Kelsey Berreth case: Colorado man accused of killing missing fiancee appears in court

Police - Fiance of Missing Colorado Woman Kelsey Berreth Arrested on Suspicion of Murder

A Colorado man accused of killing his fiance made his first appearance in court Monday morning.

Authorities arrested Patrick Frazee, 32, earlier this month on suspicion of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit murder after his fiancee, 29-year-old Kelsey Berreth, vanished on Thanksgiving Day.

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Update 11:45 a.m. EST Dec. 31: District Attorney Dan May elaborated on the charges levied against Frazee on Monday after the 32-year-old appeared in a Teller County courthouse for his first appearance.

Authorities formally charged Frazee on Monday with five counts of murder: two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of solicitation to commit murder.

"Obviously, there's only one murder in this case," May told KMGH-TV. "Under Colorado law, we file separate counts under different theories of first-degree murder. We filed under two theories: One is deliberation for murder. And the other is felony murder."

May declined to say whether the multiple solicitation charges indicated that investigators believe Frazee tried three times to kill Berreth, The Gazette reported.

Update 11:05 a.m. EST Dec. 31: Prosecutors formally charged Frazee with five counts of murder at a hearing Monday in Teller County, the Colorado Springs-based Gazette reported.

The charges include two counts of first-degree murder under different theories, according to The Gazette. Authorities have not found Berreth's body, although they've said evidence found at her home indicated she had been killed there.

Frazee wore a green striped jumpsuit Monday during his court appearance.

Teller County Judicial District Judge Lin Billing Vela ordered Frazee held without bond Monday, The Gazette reported.

Update 10:15 a.m. EST Dec. 31: Prosecutors formally filed five counts of murder against Frazee on Monday, the Denver Post reported.

The charges included first-degree murder, felony murder and solicitation to commit murder, the newspaper reported.

Frazee is expected to appear in court for his first appearance at 8:30 a.m. MT Monday.

Original report: A Colorado man who police believe killed his fiancee is scheduled to appear before a judge Monday morning.

According to court documents, a "first appearance/advisement hearing" for Patrick Frazee, 32, is set for 8:30 a.m. MT Monday at the Teller County District Court.

Frazee was arrested Dec. 21 on charges of first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder in the death of his fiancee, Kelsey Berreth, who has been missing since Thanksgiving Day.

Frazee "will likely hear the formal charges against him" at Monday's hearing, KKTV reported.

Berreth, 29, a flight instructor, was last seen in surveillance footage at a Woodland Park Safeway store on Nov. 22, authorities said earlier this month. Authorities said her phone pinged in Gooding, Idaho, on Nov. 25.

Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young, however, said on Dec. 21 that authorities found evidence at Berreth's home that indicated she had been killed there, the Denver Post reported. As of Dec. 27, police had not recovered her body, KUSA reported.

Berreth and Frazee have a 1-year-old daughter, KDVR reported. Berreth's parents have been granted temporary custody of the child.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.