Still Missing CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 *arrest* #93

[DizzyB]

I would imagine that MM2’s image of her mother has been shattered by the affair. She may never have thought of her mother as a sexual being with needs-do most children? I think my kids would feel betrayed on some level if they found out I was having an affair. Even if their other parent was a jerk, they would still judge me.

Who is MM2’s support system? It appears that she was very intertwined with the H family. MM1 was supported by them as well, when Suzanne went missing. Now the H family is gone from MM2’s life. She is left with her sister, her Dad, and her Dad’s family. Who does she go to with any doubts?

 

[LandManatee]

Unknown clothes, bones found in search for Susan Powell in West Desert mine
Hopefully, they have found the remains of Susan Powell and her family can have some peace.
A lot of us here think that BM dumped SM’s remains in one of the many mine shafts in the area. Maybe SM’s family will get lucky, too.
In the Powell case, it’s said that it’s thought that her husband returned to the mine on several occasions to dump additional debris on top of her body. Since BM is living right across the street from his old home, I wonder if he has taken to riding around the forest in an ATV. You know, just to get out for some fresh air.

Wow, according to the article, it seems one persistent volunteer’s search efforts may have found Susan Powell! Amazing if it’s confirmed to be her remains.

One interesting takeaway is that the article states it is believed her husband initially dropped her down the mineshaft and then lit her body on fire. He would later return and drop more debris on top of the body to further conceal her remains.

I wonder if volunteer firefighter BM took a note of this fire-lighting action and applied it to the disappearance of his own wife? There are already several mimicked actions he took from other murderer’s playbook.

 

[OCanada]

I am still perplexed by the pic of BM sent to MM1 and MM2 from SM's phone (correct?) on Friday evening.

This all goes back to what other posters have already mentioned: How did MM1/MM2's camping trip come about? Was it portrayed by SM and/or BM that they needed a weekend alone to hash things out (and the pic was intended to say "we're being civil?")

 

[Scootie98]

I think it was coming out of his friends and his friends funds so it was never given to any organization to manage or to be part of a Crime Stoppers fund etc.. It was just personal promises. I think most of us think she is deceased so a reward for safe return is effectively moot.

OTOH....I do believe BM would be willing to cough up 100k for the arrest and conviction of an innocent, framed other person who could be railroaded and convicted of a crime they didn't commit.

 

[marylamby]

Or maybe BM was trying to throw one of his “meth head” employees, (his words, not mine), under the bus. Had BM ever used SM’s RR to transport one of his employees?

Oh yes, he pointed everywhere and anywhere. JP even said he thought BM was trying to set him up with the hotel room.
I was thinking more about the possibility of BM having help with the murder or disposal. Wasn't it GD and BM's nephew who try to persuade MG to not give up her phone? Who would do that if they truly believed BM was innocent?! What innocent man would even ASK them to do that.
That they were touching the bike when BM returned Sunday night got me thinking again.

 

[Megnut]

I am still perplexed by the pic of BM sent to MM1 and MM2 from SM's phone (correct?) on Friday evening.

This all goes back to what other posters have already mentioned: How did MM1/MM2's camping trip come about? Was it portrayed by SM and/or BM that they needed a weekend alone to hash things out (and the pic was intended to say "we're being civil?")

Barry was very active Friday night into Saturday. Perhaps he was angling for a main event on Friday evening -- get Suzanne alone, at a work site, on a hike, but she wasn't having it.

He'd have had a built in alibi for Saturday, working all day with MG. A narrower digital gap for Suzanne, it wasn't Mother's Day, he could use the bike ruse.

Maybe he was trying to get a proof of life photo of his own-- see us, getting along great? But again Suzanne wasn't having it.

Maybe Barry was still frantic Saturday morning, hence his 9 am, 8 am, 9 am deal with MG, he was still trying to enact his plan --

What I'm saying is that Saturday at 2:47 might not have been his first try. It was just the first time he was successful.

In the worst definition of success ever recorded.

JMO

 

[eyeseestars]

I've always wondered if LE asked those close to BM if they'd volunteer a dna sample. Barry himself suggested it might be someone very close to her. Maybe one of his friends? GD (he's the 40 tours rambo, right?) , perhaps?

Whoever tried to shush MG would be top of mind.

 

[DizzyB]

And where the heck is TN?

 

[Momofthreeboys]

And where the heck is TN?

Probably going about his day to day business. I don't think he plays a role. He was the first family member to speak, started the fundraiser for the family and given his business may have shot the original plea video, and was most likely part of the early family searches. He got alot of attention and there were people stalking the family and speculating but they pretty quickly fell off as interest turned elsewhere. If I were making lists he might be on the defense witness list so could get cross examined by prosecution but I doubt he's on the prosecution list.

 

[sk716]

I don't agree with these legal folks who say the acts of domestic violence explain motive. I wonder if they even know the specifics of this case.

The motive is the affair and divorce, and even judge Murphy agreed that those things were triggers:

Judge said finding out that #SuzanneMorphew was having an affair gives him motive. Feeling of hurt, anger, jealousy, and desperation. It could lead someone who is typically normal to act differently like harm someone who has harmed him.

https://twitter.com/laurenscharftv/status/1438971183962132482?s=21

Judge said the "I'm done" text means that she was done with the marriage and the "Let's just do this civilly," meaning dissolution of marriage. The text to Jeff Libler said that "these next few days are going to be rough" shows that #SuzanneMorphew wanted out of the marriage.

https://twitter.com/laurenscharftv/status/1438972479779770382?s=21

I'm not sure DV has ever been a motive for murder. Might need to Google that one. You don't kill your spouse because you abuse them. You kill your spouse because they're about to leave you and expose the abuse.

I think there are still a whole lot of people that don't understand that DV is an umbrella legal category. Which is somewhat understandable since we use the term "violence" but in Suzanne's case the abuse was primarily verbal and psychological and the word violence implies a physical element.

 

[sk716]

There always seems to be a lot we don't know when cases like this go to trial; there tends to be several bombshell moments.

In this one, we don't know if anyone has come forward in the past year, the results of any warrants executed after arrest, and the results of analysis that wasn't complete by the time of the preliminary hearing.

Supposing the State did get a bombshell tidbit that slam dunks the whole thing, at what point is the State required to notify the defense of the new testimony in Colorado? I imagine these rules vary wildly from state to state.

If there's something incredibly incriminating on one of the dozens of hard drives already handed over, obviously the defense already has it and the State can quietly giggle to themselves. We just have to wonder how much truth Barry told E&N.

 

[Momofthreeboys]

I'm not sure DV has ever been a motive for murder. Might need to Google that one. You don't kill your spouse because you abuse them. You kill your spouse because they're about to leave you and expose the abuse.

I think there are still a whole lot of people that don't understand that DV is an umbrella legal category. Which is somewhat understandable since we use the term "violence" but in Suzanne's case the abuse was primarily verbal and psychological and the word violence implies a physical element.

Yes and in most states domestic violence is "assault" and is evaluated by the prosecutors office for the batterer's criminal history, photographs of visible injuries or property damages, 911 tapes, medical records, witness statements, prior history of domestic abuse, etc. In some states verbal abuse or domestic or family abuse is chargeable as harassment if the verbal abusers threatens bodily harm, causes fear, etc. but is generally a misdemeanor charge. Stalking is also a charge that is sometimes used in domestic or family abuse cases. So under the "umbrella" of domestic or family abuse there are a number of charges that prosecutors can charge depending on how the state laws are defined. In this case it was a sentence enhancer...if Barry were found guilty and the judge felt the act of domestic violence was supported the sentence could be increased. Here's alittle bit about Colorado domestic violence laws: 2016 Colorado Revised Statutes :: Title 18 - :: Criminal Code :: Article 6 - :: Offenses Involving the Family Relations :: Part 8 - :: Domestic Violence :: § 18-6-801. Domestic violence - sentencing and this lawyer's blog lays out the enhancer: Domestic Violence Enhancement: What Does It Mean in Colorado?

 

[Murphy1950]

And where the heck is TN?

TN is on the prosecution witness list. I would imagine he lawyered up pretty fast, which is why there is no interview in the AA.

On the other hand George Davis was interviewed within 5 days. Per the AA page 50.
"George had conversations with CBI and the FBI about his observations and conclusions that an abduction had taken place with a "staged" scene."

I don't think either were involved with Suzanne's disappearance. Unwittingly used by Barry, definitely a possibility.

 

[sk716]

MOO, but I’ve always thought that the murder had nothing to do with the affair and that BM never knew about it until the investigation.

The murder was always about BM having financial stability and when SM was actually ready to leave and not die from cancer, he had to take the matter into his own hands.

That whole weekend with the girls being gone was set up as a weekend of opportunity for him to commit the crime. It wasn’t a heat of the moment thing. It was a calculated plan that came together.

Everything BM did after she died had financial implications. Everything. It was always about the money. I mean, he’s a landscaper living in a 7 figure home.

If you read the timeline straight through, it becomes clear that he knew she was seeing someone by Fall 2019.

Full Timeline – Find Suzanne Morphew

I'd be willing to bet he had his suspicions when they were in Mexico in January 2019, though. Meaning that Barry became suspicious very early on. Suzanne first reached out to JL in September 2018.

I agree that JL was never really a motive and that Barry was primarily financially motivated. Suzanne was going to leave him (for the same guy she already cheated on him with!) and take her money with her. Colorado is a "marital property" state and the court would treat Suzanne equitably and as such she could have come out way ahead. Obviously that wasn't a concern for her, but it would be for Barry.

On November 13, 2020, SA Grusing and SA Harris interviewed Libler in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Libler said after Suzanne’s first message of “Howdy stranger” to him in 20 18, they began talking on the phone. Libler said he was nervous to talk to Agents and what he did was disgraceful. In the summer after Libler’s first year of college in Indiana, he attended a party with some friends at Suzanne’s house. Barry and Suzanne were a couple, but Barry was not at the party. Libler said he and Suzanne “kinda hooked up, not really,” at the party. Libler played golf almost daily at the time and Barry worked on the golf course.


Barry found out about Libler and Suzanne hooking up at the party. Upon seeing Libler on the golf course, Barry “jumped off the tractor and he was ready to beat me down.” Libler told Barry, “You’re gonna lose your job. You’re gonna lose everything.” Libler talked him out of it and that was the last interaction Libler had with Barry.

Libler said he did not talk to Suzanne until 2018 following that night in Indiana. He explained, “I’d tell her I carried a torch for her all that time.” Libler and Suzanne used Facetime to communicate in 2018, though Liblers daughter saw one of their communications in late 2018, and Libler told Suzanne they had to stop. They did not speak until around Christmas 2018 because Libler deleted Facebook, Instagram and all messaging between him and Suzanne.​

 

[Momofthreeboys]

TN is on the prosecution witness list. I would imagine he lawyered up pretty fast, which is why there is no interview in the AA.

On the other had George Davis was interviewed within 5 days. Per the AA page 50.
"George had conversations with CBI and the FBI about his observations and conclusions that an abduction had taken place with a "staged" scene."

I don't think either were involved with Suzanne's disappearance. Unwittingly used by Barry, definitely a possibility.

Everyone LE talked to during the course of the investigation is on the potential witness list included early in the trial or so it appeared to me. I believe the judge set a deadline for final prosecution witness list to be followed within a few weeks by the defense list. A great amount of people they interviewed won't be prosecution witnesses IMO.

 

[Momofthreeboys]

Supposing the State did get a bombshell tidbit that slam dunks the whole thing, at what point is the State required to notify the defense of the new testimony in Colorado? I imagine these rules vary wildly from state to state.

If there's something incredibly incriminating on one of the dozens of hard drives already handed over, obviously the defense already has it and the State can quietly giggle to themselves. We just have to wonder how much truth Barry told E&N.

If defense is not given sufficient time to investigate last minute information or any new charges close to the start of trial and the judge does not delay the start of the trial that is a denial or constitutional right to due process of law and could cause an appeals court to require a new trial should the defendant be found guilty.

 

[Scootie98]

I definitely think that money issues had as much, if not more to do with this than the affair.

The 1st screenshot is notes on SM phone.

The 2nd and 3rd are what was recorded on the spy pen in March of 2020 during an argument between SM and BM and it appears to me that he had done something like invest money in gold and silver without her knowledge or approval. ( just my speculation).

Makes one wonder....if BM was willing to cast an official election ballot on SM's behalf...was he also willing to say....forge a required signature on investment paperwork? Somehow, he subverted or circumvented Suzanne...and in a way that she was aware of.

 

[nyvictoria]

Such a wonderful thoughtful post! Thank you.
And @DBLG thank you, too for reminding me that these young women are victims of losing their Mother no matter how it happened. It never hurts to point that out to us and I don’t find your post an unpopular opinion.
I can only speak for myself and I must say that although I have refrained from commenting on the girls until we started seeing the videos of them with BM entering Court in all these hearings and picking him up on his release from jail, I DID feel the need to make an aggressive comment or 2.
I’m guilty of posting that it appeared “ creepy “ and “ cult-like” behavior .
I did not mean to criticize them or judge them.
My aversion was more directed at BM and his Defense team for creating these optics that we all obviously see.
I don’t feel the girls are acting “ naturally “ but instead are over-acting because the Defense wants to make a certain appearance of them and BM.
Which really just further victimizes them IMO.
It’s just too over the top.
Okay, just my 2 cents worth.

I have much empathy for the girls and will continue to pray for them, along with SM’s siblings and friends.

Well said and I think most of agree with you.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Would we have access to a final witness list, or defense bombshells? Or will these only become public knowledge at trial?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Makes one wonder....if BM was willing to cast an official election ballot on SM's behalf...was he also willing to say....forge a required signature on investment paperwork? Somehow, he subverted or circumvented Suzanne...and in a way that she was aware of.

She definitely thought something dodgy was going on, thinking about her text to SO which I think mentioned silver.

She wasn’t daft, and I suspect this was another factor in his motive.