2018CR330

Key Details:

Victim: Kelsey Berreth, 29

Date of Murder: November 22, 2018

Location: Woodland Park, Colorado

Motive: Custody dispute, desire to end relationship without losing parental rights

Disposition: Convicted, serving life without parole

Status:

Patrick Frazee is currently serving his sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections. Kelsey Berreth’s remains have never been found.

Case Overview:

Patrick Frazee, a Colorado rancher, was convicted in 2019 for the murder of his fiancée, 29-year-old Kelsey Berreth, in a case that combined jealousy, greed, and a calculated cover-up. Berreth vanished on Thanksgiving Day 2018, and her body has never been found.

Background:

Kelsey Berreth, a flight instructor from Woodland Park, Colorado, was engaged to Frazee, with whom she shared a one-year-old daughter. Outwardly, they appeared to have a functioning relationship, but testimony revealed Frazee was unhappy with the engagement, wanted full custody of their child, and had discussed harming Berreth months before her death.

Timeline of the Crime:

November 22, 2018 (Thanksgiving Day):

Surveillance shows Kelsey shopping with her daughter in Woodland Park.

Prosecutors say Frazee beat Kelsey to death in her condo with a baseball bat while the child was in another room. He then placed her body in a black tote bag.

November 23–24, 2018:

Frazee called on Idaho nurse Krystal Jean Lee (Kenney)—his former lover—to help clean the crime scene. Kenney testified she spent hours cleaning up blood evidence and disposing of incriminating items.

Following Days:

Frazee allegedly burned the tote containing Kelsey’s body at his family’s ranch.

Investigation & Evidence:

The investigation began when Kelsey’s mother reported her missing on December 2, 2018. 

Evidence included:

Surveillance video and cell phone records placing Frazee near Kelsey’s home and the disposal sites.

Kenney’s detailed testimony about cleaning the condo and helping cover up the murder.

Blood evidence in Kelsey’s condo, including on the fireplace and floorboards.

Frazee’s attempts to manipulate Kenney into killing Kelsey before the murder.

Charges & Trial:

Frazee was charged with:

First-degree murder.

Three counts of solicitation to commit murder.

Tampering with a deceased human body.

The trial began in November 2019 in Teller County, Colorado. Kenney testified under a plea deal for evidence tampering in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Verdict & Sentence:

On November 18, 2019, Frazee was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 156 years.

Victim: Kelsey Berreth, 29

Defendant: Krystal Lee Kenney, 32 at time of plea

Location: Woodland Park, Colorado

Date of Incident: November 22, 2018

Status: Convicted; served prison sentence, released

Summary:

Krystal Lee Kenney, a former Idaho nurse, became a key figure in the murder investigation of Kelsey Berreth, a young mother from Woodland Park, Colorado. Prosecutors alleged that Berreth’s fiancé, Patrick Frazee, orchestrated her killing and enlisted Kenney—his secret girlfriend—to help cover it up.

According to court testimony, Frazee beat Berreth to death with a baseball bat on Thanksgiving Day 2018, then called Kenney to clean the crime scene. Kenney admitted she traveled from Idaho to Colorado, scrubbed Berreth’s condo, and helped dispose of evidence, including burning Berreth’s remains.

In exchange for testifying against Frazee, Kenney pleaded guilty in 2019 to tampering with physical evidence. She was sentenced to three years in prison, serving 18 months before her release in 2022.

Her cooperation was instrumental in securing Frazee’s conviction for first-degree murder, but her light sentence sparked public outrage. Kenney has since returned to nursing.

"We did a deal with the devil." - former 4th Judicial District Attorney, Dan May