The murder of Patricia Richmond was discussed in the Discovery Plus episode of Murder in the Heartland titled “Beautiful Mess.”
The focus of Season 3, Episode 3 was the enigmatic passing of Patricia Richmond, age 23, in the small Colorado town of Steamboat Springs.
Richmond resided with her fiancé Keith West’s parents Russell and Amy at the time of her passing. Her prospective in-laws discovered her dead.
Richmond was near to her family, who had long since relocated to Colorado. Richmond’s sister and mother moved back to Ohio, but she stayed in Colorado to pursue her education despite her parents’ 2011 divorce.
Richmond was enthusiastic about getting married to Keith despite this and was participating in the preparations.
How did the Patricia Richmond murder investigation begin?
Russell West dialled 911 and spoke to Routt County police on June 29, 2015, at 7 PM, the day Patricia Richmond was killed.
He claimed to have discovered Richmond, his son’s fiancée, face down on the ground and lifeless. When Doug Sherar and Tom Munden, two detectives, arrived on the scene, they discovered that the murder scene had already been taped off.
Once Russell and Amy West welcomed them, the authorities asked them to take their dogs out of their house.
Richmond’s lifeless body was discovered in a messy bedroom, but there were no signs of forced entry.
A belt was found close to Richmond’s body, and it was later determined that it had been used to tie her hands. Richmond was found face down on the bed with her hands bound.
Police assumed that the murderer knew something about Richmond because there was no sign of a forced entrance in the Patricia Richmond case and the family’s security dogs were there.
Police interrogated Russell and Amy West in connection with Patricia Richmond murder case
At roughly 1:50 AM the morning after Patricia Richmond was killed, the police asked Russell and Amy to report to the station so they could answer some questions.
When Amy was questioned about her whereabouts on the day of the event, she replied that she had been home before Russell and had seen the dogs close to the garage with the kitchen door open.
Russell was also being interviewed at the same time and faced the same inquiries. He added that Richmond had asked him where she was, but they had been unable to locate her.
Her wallet and phone, however, were found scattered about. Despite checking the bedroom, Amy was unable to find anything because the lights were out.
When Russell went to check, he found Richmond face down with her feet protruding, which prompted him to dial 911.
When the police asked if anything had been stolen from the house, Russell noted that a number of guns had vanished.
When asked where they spent the day, Russell replied that they worked in their repair shop, with Amy taking a quick break to go to the bank. Russell scoffed when asked if Amy was capable of hurting Richmond.
Amy supported her husband’s story, but when the police noticed new scratches on her arm, they wanted to know more. Amy said that while removing the dogs from the premises, she had suffered injuries.
Keith suggested former lover could be involved in Patricia Richmond murder
Keith speculated that Patricia Richmond’s murder may have been committed by a previous boyfriend.
Keith, who was extremely furious when the cops came, was also sought for an interview. They inquired about any prior conflicts between him and Richmond from his parents in order to rule him out as a suspect.
They acknowledged that they occasionally argued, but they made it clear that none of them ever got physical. When Richmond was on a break from dating Keith, they got into a fight and Amy related how they met Randall Herman.
According to Keith, he worked that day from 4:00 to 4:30 AM to 6 PM. He also disclosed that he and Richmond had a brief argument the previous evening over the invitations to their wedding being delivered late.
The police discovered Keith had a minor bit of blood on his fingertips throughout the investigation. He explained that it was caused by a mosquito bite when they enquired about it.
Keith acknowledged that because he kissed Richmond every day, his DNA would be discovered on her. When the police questioned Keith about other people who had access to the house, he cited his cousin Cole Pollard.
Cole and Keith, according to Keith, had a deep, brotherly bond and occasionally argued. He asserted that Randall Herman had a more compelling reason to carry out the murder since he didn’t think Cole would execute it.
Cole Pollard arrested in connection with Patricia Richmond murder
After about a day of their investigation, the police got two crucial leads that enabled them to catch the murderer. A woman named Megan who worked at the post office provided the initial tip.
On the day of the killing, about 2 PM, she saw Richmond with a younger man; she recognised him but didn’t know his name.
The second information came from a nearby resident who claimed to have observed a suspicious-looking white truck sitting in their driveway for some time.
In his interview with the police, Keith had indicated that his cousin Cole drove a white pickup truck with sizable tyres and a loud exhaust. The police contacted Cole’s grandparents after learning this information, and they reported not having seen him in a few days.
Cole’s truck was the subject of a BOLO, and a Colorado Parks and Wildlife employee later discovered it at Trappers Lake. A SWAT squad was dispatched because the police knew that Cole was carrying a weapon.
Cole was arrested after being discovered at a picnic table by the authorities. Barley, one of the West’s puppies, was discovered alive and bound to the tent when Cole’s encampment was also discovered.
The missing weapons and ammo were discovered by the police at the campsite, nicely arranged.
Cole was identified as the murderer based on the information the authorities obtained, including the tips, the firearms, and Barley.
The motive behind the Patricia Richmond murder
Cole told the police he had slain Richmond after giving up his rights. He said that after becoming terrified, he choked her with his arm and hands before tying her hands together with a zip tie and a belt.
Cole admitted to attacking her sexually as well. The authorities, however, didn’t accept his account and questioned him about the circumstances behind his horrible crime.
Cole confessed that he had been irate for several weeks and had been acting foolishly in front of his friends and family. Later, they learned that Cole’s recent separation with his fiancée had also played a role in his emotional state.
His ex-girlfriend acknowledged that he had been quite upset after the breakup despite being astonished by his conduct.
Cole Pollard entered a plea of guilty to attempted s*xual assault and second-degree murder on May 24, 2016. He was thus given a 50-year prison term.
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