Kelsey Berreth Murder: Jury Selection In Patrick Frazee Trial Begins Monday

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of a Colorado man accused of murdering the mother of his child. Patrick Frazee, now 33, is charged with two counts of murder and three counts of solicitation of murder in the death of Kelsey Berreth. Opening statements in the case are not expected to take place until Friday, Nov. 1, at the earliest.

Berreth was 29 when she was last seen with her young daughter at a grocery store in her hometown of Woodland Park, on Thanksgiving Day of 2018. Frazee said Berreth dropped off their daughter at his house later that day, and they were in phone contact after that, but there are no reports of any sightings of Berreth after Thanksgiving.

Berreth's body has not been found, but police have said evidence indicates she was killed in her Woodland Park home on or around Thanksgiving.

Text messages and a call log suggest the Berreth and Frazee were communicating after investigators believe Berreth was already dead. Agencies looking into the case, including Woodland Park Police and the CBI, say cell tower data shows the phones were in the same place when the calls were made and the texts were sent.

RELATED: Kelsey Berreth's Parents Believe She Was Killed In Custody Dispute

Frazee was arrested in December 2018 and has been in custody since then. Prosecutors in Teller County said they will not seek the death penalty against Frazee.

Krystal Lee Kenney, a nurse from Idahoe, admitted helping Frazee clean the crime scene at Berreth's home, for hours, at his request. One affidavit states that Kenney and Frazee dated in college and had an affair in 2016 and 2017.

Kenney, from Idaho, pleaded guilty to helping derail the investigation by tampering with evidence, specifically Berreth's cellphone. Kenney, 32, agreed to testify against Frazee.

Investigators who have testified in the case said Kenney told police Frazee beat Berreth to death with a bat and then burned her body and planned to dump her remains in a river or at a landfill.

Investigators spoke to three other people besides Lee, according to the affidavit. Each claimed to know details about a plan Frazee was developing to kill Berreth. It is unclear whether any of the interviewees could have prevented the murder contacting law enforcement before police started the search for her.

Kenney will not be sentenced until after Frazee's case is complete.