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Accomplice: Kelsey Berreth was blindfolded, beaten, burned by fiance

By KRDO News

Published February 19, 2019 5:45 PM

Patrick Frazee is accused of blindfolding his fiancee before beating her to death and then burning her body last year — new details were revealed Tuesday during Frazee’s preliminary hearing in the murder of Kelsey Berreth.

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Berreth, 29, was last seen on Nov. 22 in a Woodland Park grocery store, and a search was underway for weeks before Frazee was arrested on suspicion of murder on Dec. 21.

We finally learned what police believe happened to Kelsey Berreth’s body when Colorado Bureau of Investigations Agent Greg Slater recounted his interview with Krystal Lee Kenney, an accomplice who pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in connection with the case. Kenney outlined the lead-up to Berreth’s killing and the aftermath.

CBI Agent Gregg Slater said that on Dec. 6, WPPD officers found blood in the bathroom that looked like it had been cleaned up. Cheryl mentioned to him that a bath mat was also missing.

Slater revealed that blood was detected outside part of the bathtub, on a wall by the toilet, the towel rack, vanity, and bathroom mirror. Investigators used Blue Star, a chemical that reacts to blood. Slater said the blood found matches Kelsey’s DNA profile.

Phone records were the focus of an important line of questioning — Slater said investigators got Frazee’s phone shortly after finding the blood. Slater said that Frazee’s phone was with Berreth’s moving west toward Florissant. He also said Frazee called his mother before calling a phone number in Idaho. Slater said that phone call was important to the case because it was close to where Berreth’s phone was last pinged.

The Idaho phone number that Frazee called belonged to Krystal Kenney, and she was contacted by the FBI in mid-December. She originally told investigators that she went to Colorado in November to meet Frazee to buy a horse. She denied knowing anything about Berreth at first and asked for an attorney when Slater and another investigator entered her home. She was then arrested by Twin Falls Police, and investigators got her DNA for evidence.

Kenney spoke to her attorney and agreed to talk to police on Dec. 20. She was interviewed in Colorado Springs. Kenney admitted to starting a relationship with Frazee earlier in 2018 but didn’t learn of Kaylee and Kelsey until later in the summer. She told police Frazee claimed Kelsey was a “horrible mother” and “physically abusive to Kaylee.” Kenney said Frazee would give specific examples of abuse.

No reports were ever filed to suggest that Kaylee was a victim of child abuse, according to Slater.

Slater revealed that Frazee wanted Kenney to “get rid of Kelsey” and suggested that she poison Kelsey’s caramel macchiato. Kenney told investigators that Frazee asked her to poison the drink because Kenney often carried around medications since she was a nurse. Kenney said she didn’t want to hurt Kelsey and didn’t put anything in the coffee, according to Slater.

While not specifically stated that this is the reason for the charge, it’s likely this is what led to one of Frazee’s solicitation to commit murder charges.

Just before adjourning for lunch, District Attorney Dan May tried once again to convince Judge Sells that Frazee’s mother should testify. He said Frazee’s mother was present at “the burning” and seemed to imply that Berreth’s body was burned.

The hearing resumed a few minutes before 1:30 p.m. with Sheila Frazee going before the judge as a witness, but she’s remaining silent. This comes after District Attorney Dan May said during the break that her testimony would reveal information about the “burning” of evidence. She left the courtroom after Judge Scott Sells said it’s not the time for testimony from her.

Slater returned to the stand and returned to his interview with Krystal Kenney. He discussed Frazee getting upset with Kenney for not poisoning Kelsey Berreth’s drink in September. Slater then said when Kenney arrived in Colorado, she asked Frazee what to do, and Frazee said she was smart and she would figure it out. Frazee later told her he had a tool she could use and instructed her to use a metal rod to hit Berreth in the back of the head. He told Kenney, “It’s not that hard.”

During the break, May had referenced a “steel rod” when trying to persuade the judge to let Sheila Frazee testify.

Slater continued and said that Kenney went to the parking lot of Berreth’s home and removed a pipe from her car, but she got frightened when she heard a dog bark. Kenney told Slater that she loved Frazee and feared for her life.

Slater testified that Kenney dropped the pipe off at Frazee’s home and said she couldn’t do it. She said, “it wasn’t her.”

Slater said another opportunity arose when Frazee suggested using a bat and told Kenney to start swinging when Berreth got home and then put her body in the dumpster. This was in October. Kenney said she got a baseball bat from her home and went to Berreth’s home but then left when she couldn’t do it. Kenney said Frazee was getting angry and told her if she couldn’t do it, he would have to.

Frazee asked her to try again in November, according to Slater, but Kenney was in Reno, Nevada. Slater says Frazee looked into flights from Reno to Colorado. Kenney didn’t fly back at that time.

On Nov. 21, Frazee and Kenney spoke again and Kenney said Frazee asked her what she was doing on Thanksgiving. The next day, Frazee called Kenney and told her to get to Colorado because she had a mess to clean up.

On Nov. 24, Kenney brought a suit used to prevent bodily fluids from getting on your body, a hair net, booties, two trash bags, bleach, and a box of gloves, according to Slater. Kenney told him she brought the suit from a hospital. Kenney then said she saw blood everywhere, on the walls and all over the floors.

According to Kenney’s interview, there was even blood on one-year-old Kaylee’s toys.

After explosive testimony from Agent Slater regarding the plot to kill Kelsey Berreth, he continued to give details about what Krystal Kenney told him. He said Kenney helped Patrick Frazee clean up the entire bloody scene, but she said she intentionally left blood splatters for law enforcement to find.

Kenney told Slater that on Nov. 22, Patrick Frazee put a sweater as a blindfold around Berreth’s eyes and told her to guess the scent of a candle. That’s when he used a bat to beat and kill Berreth.

The black tote mentioned earlier this morning was apparently used to move Berreth’s body, according to Kenney’s testimony to Slater. Kenney says Frazee loaded the tote into his truck, went to Thanksgiving dinner, then later went to Fremont County and put Berreth’s body on a stack of hay in a barn.

According to Kenney, Kaylee was in another room sitting on a chair during the murder.
Krystal Kenney told Slater that Frazee burned Berreth’s body while it was in a tote bag. He used gasoline and wood to start the fire.

Kenney says the tote was stored at Nash Ranch before being moved back to Frazee’s property, where the fire was started. Kenney said Frazee’s mother went outside on the porch to see what was going on.

Kenney told Slater that she took the phones after the burning and that Frazee instructed her to send the text message to Doss Aviation and the message to Frazee’s phone saying “do you even love me anymore?”

Slater said Frazee wanted to make it look like Berreth “went off” and killed herself. Kenney also took Berreth’s gun and gave it to one of her friends, Mark Pierson.

Kenney claims that she kept Berreth’s phone on so that investigators could track it and find her.

Kenney told Slater that Frazee picked up Berreth’s burnt remains and told her that he’d either toss them in a river or the dump.

Frazee’s defense questioned Slater’s knowledge of cell phone pings and had Slater acknowledge that Frazee never directly asked Kenney to kill Berreth. Slater said that was correct. The language used by Frazee, according to Kenney, was to “get rid of her.”

The defense is also questioning the credibility of Kenney’s interview and raised the question of why she never called police.

At about 4:30 p.m., Judge Sells said there’s enough proof to move to trial on all counts. Frazee will be jailed without bond, and his arraignment is tentatively set for 8:30 a.m. April 8. That’s when a trial will be scheduled.

LIVE Updates
(Information provided from the courtroom by Alexis Dominguez, Stephanie Sierra, and Bart Bedsole)

Slater said Frazee wanted to make it look like Berreth “went off” and killed herself. Kenney also took Berreth’s gun and gave it to one of her friends, Mark Pierson.

Kenney claims that she kept Berreth’s phone on so that investigators could track it and find her.

Kenney told Slater that Frazee picked up Berreth’s burnt remains and told her that he’d either toss them in a river or the dump. That could explain the police activity at waste management facilities in the area.

2:20 p.m. Krystal Kenney told Slater that Frazee burned Berreth’s body while it was in a tote bag. He used gasoline and wood to start the fire.

Kenney says the tote was stored at Nash Ranch before being moved back to Frazee’s Property, where the fire was started. Kenney said Frazee’s mother went outside on the porch to see what was going on.

2:05 p.m. After explosive testimony from Agent Slater regarding the plot to kill Kelsey Berreth, he continued to give details about what Krystal Kenney told him. He said Kenney helped Patrick Frazee clean up the entire bloody scene, but she said she intentionally left blood splatters for law enforcement to find.

According to Kenney, Kaylee was in another room sitting on a chair during the murder.

1:50 p.m.: The hearing resumed a few minutes before 1:30 p.m. with Sheila Frazee going before the judge as a witness, but she’s remaining silent. This comes after District Attorney Dan May said during the break that her testimony would reveal information about the “burning” of evidence. She left the courtroom after Judge Sells said it’s not the time for testimony from her.

During the break, May had referenced a “steel rod” when trying to persuade the judge to let Sheila Frazee testify.

Slater testified that Kenney dropped the pipe off at Frazee’s home and said she couldn’t do it. She said, “it wasn’t her.”

Frazee asked her to try again in November, according to Slater, but Kenney was in Reno, Nevada. Slater says Frazee looked into flights from Reno to Colorado. Kenney didn’t fly back at that time.

According to Kenney’s interview, there was even blood on one-year-old Kaylee’s toys.

Noon: Slater revealed that Frazee wanted Kenney to “get rid of Kelsey” and suggested that she poison Kelsey’s caramel macchiato. Kenney told investigators that Frazee asked her to poison the drink because Kenney often carried around medications since she was a nurse. Kenney said she didn’t want to hurt Kelsey and didn’t put anything in the coffee, according to Slater.

While not specifically stated that this is the reason for the charge, it’s likely this is what led to one of Frazee’s solicitation to commit murder charges.

Just before adjourning, District Attorney Dan May tried once again to convince Judge Sells that Frazee’s mother should testify. He said Frazee’s mother was present at “the burning” and seemed to imply that Berreth’s body was burned.

The court recessed for lunch and the hearing will resume at 1:30 p.m.

11:45 a.m.: The Idaho phone number that Frazee called belonged to Krystal Kenney, and she was contacted by the FBI in mid-December. She originally told investigators that she went to Colorado in November to meet Frazee to buy a horse. She denied knowing anything about Berreth at first and asked for an attorney when Slater and another investigator entered her home. She was then arrested by Twin Falls Police, and investigators got her DNA for evidence.

No reports were ever filed to suggest that Kaylee was a victim of child abuse, according to Slater.

11:40 a.m. Phone records were the focus of the next line of questioning after Slater said investigators got Frazee’s phone shortly after finding the blood. Slater said that Frazee’s phone was with Berreth’s moving west toward Florissant. He also said Frazee called his mother before calling a phone number in Idaho. Slater said that phone call was important to the case because it was close to where Berreth’s phone was last pinged.

11:25 a.m.: Slater revealed that blood was detected outside part of the bathtub, on a wall by the toilet, the towel rack, vanity, and bathroom mirror. Investigators used Blue Star, a chemical that reacts to blood. Slater said the blood found matches Kelsey’s DNA profile.

11:20 a.m. Slater then said that on Dec. 6, WPPD officers found blood in the bathroom that looked like it had been cleaned up. Cheryl mentioned to him that a bath mat was also missing.

11:15 a.m.: Patrick told Doss Aviation’s HR representative that Kelsey was “trying to figure things out” and had a severe drug and alcohol problem. Slater confirmed that Kelsey was at a rehab that specializes in treating depression, fatigue, and anxiety disorders. She was there in August 2018, but not in November or December.

11:10 a.m.: Cheryl told Slater that it was unlikely Kelsey would leave for a trip without makeup, luggage, or hair care products. She said Kelsey was self-conscious about her appearance and wouldn’t leave without makeup. Slater then said Berreth didn’t spend a lot of time with coworkers, but she did go to dinner with someone before Thanksgiving. Frazee was listed as Berreth’s emergency contact for Doss Aviation.

11:05 a.m.: Cheryl said she accidentally called Kelsey on Nov. 24 and got a text message back saying Kelsey would call back later. Doss Aviation got a message from Kelsey saying she was going to go visit her grandmother, but Cheryl wasn’t aware of any planned trips, according to Slater.

11 a.m.: Cheryl also said that Kelsey told her it was “nice to have her gun back” and that “she felt safe now,” according to Slater. He learned from Cheryl that Frazee took Kelsey’s gun after they had an argument over finances on Jan. 1, 2017. During that argument, Berreth allegedly said “Maybe I’d be better off dead” and pointed the gun at herself. Slater says Berreth got the gun back on Nov. 22, 2018.

10:55 a.m.: Slater said he spoke with Berreth’s parents at the Woodland Park Police Department. Kelsey told her mother, Cheryl, that she and Kaylee arrived home late at around 4 a.m. because they went to check on Frazee’s cattle. Kelsey had said that Frazee was suffering from a stomach ulcer on Nov. 21. Cheryl told Slater that Kelsey didn’t mention relationship problems but did mention going to dinner with Frazee and Kaylee.

10:50 a.m.: Slater said the cadaver dogs that were brought to Berreth’s home are trained to smell flesh and not blood. He said there was no sign that the vehicles in front of her home had been moved.

10:45 a.m.: The hearing resumed after a recess and Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Greg Slater took the stand. Slater said CBI was brought in about two days after Woodland Park Police knew about Berreth’s disappearance.

10:25 a.m.: Adams says a cadaver dog got a hit on the ground next to a green Toyota in a parking spot near Kelsey’s front door on Dec. 4. Police have received tips of sightings of Berreth, but nothing proving that she’s been seen. A short recess was then ordered.

10:20 a.m.: Adams then discussed the security system owned by Kelsey’s neighbor. It’s a motion-activated camera that sends still photos, and it showed several people at her house, but not Frazee.

10:15 a.m.: Adams says Frazee tried to change passwords on Berreth’s computer. He then said officers with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation went back to the home and searched on Dec. 4. He got word that there may be blood inside Berreth’s home on Dec. 6, and he acknowledged that investigators missed that during the first search. The defense asked Adams if there were any photos of Frazee leaving with the aforementioned black tote, and Adams said there are none.

10:10 a.m.: Prosecutors asked Adams about a “black tote” that Frazee had in his possession shown on one surveillance video.

10 a.m.: The prosecution passed the witness and the defense began questioning Adams about the case. Frazee’s attorney challenged Adams’ knowledge of cell phone pings before asking him if there were any signs of blood stains or a struggle. He said there wasn’t when they first got in the house.

9:55 a.m.: Adams says Frazee’s and Kelsey’s phones were together on Nov. 24, and that same day, Frazee called Krystal Kenney. On Nov. 25, Kelsey’s phone went west and pinged early outside of Grand Junction. The same day, Kelsey’s phone pinged in Salt Lake City and then finally in Gooding, Idaho. Adams said Kenney is Frazee’s former girlfriend and now friend. He says they have surveillance footage showing Kenney in Colorado on Nov. 24, and her phone pinged on the same tower that serviced Kelsey’s home. Adams added that Kenney’s phone pinged on the same tower as Kelsey’s just outside of Grand Junction, indicating that their phones were traveling together. Kenney has pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in connection with the case.

9:50 a.m. Adams says a camera owned by one of Berreth’s neighbors caught Kelsey and Frazee at her home after she left going north. Their last phone conversation was on Nov. 25, a text from Berreth’s phone to Frazee said, “do you even love me?” During a phone call, she told Frazee she was going to be studying and would talk to him later. Adams said at one point, Frazee called Krystal Lee Kenney and his mother.

9:45 a.m.: The recording ended and Adams continued his testimony. He said officers were able to track Frazee’s phone on Nov. 22 and Nov. 23.

9:30 a.m.: The recording of the interview continued, and Frazee told police he was never formally married to Berreth. He then claims in the interview that Berreth went to rehab for alcohol and depression for two weeks.

9:25 a.m.: Frazee told police he and Berreth “didn’t know each other anymore” and said Berreth asked for the keys to her cars and home back. He told police she was completely sane and “wanted to go her own path.”

9:20 a.m.: A DVD was played containing a police phone interview with Frazee on Dec. 2. Frazee told police that Berreth didn’t want to commute from Pueblo to Florissant anymore, and he said, “she wanted space to figure things out.”

9:15 a.m.: WPPD’s Christopher Adams says the department hasn’t received any tips that Berreth is alive.

9:10 a.m.: Judge Scott Sells ruled that Sheila Frazee, Patrick’s mother, will not be called to the stand in the morning. Woodland Park Police Department Control Commander Christopher Adams took the stand and confirmed that Berreth was first reported missing by her mother, Cheryl, on Dec. 2.

9 a.m.: Frazee walked into the courtroom in a ballistic vest, similar to his previous appearances. Frazee’s mother is also present in the courtroom. Frazee’s attorney asked that his shackles be removed so he can write notes and assist in the defense.

Previous Story (Bart Bedsole)

A civil lawsuit filed in federal court on Friday reveals why the family of Kelsey Berreth believes she was killed by her fiancee, Patrick Frazee.

According to the document, it was a dispute over who should have custody of the couple’s child, Kaylee.

It reads, “Frazee had motive to kill Kelsey in that he wanted full custody of KB [sic] and/or Kelsey to leave KB with him and Kelsey would not agree.”

The family also believes Kelsey could have been fatally shot with her own gun.

They claim, “Frazee had an opportunity to kill Kelsey or have Kelsey killed in that he had her keys and, because he had her gun, she was vulnerable to an attack.”

The lawsuit recounts the conversations members of the Berreth family had with Frazee over the course of several days before and after Kelsey disappeared.

It also references the guilty plea and statement by Krystal Kenney last Friday in Teller County.

Kenney pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence, related to the disposal of Kelsey’s cell phone to intentionally mislead police.

The lawsuit reads, “On Friday, February 8, 2018, Krystal Lee Jean Kenney testified under oath in the District Court of Teller County, Colorado, that Frazee admitted to Kenney that he had murdered Kelsey on or about November 22, 2018.”

Following the hearing Friday, District Attorney Dan May re-read the statement to the media that Kenney had read to the judge in court, and although May’s account didn’t specifically mention that Frazee had admitted to murdering Kelsey, the statement did say Kenney had learned of a homicide.

The civil suit seeks monetary damages for the Berreth family to account for the “infliction of emotional distress” and other conditions brought on by the disappearance and presumed death of Kelsey, but doesn’t specify the exact amount sought.

According to the lawsuit, “Plaintiffs have suffered and continue to suffer severe emotional distress caused by Frazee’s extreme and outrageous conduct.”

Kelsey Berreth was last seen in public Thanksgiving Day.

Police arrested Frazee at his home on December 21st.

Frazee is due back in court on February 19th for a Preliminary Hearing.

At that time, prosecutors are expected to lay out all the evidence against Frazee, who is charged with first-degree murder and other offenses.

A judge will then decide if there’s enough evidence to send the case to trial.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 will have full coverage of the hearing next Tuesday.

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