Kelsey Berreth murder case: Trial for Patrick Frazee begins Monday
Kelsey Berreth went missing from her home in Woodland Park on November 22 last year. Since then, her disappearance has uncovered an alleged mistress, murder plots and brutal killing.
Berreth’s fiance, Patrick Frazee, is behind bars in Teller County awaiting trial. He is facing two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of solicitation to commit murder in the first degree, tampering with a body and two counts of a crime of violence.
Although Berreth’s body has not been found, there have been several attempts to find any remains. The Woodland Park Police Department gave an update on Thursday saying investigators haven’t found Berreth’s remains at Midway Landfill. This comes after more than a month of searching.
Krystal (Kenney) Lee, an Idaho woman who took a plea deal in the case to testify against Frazee, told authorities she knows how Berreth was killed and why.
It was fairly early on in the case when Lee told investigators about three different plots when Frazee asked her to kill his fiancee.
Lee told investigators she cleaned the gruesome crime scene at Berreth’s home and then took Berreth’s phone to Idaho. She said Frazee told her to do that, and Lee claims she also texted Frazee from Kelsey’s phone.
Ultimately, prosecutors believe Frazee murdered Berreth, blindfolding her and asking her to smell candles, then brutally beating her with a baseball bat.
Frazee has now appeared in court dozens of times, each appearance slightly different than others. He’s been seen wearing a bulletproof vest, and most recently a tent covered the entrance and exit of the courthouse.
It was put on the record early on in the case that the DA’s office was not seeking the death penalty. Fourth Judicial District Attorney Dan May explained the decision came after speaking with the Attorney General’s office.
“We are not seeking the death penalty in this case, but we did consult with the Attorney General’s office. It was their legal opinion that we had no aggravators,” he explained.
The trial is set to start on October 28 and will last three weeks. Krystal Lee is anticipated to testify at the trial.
KRDO Only 2019
