Ramsey also is a member of the real estate community, Steelman
said her arrest also has spurred confusion and more questions than
answers.
At the time, Ramsey had worked for Rottlund Homes of Iowa, which used
independent real estate agents for sales. Rottlund Homes owned the model
home where Okland was killed.
New court filings give limited insight into case
Ramsey appeared in court Friday wearing a pantsuit, with one arm and
both feet shackled. She wiped tears from her eyes at times as witnesses
described her character as part of the defense’s effort to reduce her
bail amount. Her husband and son, parents and grandfather sat in the
first row behind her.
Ramsey was initially appointed a public defender but is now represented
by prominent defense attorneys, who said she has strong family ties and
has lived in small, rural town of Woodward, Iowa, about 25 miles (40
kilometers) northwest of Des Moines, since she was a child.
Prosecutors said a witness was next door in a townhome that shared a
wall with the model home when they heard two loud noises “described as
thuds that were 3-4 seconds apart,” according to the filing. Prosecutors
said the witness looked out after hearing the sounds and saw Ramsey by
the front door. The witness then saw her pacing by her car on her
cellphone before driving off, returning later.
“Concerned that something was wrong, the witness entered the model home
and discovered Ms. Okland unresponsive on the ground,” the filing reads.
The witness called 911, prosecutors said.
In their response, Ramsey’s attorneys said prosecutors are offering
“cherry-picked” evidence, arguing that they did not present the grand
jury with a weapon, ballistics evidence or DNA evidence.
“So while the State is right the grand jury’s job was to consider the
evidence presented to it, it fails to disclose that the State chose not
to present all the evidence it has collected in the last 15 years,”
Ramsey’s attorneys wrote. “The grand jurors here were shown only a few
pieces of the puzzle over two days—not the whole picture.”
Trial is set to begin next January.
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