Organizers held a remembrance vigil Sunday in Woodland Park to mark the second anniversary of Kelsey Berreth's death.
Kelsey Berreth, age 29, lived in a Woodland Park condo with her infant daughter after separating from her fiance Patrick Frazee. She was a pilot and pilot instructor for Air Force pilots in her job with Doss Aviation in Pueblo County.
To those that knew her, Berreth was adventurous and sharp, seemingly important traits in her line of work. She spent part of her final moments at the grocery store with her daughter, buying ingredients for a family-favorite dip recipe. While Kelsey was missing, her mother told NBC News she loved the holidays, "She was planning her Christmas list, and calling people wanting to know what was on their list for Christmas."
Kelsey Berreth was last seen on Thanksgiving Day 2018, leaving her family to ask for everyone's help. “Kelsey’s been missing and been reported missing by her mother Cheryl since Sunday, December 2nd, at about 12:37 pm,” commented Police Chief Miles De Young of Woodland Park. “Someone knows where she’s at. Kelsey, we just want you home. Call us if you can, and we won’t quit looking,” stated Cheryl Berreth, Kelsey’s mother.
The case captured the attention of the nation from the very beginning. Police arrested her ex-fiance Patrick Frazee on December 21st. Even though her remains were never found, in late 2019, her ex-fiance Patrick Frazee was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 156 years, plus 5 years with parole for solicitation. He was convicted of first-degree murder (after deliberation), solicitation to commit first-degree murder, first-degree murder felony, solicitation, solicitation (second count), and tampering with a deceased human body.
Prosecutors presented evidence at trial to indicate Kelsey was beaten to death with a bat, her body placed in a large plastic tote, then burned on family property.
The solicitation charges relate to each time his on-and-off girlfriend Krystal Kenney says she was told by Frazee to kill Kelsey Berreth with poisoned coffee, a baseball bat or a pipe. Kenney was sentenced to 3 years in prison for tampering with evidence, followed by one year of mandatory parole after the judge said what she did was "cold, calculating and cruel."
She was the only person prosecutors needed to piece Kelsey Berreth's murder together.
Kenney provided prosecutors all the essential information on how Frazee killed Kelsey Berreth — beating her to death with a baseball bat while she was blindfolded with a sweater to sniff candles. She also admitted to helping Frazee clean up the crime scene but said she intentionally left evidence for investigators to find.
"We did a deal with the devil. There is no ifs, ands, or buts about that, and I'm not proud of that. But there's no question that Kelsey wouldn't have had the sure justice without making that deal with the devil," May said following Frazee's trial.
