Chelsea Kneuer is Colin Rideout’s fiancée, the woman who sat through his five-week murder trial in Monroe County, New York as his most visible supporter and who continued to defend his innocence publicly after a jury convicted him in July 2017 of killing his father, Craig Rideout.
Who Chelsea Kneuer Is
Kneuer and Colin Rideout began dating as classmates at Pittsford Mendon High School. They became engaged after Kneuer graduated from Michigan State University.1Democrat and Chronicle. Craig Rideout Murder: What NBC Dateline Didn’t Tell You About the Case
By the time the case went to trial, she was the person in the courtroom benches most closely identified with Colin’s defense, not as a witness or a party, but as the fiancée who kept showing up.
Her Role During the Trial
Kneuer was a constant presence in the courtroom throughout the roughly five-week joint trial of Colin, his mother Laura Rideout, his brother Alexander, and Laura’s boyfriend Paul Tucci. When the verdicts were read on July 25, 2017, and Colin was found guilty of second-degree murder and two counts of tampering with physical evidence, Kneuer collapsed in tears. She was still unable to stop crying as she was escorted out through the crowd leaving the courtroom.2Democrat and Chronicle. Only Some Rideouts Deserve Sympathy
What She Said on Dateline
Kneuer made her first public comments about the case on the NBC Dateline episode “The Devil’s Bathtub.” She defended Colin’s character and rejected the idea that he could have been involved in his father’s killing.
“He’s a smart guy, so no I don’t think he would ever put himself in a situation,” she said. “He had a life ahead of him. He had no need.”1Democrat and Chronicle. Craig Rideout Murder: What NBC Dateline Didn’t Tell You About the Case
Local reporting described her as Colin’s “biggest supporter to the end,” while noting that she did not appear to have answers for how or why he had become involved in the crime.
What Colin Was Convicted Of
The conviction Kneuer has continued to dispute concerns the July 2016 killing of Craig Rideout, a 50-year-old father of seven. Craig’s body was found on July 20, 2016, wrapped in a tarp secured with bungee cords in a wooded area off Adams Road in Jerusalem, Yates County. An acidic solution had been poured on his face, and he was ultimately identified through dental records.3Democrat and Chronicle. Rideout Trial: Questions and Answers The Monroe County Medical Examiner, Dr. Nadia Granger, testified that he died from strangulation, with a deep ligature mark around his neck and severe blunt force trauma to his head and neck.413WHAM. Medical Examiner Testifies in Rideout Murder Trial
Prosecutors argued the killing was carried out in the basement of Craig’s Penfield home so that Laura Rideout could obtain uncontested custody of the couple’s younger children and relocate to North Carolina with her boyfriend, Paul Tucci. Craig was killed six days before a scheduled custody hearing that could have gone against Laura.5Democrat and Chronicle. Rideout Trial: What the Jury Didn’t See
The day after the body was found, police discovered Colin and Alexander Rideout at Mendon Ponds Park near a pond known as the “Devil’s Bathtub,” along with a bag of gloves, cleaning solvents, and acid-based drain cleaner. A separate bag of bloody clothing was recovered floating in the pond.613WHAM. Timeline of Rideout Homicide Investigation Colin’s jeans were found soaked in his father’s blood.3Democrat and Chronicle. Rideout Trial: Questions and Answers
Colin’s Own Post-Trial Account
Colin has never publicly denied being at the scene of the cleanup, but his account matches the general shape of Kneuer’s defense of him. After the trial he claimed his mother orchestrated the premeditated killing and manipulated him into buying supplies such as drain cleaner and a shovel under the pretense that they were needed for household work. He said he cleaned up blood at his father’s home but did not know a murder had occurred until afterward. He also said he had wanted to testify at trial, but his attorney, Matt Parrinello, advised him not to take the stand.7WHEC. Colin Rideout Claims His Mother Let Him Take the Fall
What Kneuer’s Engagement Means in Practice
On October 13, 2017, Judge Thomas Moran sentenced Colin to 25 years to life for second-degree murder plus 1⅓ to 4 years on each of the two tampering counts, all to run consecutively, for a total of roughly 27⅔ years to life.8Democrat and Chronicle. Rideout Sentencing On November 15, 2024, the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, Fourth Department, unanimously affirmed his conviction and sentence.9Justia. People v. Rideout, 2024 NY Slip Op 05720
Colin is incarcerated at Attica Correctional Facility. His parole eligibility does not begin until 2043.10Democrat and Chronicle. Investigation Discovery to Feature Craig Rideout Murder Case The file does not report whether Kneuer and Rideout remain engaged.