Latest news with #SuzanneMorphew
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Barry Morphew beams in court as he's charged with murdering wife Suzanne - but 'loyal' daughter delivered nasty shock
A wealthy landscaper charged with murdering his wife grinned from ear to ear as he appeared in court. Barry Morphew, 57, was all smiles at the sight of one of his two daughters as he was brought into court in Alamoso County Court in Colorado Tuesday evening to face charges of murdering his spouse Suzanne in nearby Salida in May 2020. Morphew has two daughters - Mallory and Macy. It is unclear which of the two was in court to support their father yesterday, Denver7 reported. The two young women stood loyally by their dad's side after he was previously charged with 43 year-old Suzanne's murder in 2021. But the absence of one of the Morphew daughters in court could suggest that she no longer believes her father's protestations of innocence. Morphew was re-arrested in Arizona on June 20 after prosecutors produced dramatic new 'smoking gun' evidence. Tuesday's court appearance was a brief procedural affair. Morphew was ordered held in custody in lieu of $3 million bond and is due back in court in September for a bail hearing. It comes as an indictment seen by revealed that Suzanne died with the presence of a powerful animal tranquilizer called butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine (BAM) in her body. With a theatrical flourish, the charging document revealed that only one private citizen in the entire state of Colorado had a prescription for BAM at the time of Suzanne's disappearance: Barry Morphew. A tranquilizer needle cap, darts and a tranquillizer gun were found in the couple's home during a law enforcement search conducted shortly after Suzanne vanished. Barry used BAM to hunt deer while in the couple's native Indiana. They moved to Colorado from the Hoosier State in 2018 and were having severe marital difficulties at the time of Suzanne's disappearance. Suzanne had been having an affair with an old school friend called Jeff Libler. Morphew and Suzanne lived in a stunning $1.5m cabin with daughter Macy, who was away from home on a planned multi-day road trip when Suzanne disappeared. Cops allege Barry took advantage of Macy's disappearance to kill Suzanne on the morning of May 9 2020, the day before her disappearance was reported. Barry was first charged with murdering his wife in 2021, in the absence of his wife's body. But the case collapsed amid prosecutorial misconduct. Mallory and Macy Morphew both stood by their father at the time and were photographed walking with him arm-in-arm. A new team of prosecutors began probing Barry again after Suzanne's body was discovered dumped along the side of a rural road in Saguache County, Colorado in September 2023 in a patch of wasteland known as 'The Boneyard.' That is about an hour's drive south of the Morphew residence. More new evidence revealed in the June 20 charging document said that Suzanne did not die where her body was found. Forensic experts said the lack of animal activity on Suzanne's body combined with the lack of decomposure of the cycling clothes she was wearing mean 'it was unlikely Suzanne decomposed from a fresh body to a skeleton at this location.' The charging document did not offer any further theories or evidence as to where investigators believe Suzanne was killed or where her body was initially concealed. No cause of death has been given because of how badly Suzanne had decomposed, but a coroner's report said she'd died with the BAM tranquilizer in her system. Suzanne was reported missing by her neighbor on Mother's Day 2020 after Mallory and Macy were unable to reach her on the phone. Her last communication with a friend was on May 9, the day investigators believe Barry killed her. Barry and Suzanne were alone at their home at the time of the disappearance. On May 6, Suzanne texted Barry saying: 'I'm done. I could (sic) care less what you're up to and have been for years. We just need to figure this out civilly.' Barry claimed he left home early on the morning of May 10 to go to work in the Colorado city of Broomfield, three hours from their home. He said that Suzanne was asleep in their bed, having told him she was planning a bike ride for her day. Investigators insist Suzanne had already been dead for hours at that point. Barry's phone entered and exited airplane mode several times over the next 24 hours, authorities said. The door of his truck was opened numerous times between 3.25am and 5am and was backed up into the home's garage at least once. Barry's activity in Broomfield aroused further suspicion. He claimed to have been on a landscaping job but spent a total of just 90 minutes on site and the rest in a cheap hotel room that cleaners reported stank of chlorine after he checked out. Barry was captured on surveillance making several trash runs at numerous locations around town, but appeared to be doing little work, police noted. Suzanne's disappearance was reported to police on the evening of May 10 - Mothering Sunday - after Macy and Mallory said they had been unable to contact their mother. Barry asked a neighbor to check on the house and then asked them to call the sheriff when the neighbor saw no trace of Suzanne. During a subsequent police interview, Barry claimed the couple's marriage was 'the best' and that they'd just had a 'wonderful weekend together.' But that lie was exposed as investigators learned of Suzanne's affair and Barry's alleged violent threats towards her. After cops began to search the property, they found Suzanne's bike abandoned down a steep embankment close to the family home. Police believe that scene was staged. Her helmet was discovered days later, roughly a mile away, at the side of a highway. The disappearance of an attractive, wealthy mother soon sparked a nationwide media frenzy. A tearful Barry even released a brief video appeal to the public asking for information. 'Suzanne, if anyone is out there that can hear this that has you, please, we'll do whatever it takes to bring you back,' Barry said. Meanwhile, a huge manhunt was launched, with authorities scouring rural terrain, diving in lakes, and deploying K9 units to find Suzanne - but there was no trace. When Barry was questioned by police two days after Suzanne disappeared, officers noted he had scratches on his hands and arms. A search of the Morphew home found a live .22 caliber bullet by Suzanne's bed, and a needle cap from a tranquilizer dart was found in the dryer, tangled up among washed bed sheets. Investigators also recovered empty tranquilizer darts, a needle used to inject tranquilizer chemicals into the darts, and a dart gun. Barry Morphew admitted to using a tranquilizer gun to shoot deer so he could harvest their horns, but said he was unsure how the cap got in the dryer, court records show. Barry, who rented a scruffy trailer park in Cave Creek, will now be extradited to the San Luis Valley in Colorado to face charges. His 'Stardust Trailer Park' billed itself a 'boutique community' offering short and long-term rentals, but had a dilapidated and depressing air when visited by in 2024. His daughters have yet to comment on the charges brought against their father. Suzanne's loved ones including her sister Melinda had previously condemned Barry over his alleged treatment of his wife and claimed Suzanne had feared for her safety. A friend called Sheila Oliver claimed Suzanne had complained of Barry shoving her into a closet and putting a gun to his head while screaming: 'Is this what you want?'
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Barry Morphew appears in Colorado courtroom on new charges of killing his wife Suzanne
Barry Morphew appeared in a Colorado courtroom on Tuesday for the first time since he was arrested a second time on suspicion of murdering his wife Suzanne. Suzanne Morphew was reported missing in Chaffee County on Mother's Day in 2020 and her skeletal remains were found off a dirt road in Saguache County on 2023. Barry Morphew in court on Tuesday. CBS Morphew made his first appearance in Alamosa County Court in handcuffs and an orange and white jail jumpsuit. One of his daughters blew him a kiss when he walked into the courtroom, and the man accused of killing her mother gave her a big smile. It was a brave look for a man who has been pulled back into the justice system for Suzanne's murder. He was arrested on June 20 in Arizona and extradited to Colorado this week. Tuesday consisted of mostly standard courtroom proceedings. Morphew waived his right to be advised of his legal rights and was not asked to speak. Twelfth District Attorney Anne Kelly will prosecute the case. The earlier case against Barry Morphew, which was thrown out, was prosecuted by the disgraced and disbarred former 11th Judicial District DA Linda Stanley. The initial case against him was dropped in 2022 because of prosecutorial issues with evidence. Morphew's legal representation includes David Beller and Jane Fisher-Byrialsen. CBS "It is our understanding that we will be appointed on to continue our representation of Mr. Morphew," Beller said in the courtroom. The defense is already looking to put an end to the case. They submitted a challenge to the probably cause in the case. The prosecution said it was ready for that move, and they expect this case to move past it. Barry Morphew's bond remains set at $3 million, with the possibility it could be changed before the next scheduled court date in early September. In the months between now and then, evidence the prosecution has assembled will be reviewed. Suzanne Morphew's remains were discovered accidentally as authorities were searching for another missing woman a year after prosecutors dropped their initial prosecution of Morphew. A 2024 autopsy report said Suzanne Morphew died of "unspecified means" but ruled her death a homicide. While her remains showed no signs of trauma, investigators found in her bone marrow a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife that her husband had a prescription for, according to the indictment. Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared. Beller and Fisher-Byrialsen did not return telephone and email messages seeking comment. Beller has previously criticized prosecutors for allowing "their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence." At Morphew's request, Chief Judge Amanda Hopkins agreed to appoint the state-funded public defender's office to represent him because he is in jail. However, Beller said the state public defender's office has a conflict of interest preventing it from representing Morphew and he expects Fisher-Byrialsen and himself to ultimately be appointed to represent Morphew by another state office that pays private attorneys to defend people who can't be represented by the public defender's office. Morphew, who owned a landscaping company when his wife disappeared, was represented by a different private attorney the first time he was prosecuted. Morphew sold the family home in the mountains near Salida, Colorado, for $1.6 million in 2021. According to jail records, Morphew is self-employed and his home address is in Noblesville, Indiana. File photo of Barry and Suzanne Morphew CBS The mystery surrounding Suzanne Morphew began when the 49-year-old mother of two daughters was reported missing in 2020. Her mountain bike and helmet were found in separate spots not far from her home, but investigators suspected the bike was purposefully thrown into a ravine because there were no indications of a crash. A week after his wife went missing, Barry Morphew posted a video on Facebook pleading for her safe return and the case quickly drew attention. At the site where Morphew's remains were discovered, investigators found a port through which Suzanne Morphew could receive medicine to treat follicular lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that she had. They also found biking clothes similar to what she was known to wear. Based on the condition of the remains and clothes, a forensic anthropologist theorized that the body likely decomposed elsewhere before being moved to the site, according to Morphew's new indictment.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Barry Morphew to appear in court after grand jury indictment charging him with wife's murder
Barry Morphew is set to appear in court for his initial appearance after a grand jury indicted him, charging him with the murder of his wife, Suzanne Morphew. Officials said Barry Morphew will appear in court on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. local time in Alamosa, Colorado. Barry Morphew was charged with murder in the first degree after deliberation on June 20 after the state convened a grand jury. He was extradited from Arizona on Monday, and is now at the Alamosa County Jail. Barry Morphew's attorney, David Beller, told Fox News Digital that Morphew "maintains his innocence." "Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence," Beller said. "The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either." Suzanne Morphew went missing on Mother's Day in 2020 and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation located her remains in 2023 during a search in Saguache County. A significant number of her bones were "significantly bleached" when they were found, according to the indictment. In the June 20 indictment, prosecutors said that the chemicals butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine were found in Suzanne Morphew's bone marrow. These chemicals, prosecutors said, compromise a deer tranquilizer known as "BAM." According to prosecutors, Barry Morphew used the "BAM" deer tranquilizer to sedate and transport deer on his farm when he lived in Indiana. The indictment states that he was the only individual with a prescription for the deer tranquilizer within the area of Colorado he lived in. "Ultimately, the prescription records show that when Suzanne Morphew disappeared, only one private citizen living in that entire area of the state had access to BAM: Barry Morphew," the indictment states. Barry Morphew was initially charged with the murder of Suzanne Morphew in 2021, but those charges were dropped after prosecutorial misconduct. In that case, the charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning he could be re-charged. Court documents indicate Suzanne Morphew wanted to leave her husband, but was waiting for the right time.
NBC News
2 days ago
- NBC News
Husband of Suzanne Morphew to appear in court to face murder charge a second time
DENVER — The husband of a woman who disappeared on Mother's Day 2020 is set to appear in court in Colorado on Tuesday for the first time since being charged again with murder in her death. Barry Morphew was arrested June 20 in Arizona after being newly indicted in the death of Suzanne Morphew, three years after the initial case against him was dropped because of prosecutorial issues with evidence. Authorities announced Monday that he had arrived at the jail in the small southern Colorado city of Alamosa, not far from where Suzanne Morphew's skeletal remains were found off a dirt road in September 2023. Her remains were discovered accidentally as authorities were searching for another missing woman a year after prosecutors dropped their initial prosecution of Morphew. A 2024 autopsy report said Suzanne Morphew died of "unspecified means" but ruled her death a homicide. While her remains showed no signs of trauma, investigators found in her bone marrow a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife that her husband had a prescription for, according to the indictment. Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared. Two attorneys listed in court documents as representing Morphew at Tuesday's hearing, David Beller and Jane Fisher-Byrialsen, did not immediately return telephone or email messages seeking comment. Beller has previously criticized prosecutors for allowing "their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence." The mystery surrounding Suzanne Morphew began when the 49-year-old mother of two daughters, who lived near the small mountain community of Salida, Colorado, was reported missing on Mother's Day 2020. Her mountain bike and helmet were found in separate spots not far from her home, but investigators suspected the bike was purposefully thrown into a ravine because there were no indications of a crash. A week after his wife went missing, Barry Morphew posted a video on Facebook pleading for her safe return and the case quickly drew attention. In May 2021, prosecutors charged him with murder. They subsequently dropped the case in 2022 just as Morphew was about to stand trial. A judge had barred prosecutors from calling key witnesses after the attorneys repeatedly failed to follow rules for turning over evidence in Morphew's favor. The latest case is being prosecuted by a different prosecutor in a separate judicial district where Suzanne Morphew's remains were found, a rural area about 40 miles south of the Morphews' home. Investigators found at the site a port through which Suzanne Morphew could receive medicine to treat follicular lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that she had. They also found biking clothes similar to what she was known to wear. Based on the condition of the remains and clothes, a forensic anthropologist theorized that the body likely decomposed elsewhere before being moved to the site, according to Morphew's new indictment.
2 days ago
Husband of Suzanne Morphew to appear in court to face murder charge a second time
DENVER -- The husband of a woman who disappeared on Mother's Day 2020 is set to appear in court in Colorado on Tuesday for the first time since being charged again with murder in her death. Barry Morphew was arrested June 20 in Arizona after being newly indicted in the death of Suzanne Morphew, three years after the initial case against him was dropped because of prosecutorial issues with evidence. Authorities announced Monday that he had arrived at the jail in the small southern Colorado city of Alamosa, not far from where Suzanne Morphew's skeletal remains were found off a dirt road in September 2023. Her remains were discovered accidentally as authorities were searching for another missing woman a year after prosecutors dropped their initial prosecution of Morphew. A 2024 autopsy report said Suzanne Morphew died of 'unspecified means' but ruled her death a homicide. While her remains showed no signs of trauma, investigators found in her bone marrow a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife that her husband had a prescription for, according to the indictment. Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared. Two attorneys listed in court documents as representing Morphew at Tuesday's hearing, David Beller and Jane Fisher-Byrialsen, did not immediately return telephone or email messages seeking comment. Beller has previously criticized prosecutors for allowing 'their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence.' The mystery surrounding Suzanne Morphew began when the 49-year-old mother of two daughters, who lived near the small mountain community of Salida, Colorado, was reported missing on Mother's Day 2020. Her mountain bike and helmet were found in separate spots not far from her home, but investigators suspected the bike was purposefully thrown into a ravine because there were no indications of a crash. A week after his wife went missing, Barry Morphew posted a video on Facebook pleading for her safe return and the case quickly drew attention. In May 2021, prosecutors charged him with murder. They subsequently dropped the case in 2022 just as Morphew was about to stand trial. A judge had barred prosecutors from calling key witnesses after the attorneys repeatedly failed to follow rules for turning over evidence in Morphew's favor. The latest case is being prosecuted by a different prosecutor in a separate judicial district where Suzanne Morphew's remains were found, a rural area about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of the Morphews' home. Investigators found at the site a port through which Suzanne Morphew could receive medicine to treat follicular lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that she had. They also found biking clothes similar to what she was known to wear. Based on the condition of the remains and clothes, a forensic anthropologist theorized that the body likely decomposed elsewhere before being moved to the site, according to Morphew's new indictment.
