Patricia Richmond murder was explained in an episode of Murder in the Heartland titled ‘Beautiful Mess,’ which aired on Discovery Plus.
Season 3, Episode 3 revolved around the mysterious death of a 23-year-old woman named Patricia Richmond in the small town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
At the time of her death, Richmond lived with her fiance Keith West and his parents, Russell and Amy. She was discovered dead by her future in-laws.
Richmond had a close relationship with her family, who had moved to Colorado years ago. Although her parents separated in 2011, Richmond remained in Colorado to continue her studies while her sister and mother returned to Ohio.
Despite this, Richmond was thrilled about her upcoming marriage to Keith and was actively involved in planning the wedding.
How did the Patricia Richmond murder investigation begin?
On the day of Patricia Richmond murder, at approximately 7 PM on June 29, 2015, a 911 call was made to the Routt County police by Russell West.
He reported finding his son’s fiancee, Richmond, lying on the ground face down and not breathing. Detectives Doug Sherar and Tom Munden arrived at the scene and found the crime scene had already been secured with tape.
Russell and Amy West greeted them and were then requested by the authorities to remove their dogs from their home.
While there was no sign of forced entry, the bedroom where Richmond’s lifeless body was found was in disarray.
Richmond was discovered lying face down on the bed with her hands tied, and a belt was found near her body, which was later determined to have been used to tie her hands.
The absence of a forced entry in the Patricia Richmond murder case and the presence of protective dogs owned by the family, the police believed that the perpetrator had some familiarity with Richmond.
Police interrogated Russell and Amy West in connection with Patricia Richmond murder case
On the very next day of Patricia Richmond murder, at around 1:50 AM, the police requested that Russell and Amy come to the station to answer some questions.
Amy was asked about her activities on the day of the incident, and she stated that she had returned home before Russell and noticed the kitchen door was open and the dogs were near the garage.
Meanwhile, Russell was being interviewed and was asked the same questions. He mentioned that Amy had asked him about Richmond’s whereabouts, but they were unable to find her.
However, her phone and wallet were discovered lying around. Amy had checked the bedroom but didn’t see anything due to the lights being off.
Russell then went to check and discovered Richmond lying face down with her feet sticking out, prompting him to call 911.
The police inquired if anything was stolen from the house, and Russell mentioned that several guns were missing.
They also asked about their whereabouts during the day, and Russell stated they were working at their mechanic shop, with Amy leaving briefly to visit the bank. When asked if Amy was capable of harming Richmond, Russell denied it.
Amy corroborated her husband’s account, but the police noted fresh scratches on her arm and inquired about them. Amy claimed that she had sustained them while removing the dogs from the house.
At the end of the investigation, both Amy and Russell were requested to provide DNA samples, which they agreed to do.
Keith suggested former lover could be involved in Patricia Richmond murder
The police also wanted to interview Keith, who was visibly upset when they arrived at the scene. They needed to eliminate him as a suspect, so they asked his parents if he and Richmond had ever fought.
Although they admitted to occasional arguments, they clarified that none of them were physical. Amy recounted a disagreement between the two when Richmond briefly dated a man named Randall Herman while on a break with Keith.
Keith stated that he was at work from 4:00 to 4:30 AM to 6 PM that day. He also revealed that he and Richmond had a minor disagreement the night before concerning their wedding invitations being sent out late.
During the investigation, the police noticed that Keith had a small amount of blood on his fingers. They inquired about it, and he claimed it was from a mosquito bite.
Keith confirmed that his DNA would be found on Richmond because he kissed her daily. The officers interrogated Keith and asked who else had access to the home, he mentioned his cousin named Cole Pollard.
Keith stated that he and Cole had a close brother-like relationship and had occasional arguments. He didn’t believe Cole would commit the assassination and suggested that Randall Herman had more of a motive to do so.
Cole Pollard arrested in connection with Patricia Richmond murder
About 24 hours into the investigation, the police received two important tips that helped them identify the killer. The first tip came from a woman named Megan, who worked at the post office.
She reported seeing Richmond with a younger man around 2 PM on the day of the assassination, and she recognized the man but didn’t know his name.
The second tip came from one of West’s neighbors, who reported seeing a suspicious white truck parked in their driveway for a while.
Keith had mentioned that his cousin Cole drove a white truck with large tires and a loud exhaust in his interview with the police. With this information, the police called Cole’s grandparents, who said they hadn’t seen him in a few days.
A BOLO was put out for Cole’s truck, and later, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife employee found it at Trappers Lake. The police knew that Cole was armed, so a SWAT team was brought in.
They found Cole sitting at a picnic table, and he was taken into custody. Cole’s campsite was also found, and Barley, one of the West’s puppies, was found alive and tied to the tent.
The police found the missing guns and ammunition neatly lined up at the campsite.
The evidence gathered by the police, including the tips and the discovery of the guns and Barley, pointed to Cole as the killer.
The motive behind the Patricia Richmond murder
After waiving his rights, Cole admitted to the police that he had killed Richmond. He said that he freaked out and bound her hands with a zip tie and belt, then choked her with his arm and hands.
Cole also confessed to s*xually assaulting her. However, the police didn’t believe his story and asked him what led him to commit such a heinous crime.
Cole revealed that he had been angry for weeks and was doing stupid things that made his family and friends angry. They later discovered that Cole’s recent breakup with his girlfriend had also contributed to his emotional state.
Although his ex-girlfriend was shocked by his actions, she confirmed that he had been very emotional since the breakup.
On May 24, 2016, Cole Pollard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted s*xual assault. As a result, he was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
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