A Colorado man was sentenced to life in prison Monday after a jury found him guilty of beating his fiancé to death and then burning her body on his ranch.
Patrick Frazee, 33, was also convicted of one count of tampering with a deceased human being, and three counts of solicitation for first-degree murder in the death of Kelsey Marie Berreth, the mother of his child. The jury announced the verdict Monday after deliberating for less than four hours, according to the Denver Post.
Berreth, a 29-year-old flight instructor, was last seen on Thanksgiving Day in 2018, with surveillance video showing her entering a supermarket with a car seat believed to be carrying her and Frazee's 1-year-old daughter.
Berreth's body was never found, but authorities believe she was murdered in her Woodland Park home on Thanksgiving. Her mother reported her missing on Dec. 2 after not hearing from her for days. Frazee was arrested later that month.
Prior to bludgeoning Berreth to death, Frazee had asked his girlfriend, Krystal Lee Kenney, on three separate occasions, to kill Berreth, according to prosecutors.
During the more than two-week trial, Kenney, who pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence earlier this year, testified that Frazee summoned her to help clean the crime scene and destroy evidence, according to the Post. Kenney said she watched Frazee burn a plastic storage container with Berreth’s body inside on his ranch in Florissant.
Frazee showed no emotion after the jury read the verdict, according to local media reports.