Feb. 20 (UPI) — An Idaho nurse told investigators Tuesday that a Colorado man accused of killing his fiancee, Kelsey Berreth, told her he beat the missing woman to death and burned her body.
The nurse, Krystal Jean Lee Kenney, told police that Patrick Frazee, with whom she said she had a romantic relationship, asked her to kill Berreth multiple times.
She later showed authorities several locations where she intentionally left blood spatter to lead them to evidence.
Barreth’s body has not been found. She was last seen Nov. 22 shopping at a Safeway store with her 1-year-old daughter. She was reported missing Dec. 2, when Berreth’s mother said she was having a difficult time getting in touch with her daughter.
Slater also testified that Kenney said Frazee asked her to kill Berreth by putting poison in her coffee in September and to beat Berreth with a metal pipe on two occasions in October.
Kenney said she wanted to please Frazee and delivered the coffee to Berreth’s home, but didn’t poison it. Kenney added Frazee was upset when she texted him to apologize for not killing Berreth and he responded that she would have another chance.
The testimony also stated Frazee wanted Kenney to kill Berreth to “protect the innocent,” saying Berreth physically abused their daughter Kaylee on multiple occasions, including burning her with a hair curler.
Slater confirmed, however, that authorities had not received any reports of child abuse and that the child had no prior injuries.
Kenney told investigators she took Berreth’s cellphone to Idaho to throw off the investigation into her disappearance and Slater said cellular towers showed Kenney’s phone was in the same location as Berreth’s during that time. She pleaded guilty to felony tampering on Feb. 8.
Frazee faces of two counts of murder and three counts of solicitation to commit murder in Berreth’s death.
