Court filing reveals possible motive for Kelsey Berreth ki11ing . friends saw Patrick Frazee as dot
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Clear to partly cloudy. Low 16F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: February 16, 2019 @ 7:31 pm
Patrick Frazee of Florissant was arrested Friday and charged with the first degree murder of his fiancee, Kelsey Berreth, and solicitation of first degree murder.
Patrick Frazee leaves the Teller County District Court in Cripple Creek on Monday . A judge on Friday allowed Frazee to see his arrest affidavit.
Kelsey Berreth, the mother of a 1 year old girl, has been missing since Thanksgiving. Photo credit: Missing Mother — Kelsey Berreth Facebook
Patrick Frazee of Florissant was arrested Friday and charged with the first degree murder of his fiancee, Kelsey Berreth, and solicitation of first degree murder.
Patrick Frazee leaves the Teller County District Court in Cripple Creek on Monday . A judge on Friday allowed Frazee to see his arrest affidavit.
Friends and acquaintances of Patrick Frazee describe the man they know as a hard working rancher, farrier and horse trainer who lived on his familys 35 acre property in Florissant. Some speak of him as an average Joe while others as a caring father who would help anyone.
He was a nice guy, said Tim Graf, co owner of Blue Mountain Ranch, a youth summer camp in Florissant. Graf was in the same graduating class of 2004 at Woodland Park High School as Frazee.
Police suspect Frazee, 32, killed Berreth, 29, in her Woodland Park townhome on Thanksgiving Day. She was last seen publicly, just after midday Nov. 22, as she was captured shopping with the couples baby on surveillance video at Safeway.
After searching Berreths townhome and Frazees ranch, sheriffs deputies booked Frazee into the Teller County jail in Divide on five felony charges, including first degree murder and solicitation to commit murder in the first degree. Hes been on a no bond hold.
Going back the decade and a half to high school days, those who knew Frazee then said he hung out with other kids from the rural part of the county, was involved in the 4 H crowd, and was an average, unassuming teen.
A quiet guy was all I ever knew, another classmate said.
Now hes the key figure in a sensational murder case that has drawn national attention. Berreths body has not been found, and information about the case has been tightly controlled.
So it was with shock and disbelief that some in the community registered the arrest of Frazee on Dec. 21 on suspicion of murdering his fiancee, Kelsey Berreth, the mother of the couples 1 year old daughter.
A possible motive for the presumed killing was revealed in an amended complaint filed Friday in U.S. District Court in the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Berreths family against Frazee. In it, they claim Frazee, who had the keys to Berreths townhome and possession of her gun, demanded full custody of their daughter and killed her when she refused.
Frazee faces a scheduled preliminary hearing Tuesday when authorities are expected to reveal for the first time details about the charges. The arrest affidavit and other legal paperwork pertaining to the case, sealed since his arrest, could be released at the hearing, said 4th Judicial District Attorneys Office spokeswoman Lee Richards.
There have been no issues with Frazee in the Teller County jail, said Sheriffs Office Cmdr. Greg Couch, adding that Frazee likely will remain jailed in Divide after Tuesdays hearing.
In the meantime, Frazees associates in the community say they dont recognize the picture of a murderer that authorities have painted of him.
Frazee would respond immediately to help the Two Mile High Club in Cripple Creek, the nonprofit agency that takes care of the towns wandering donkey herd, said club president Clinton Cline.
As a farrier, Frazee trimmed the donkeys hooves several times a year for the past seven years, Cline said, and was on call for burro emergencies.
He was very concerned about the health and well being of the donkeys, Cline said. When theyd get stuff stuck in their hooves from wandering around the streets, hed take care of us.
Frazee had a good work ethic, Cline said, and was very good at his job.
Frazee helped Gilda Dellinger move her horse from Divide to Colorado Springs when she relocated to a new home.
She said shes known Frazee for 20 years and would never have believed he could kill someone.
Hes always been so kind and helpful, she told The Gazette after attending Frazees hearing in January, one of several Frazee supporters at the courthouse in Cripple Creek.
Cline blames the media for spreading inaccurate information since Berreths disappearance hit national news as a missing person case in early December. He said the media has incorrectly portrayed Frazee as a bad guy.
Im shocked and annoyed at how people are acting, he said. Theres been no evidence presented so far. Hes an all around nice guy and a good dad.
Contrary to what has been reported, Cline said Frazee was the primary caretaker of the couples baby, Kaylee, who is now about 16 months old.
Hes been raising the little girl since she was born, Cline said. Kelsey Berreth had visitation, and he had custody.
The Gazette could not confirm the custodial arrangements of the couples child through court documents.
The supposition of innocence held by Frazees friends took a jolt on Feb. 8 when an Idaho nurse pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in Berreths disappearance and apparent murder.
Krystal Jean Lee Kenney, 32, of Hansen, Idaho, accepted the plea deal at her advisement hearing in exchange for her testimony against Frazee.
I learned Patrick Frazee had committed a homicide, Kenney testified in court, reading from a handwritten statement. Choking back tears, she admitted she moved the victims cellphone with the intent to impair the investigation.
The charge against Kenney is a felony that normally results in up to 18 months in prison, but no sentence will be imposed until after Frazees case has concluded.
Berreths mother, Cheryl, asked Woodland Park police to do a welfare check on Berreth 10 days after Thanksgiving, on Dec. 2, when she was unable to contact her daughter.
Kelsey Berreth, the mother of a 1 year old girl, has been missing since Thanksgiving. Photo credit: Missing Mother — Kelsey Berreth Facebook
The following day, Woodland Park police opened a missing person case on Berreth, with Chief Miles De Young announcing on a national television network that the department was searching for her. He asked Berreth to let her family know if she had simply left the area and was safe.
Cline said that Berreth had delivered Kaylee back to Frazee on Thanksgiving, and that Patrick had no reason to think there was anything wrong.
The child remained with Frazee until he was arrested, and she was then taken by the state Department of Human Services. Although Frazees mother, Sheila, fought for temporary custody of Kaylee, a judge granted Berreths parents, who live in Idaho, temporary physical custody.
Alumni from Frazees high school class started talking about the case after the arrest.
Graf said he and Frazee didnt hang out in the same crowd, and he didnt even remember Frazee being in their class until another classmate mentioned it.
We were all kind of in shock, he said. Its all very shocking and crazy.
Frazee was born in Colorado Springs, according to the county jail log. He grew up in Florissant on his familys ranch and has headed it for years. His father is deceased; his 64 year old mother lives on the ranch. A brother, Sean, works as a Colorado Springs police officer, and a sister, Erin, lives in Larkspur.
Dana Souligny of Colorado Springs wrote on a Facebook page about the case that her sons girlfriend grew up as an acquaintance of Frazee.
She says hes a great guy, and no one has a bad word to say about him, Souligny said.
One expert cautioned that abusers arent easily identified based on their reputations among friends and co workers.
When it comes to domestic violence, appearances can be deceiving, said Sherrylynn Boyles, executive director of TESSA, the Colorado Springs domestic violence prevention organization, which serves thousands of victims annually. Its hardly uncommon for perpetrators to be outwardly perceived as caring.
Victims often describe their partners as very charming, charismatic and kind, Boyles said.
The Gazettes Liz Forster contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: 719 476 1656.
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