Colorado prosecutors allege Kelsey Berreth‘s fiancé asked his longtime friend, a nurse, to steal powerful drugs so they could poison the coffee of the missing 29-year-old mom whom authorities presume was murdered, according to multiple reports.
Prosecutors also believe Berreth was killed in her Woodland Park, Colorado, home, after discovering blood evidence on the wall, the door, the bathtub, the toilet and a trash can of a bathroom.
The prosecution introduced its theory on what happened to the flight instructor Tuesday, during a hearing for Patrick Frazee, Berreth’s 32-year-old fiancé who authorities believe murdered her.
Frazee has been in custody since Dec. 21, when police arrested him on two counts of murder and three counts of solicitation to commit murder. The couple, who did not live together, were raising their 1-year-old daughter together.
According to published reports of the hearing, Berreth’s parents searched her residence on Dec. 7, 2018, the day after investigators entered the home looking for the mom who was last seen on surveillance footage with her daughter on Thanksgiving.
Her parents contacted an agent with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation after they spotted what they thought was blood in Berreth’s bathroom. They also told police several items in the bathroom seemed to be out of place, and that it looked as though an effort had been made to sanitize the bathroom.
Forensic experts were sent in and collected the blood, which they determined to be Berreth’s.
The state also presented new testimony from Krystal Jean Lee Kenney, an Idaho nurse who admitted in court earlier this month she helped Frazee dispose of Berreth’s cell phone as part of a guilty plea to tampering with evidence.
KKTV reports that Frazee and Kenney, who were longtime friends, spoke often in the months leading up to Berreth’s disappearance, and that he allegedly told Kenney he wanted her to “get rid of Kelsey.”
Kenney told investigators Frazee complained Berreth was a terrible mother who, he alleged, abused their toddler daughter.
According to the Gazette, Frazee allegedly solicited Kenney’s help in killing Berreth, suggesting the nurse steal powerful drugs they could spike the young mother’s coffee with. Frazee even allegedly provided Lee with a photo of Berreth as well as her address, and Kenney drove to the home after picking up Starbucks coffee.
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Prosecutors allege she knocked on the door and lied about who she was when Berreth answered. But Kenney did not poison the coffee, and allegedly told cops that when she told Frazee she couldn’t go through with it, he grew angry at her.
Kenney will testify against Frazee at his upcoming trial and will not be sentenced until after the trial.
A rep for Frazee did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Berreth’s Parents: Daughter Was Killed in Custody Dispute
Frazee allegedly called Kenney on Nov. 22 — Thanksgiving — and also called Berreth’s phone that day. He allegedly told police the last time the two spoke was on Nov. 25, when she called him. Frazee allegedly claimed to have received a text from her later on that day that read, “Do you even love me?”
Kenney dumped Berreth’s phone in Idaho on Nov. 24 or 25, where the missing mom’s mobile device last pinged off cell towers shortly before authorities launched a search for her.
Texts were also sent from her phone to Berreth’s mother and her employer after she went missing.
Prosecutors said Tuesday they have a significant amount of surveillance footage that shows a black tote bag in the back of Frazee’s truck. The prosecution noted Tuesday they are still interested in locating that bag to see what was in it.
Prosecutors allege the killing was planned over two months.
Berreth’s mother, who lives out of state, reported her missing 10 days after she was seen on surveillance footage with her daughter on Thanksgiving.
In an amended lawsuit, Berreth’s parents alleged Frazee killed her because he wanted custody over the couple’s daughter.
On Tuesday, prosecutors filed additional charges against Frazee: one count of tampering with a deceased body and two charges of committing a crime of violence.
Frazee has yet to enter pleas to any of the charges against him.
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