Rod Kackley - The Murder of Kelsey Berreth: A Shocking True Crime Story

The Murder of Kelsey Berreth

A Shocking True Crime Story

Rod Kackley

Published by Rod Kackley, 2020.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

THE MURDER OF KELSEY BERRETH

First edition. August 11, 2020.

Copyright 2020 Rod Kackley.

ISBN: 978-1393787181

Written by Rod Kackley.

"The killer took a shining light from the Earth. She mattered. Kelsey mattered.

Prosecutor Jennifer Viehman

"We did a deal with the devil, and I'm not proud of that.

District Attorney Dan May

"Man, if I had known it would have blown up this big, I never would have

Patrick Frazee

April 26, 2018

Joseph Paul Moore, a cattle rancher in Park County, Colorado, froze. He was left speechless when his long time friend someone he'd known for at least twenty years if not twenty-one said something simply stunning.

Joseph had known Patrick Frazee since Patrick was a kid. Eleven or twelve years old when they met, Patrick was riding horses when they first starting talking.

Joseph knew cattle ranchers in Park, Teller, and Fremont counties Patrick and his family were from Fremont County but he saw something special in Patrick.

Despite the difference in their ages, Patrick and Joseph bonded and grew close. Joseph even referred to his young friend as his step-kid."

Years later, he would have no problem calling Patrick and asking him to watch his animals if he had to be out of town.

Joseph offered Patrick a job in the early 2000s and thought of him as an "excellent cattleman."

This year, though, something changed. It's not that Joseph and Patrick had grown apart. It was more that Patrick was starting to frighten Joseph. Now, the older man wasn't afraid of Patrick. It was more like Joseph was fearful of what was going on in Patrick's mind.

Joseph started being concerned, probably, the first time he met Patrick's girlfriend, Kelsey.

While Joseph watched, she and Patrick were on the Frazee family's ranch, moving some calves. "This had to have been in November 2016," Joseph recalled. "Kelsey was having problems.

Now, she's a ranch girl and knows her stuff. But moving these calves was new to her, and Patrick got angry.

Of course, I've lost my temper, too. It happens, but I would never talk to anyone the way Patrick spoke to Kelsey. He yelled at her, cursed at her, and berated her just terribly."

Joseph only saw Kelsey once more with Patrick. He wasn't sure how close the two were, even though Patrick called her his girlfriend.

"Then one day, Patrick turned to me and said Kelsey was pregnant. Not 'is pregnant,' but 'was pregnant," Joseph recalled. "I just stopped and looked at him. There was something in his tone of voice, and his choice of words that let me know more was coming.

It was kind of like the whine of an artillery shell in one of those war movies that you hear before the explosion.

Finally, Patrick said to me, 'I didn't even know she was pregnant, not until she was giving birth. Now, I've got a little girl.'"

If there was a time when Patrick crossed the line in Joseph's mind, it was after the birth of Kaylee.

One day, while they were shoeing horses together, Patrick looked at Joseph and said he was having trouble with someone. Then he started talking about missing children.

Patrick said, '"Kids go missing from playgrounds and schoolyards all the time."

Joseph stopped what he was doing and said, "You should never say anything like that. Stop talking like that."

Patrick smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm only kidding.'"

A few months after that, Patrick told Joseph about meeting a "hit man for the mob" in San Francisco. That seemed odd, but Joseph didn't overthink it. What kind of a 'hitman' is going to tell a civilian what he does for a living? Wouldn't happen. Joseph was sure of that.

Still, he started watching Patrick a little closer.

Joseph's concern hit a high point today. While they were running bulls on another rancher's property, he looked at Patrick. Joseph was bothered by the expression on Patrick's face. It was like his insides were on fire.

So, Joseph said, just to make conversation, "How are things going with Kaylee's mom?"

Why didn't he just call her "Kelsey?" Simply because that is the way Patrick always referred to Kelsey. Patrick never used her name in front of Joseph. He just called her "Kaylee's mom."

Patrick turned slowly toward Joseph and said with a smile, "I figured out a way to kill her."

Joseph needed more than a minute to recover from that bombshell. He squinted and looked at Patrick.

With a tone meant to be more severe than any he'd ever used with his young friend, Joseph said, "Don't even talk about things like that. Get that shit out of your head."

Patrick laughed as he said, "Hey. If theres no body, theres no crime, right?"

November 22, 2018

Kelsey couldnt have been happier. A couple of days ago, shed texted her boss to let him know that her fiance would be joining her at the companys Christmas party. She and Patrick were committed to each other. His agreeing to go to the party was proof of that. And besides, they were the parents of a beautiful little girl. They were going to have a life together, as a family.

After growing up on a farm, Kelsey had gone to pilot school in the state of Washington, and then moved to Colorado after meeting Patrick online.

Patrick and I never fight, she told her friends. When they looked at her like she was kidding, Kelsey added, with laugh, that if they did argue they were never loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

She would have trouble with her in-laws. Kelsey was well aware of that. His mother couldnt stand her. Called Kelsey names, even referred to her as a prostitute. But that wasnt going to stop Kelsey. She and Patrick would be married and, while every day wouldnt be happily ever after, theyd have a good life.

The challenge of getting along with Patricks family involved more than just his mother, unfortunately. Patrick and his sister were fighting over their fathers estate. His older sister, Erin, had even told a lawyer to call Kelsey. He asked her to dig up some dirt on Patrick so Erin would get a larger slice of their fathers estate.

As if thats going happen, Kelsey thought. Patrick and I are a couple, she said to herself. We are a family. Those people can fuss and fight all they want, but we are going to stay out of it. And we, Patrick and I, are going to be happy.

As a result, Kelsey didn't try to stop Patrick when he told her to sit down and then wrapped a sweater around her face.

It's a game, he said. I'm going to light some of your favorite candles, and you have to guess what the scent is for each one.

Sounds like fun, Kelsey thought. If nothing else, at least it was better than fighting. He was making an effort, she had to appreciate that, right? Besides their little daughter, one-year-old Kaylee, was playing quietly in her playpen in the next room. Lets go ahead and have some fun, Kelsey thought.

She'd been at the Safeway grocery store on Lake Avenue in Woodland Park at about noon. Wearing a a tan shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers, Kelsey put her daughters car seat into a shopping cart, and with her little girl, had done some quick shopping.

Later, when Patrick called, shed responded.

Patrick could be so intense. He was undoubtedly an Alpha Male, there was no doubting that. And there were very few times Kelsey had won an argument with him. But she could never say no to him.