Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #62 *ARREST*

[Skigh]

I agree that forensic evidence would help seal the deal. But it appears that technlogical evidence is rated as high as forensic evidence (according to a link I posted above).

Maybe they even have both. We just don't know.

I do believe they have some forensic evidence. I think killing someone and moving their body will leave a trail of forensic evidence.

 

[DizzyB]

It would be interesting to know what had happened on previous mother's days. Was Mother's day usually celebrated in style by the whole family ? Did Barry ever buy flowers or a card himself to give to her and give his daughters money to buy a lovely gift for their mother?

There are photos out there of previous Morphew Mother’s Days when they still lived in Indiana. It seemed to be a thing. Barry dressed pretty casually, but everyone else looked like they considered it an occasion.

 

[rainbowshummingbird]

I should probably say forensic evidence instead of direct evidence. I stand corrected.

Forensic evidence supplied by an expert witness is usually treated as circumstantial evidence.

Other examples of circumstantial evidence are fingerprint analysis, blood analysis or DNA analysis of the evidence found at the scene of a crime. These types of evidence may strongly point to a certain conclusion when taken into consideration with other facts—but if not directly witnessed by someone when the crime was committed, they are still considered circumstantial.

Circumstantial evidence - Wikipedia

 

[TKG]

AFAIK, It's never reported that BM called MG multiple times that day to find out when the crew would arrive, or that he didn't answer calls from his own daughters.

Other than taking a call from the neighbor, I don't think anything about BM's phone activity has ever been mentioned in MSM. If there's a link I missed I'd be happy to be corrected on this.

That said, his phone activity (and Suzanne's too) that entire weekend is going to be very, very damning, I suspect.

jmo

Agreed.

The only time i've heard anything is when AM was interviewed and said his EVI did not match up with what he said. This was in reference to BM's story of leaving at 0500 on May 10. The texts//calls to MG were at 0400. AM deduced -you can't be driving up and down the road and see my sister at 0500 lying in bed-... Summarized by me.
Video linked in media thread and below.
Transcript from segment and time below.

01:51
I don't believe he does, no.
01:52
Assuming this is Barry, what would you expect next?
01:58
Well, I think that an arrest would be made.
02:01
Obviously he'd be prosecuted for the crime.
02:04
And of course he has absolutely denied this,
02:08
he said, he's not doing it,
02:09
I want to be very clear about that.
02:10
We can't say that he did it.
02:11
I'm not saying that he did it
02:13
because he's not here to deny it.
02:15
And if he was, he certainly would.
02:17
You may or may not know
02:19
that I'm trained in forensic psychology
02:21
and I've learned to go back and find out
02:24
that there's a link in every chain.
02:26
And this took place on Mother's Day weekend
02:31
and that he left on Sunday to go to Denver to work on a job.
02:36
Would you expect that to be part of that relationship
02:39
or him to take off and her to go riding a bicycle
02:43
on Mother's Day?
02:45
No, that doesn't sound anywhere near normal to me.
02:48
And like I said the EVI information on his truck
02:50
didn't line up, Phil.
02:52
He said he saw her at five a.m. and he did not.
02:55
And how do you know that?
02:57
Testimony from an employee
02:58
that he was rambling down the road
03:00
texting people at four in the morning
03:01
trying to get them to go to Broomfield.
03:03
Can't be at home at five.
03:06
And talking to somebody on the road at four?
03:09
Right.
03:10
So the timeline doesn't add up at all?
03:13
No, not at all.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I've been thinking about this, and I believe you're right. I'm betting the prosecutors want very much to tell the jury about BM's attempt to construct an alibi, and then take it apart. It shows deliberation and intent to kill. They knew a good defense attorney wouldn't even attempt to defend on the basis of an alibi, so they added the charge of misleading public officials to assure that the evidence would survive a relevancy objection. I think that all the added charges may have this same purpose - to assure the jury gets to hear the whole story. Hope they succeed!

I had not thought of that, good thinking!

 

[lonetraveler]

Anyone else think the dates on Count 2 are indicative of firm evidence, hence the tight timeline on the count of tampering? Wonder what they have? It has been proposed that he moved the body around. He certainly moved that bobcat around.
View attachment 300365

I was thinking that Count 2 was covering the removal of Suzanne's body from the house.

 

[Error505]

There are photos out there of previous Morphew Mother’s Days when they still lived in Indiana. It seemed to be a thing. Barry dressed pretty casually, but everyone else looked like they considered it an occasion.

I remember seeing several of the Mother’s Day photos as well. Looked like the entire family including BM’s mom were at a nice lunch or dinner celebrating the day, even tagged Mother’s Day iirc. Thank you for reminding me. Does anyone else have trouble remembering all the details after a year of following this case or is it just
me!?!?

Some days it seems I’ve forgotten more then I remember. I get confused easily too on hearing past rumors vs what’s been stated as fact. So many YouTube accounts and people trying to keep SM’s name in the public. I may need to take a short break while waiting for the Prelim & AA. MOO

 

[10ofRods]

I've been thinking about this, and I believe you're right. I'm betting the prosecutors want very much to tell the jury about BM's attempt to construct an alibi, and then take it apart. It shows deliberation and intent to kill. They knew a good defense attorney wouldn't even attempt to defend on the basis of an alibi, so they added the charge of misleading public officials to assure that the evidence would survive a relevancy objection. I think that all the added charges may have this same purpose - to assure the jury gets to hear the whole story. Hope they succeed!

Brilliant. I hope you stick with us as a trial analyst, as things proceed.

 

[Beans]

IMO MOO

Yes, yes I do. The one subject that doesn’t seem to be discussed enough in this case so far IMO (and I don’t know why), when it is always present as the one common underlying trait for murderers, as long as I can recall in the majority of cases I have followed, is their sexual appetite, preferences and fantasies being part of a reason behind their horrendous acts.

IMO MOO - BM may have been into who knows what and SM eventually discovered it on their home computer. Found a site, maybe something so graphic on the dark web that she was repulsed by. Maybe over time they tried to work it out but could not come to terms with it or a compromise. The subject matter may have not aligned with SM’s religious views. This very topic could have lead to many arguments.

I’m sure it is not unheard of for relationships to have ended in divorce because their sexual views and niches did not align or where not in agreeance with one another.

For someone with a huge ego, or guarding a certain image like a Barry personality type, I can see the embarrassment of him being exposed over a sexual deviance resulting in dire consequences.

LE knows what that internet behavior is and it is likely in the AA.

The underlying themes of power, control and ego just seem to surface again and again with this and it makes me wonder what set of circumstances could possibly be enough to make a person go through with this type of crime. BM was always going to be a prime suspect so what was it that made it worthwhile to end up living with that suspicion hanging over him, even assuming he did get away with it? What level of threat would be sufficient to override the weight of all that suspicion and the impact on his daughters, never mind the threat to his continued freedom?

Money or potentially being divorced just don’t seem like enough. His actions seem utterly desperate. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he did it because there was potential for catastrophic revelations about him as a person, the sort from which people simply don’t ever recover. Everything about this case seems so disproportionate - and in a way that isn’t accounted for by straightforward ego. IMO. Speculation etc.

 

[Error505]

The underlying themes of power, control and ego just seem to surface again and again with this and it makes me wonder what set of circumstances could possibly be enough to make a person go through with this type of crime. BM was always going to be a prime suspect so what was it that made it worthwhile to end up living with that suspicion hanging over him, even assuming he did get away with it? What level of threat would be sufficient to override the weight of all that suspicion and the impact on his daughters, never mind the threat to his continued freedom?

Money or potentially being divorced just don’t seem like enough. His actions seem utterly desperate. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he did it because there was potential for catastrophic revelations about him as a person, the sort from which people simply don’t ever recover. Everything about this case seems so disproportionate - and in a way that isn’t accounted for by straightforward ego. IMO. Speculation etc.

I agree with you, it’s a strange case in many ways and in other ways, follows a pattern we’ve seen. It does seem disproportionate when you look at the big picture, but so did Chris Watts, Scott Peterson and Patrick Frazee, Fotis Dulos (quick off the top of my head). Three of those involved the element of a new child though, and BM wasn’t facing that issue.

MM said SM was afraid of BM, and Suzanne had feared for her safety in the past. MM stated this in the linked video from Inside Edition interview.
If SM was afraid of BM (as MM states) and SM had feared for her own safety in the past, BM must have abused or threatened Suzanne in the past. Otherwise you wouldn’t be fearful of a man you had known for 30 years. I think SM decided she was leaving BM, period, come heck or high water, final decision! He was not going to let her humiliate him as a man by walking out and he was not willing to give up at least half of his assets. But maybe she learned something that made her decision to leave very finite! MOO
Here’s the Short 2 min video.

 

[jondaba]

Point of fact there are not "alot" of cases in the US where someone is convicted of murder with no body, and a person who has seemly vanished and only circumstantial evidence. The no-body cases generally have some pieces of evidence that lead LE to believe the person is deceased, evidence of massive blood loss as only one example, and which added to circumstantial evidence is enough for the jury to convict. The courts, however, have upheld that murder cases can hold up with only circumstantial evidence "circumstantial evidence, when sufficient to exclude every other reasonable hypothesis, may prove the death of a missing person, the existence of a homicide and the guilt of the accused". People vs. Scott People v. Scott So I, along with others, hope that there is some more direct evidence that will allow a jury to come to a conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt. Some will be revealed in the proof positive, presumption great hearing in conjunction with the preliminary I assume. The basics to prove are still true: Suzanne is deceased, Barry had opportunity and motive and there is no other reasonable explanation for any of the circumstantial evidence.

My reading of the Judge's decision to seal: we can convict BARRY if we don't blow it. What BM did to SM is too horrific to confront the girls with publicly. Sealed.

 

[DizzyB]

I agree with you, it’s a strange case in many ways and in other ways, follows a pattern we’ve seen. It does seem disproportionate when you look at the big picture, but so did Chris Watts, Scott Peterson and Patrick Frazee, Fotis Dulos (quick off the top of my head). Three of those involved the element of a new child though, and BM wasn’t facing that issue.

MM said SM was afraid of BM, and Suzanne had feared for her safety in the past. MM stated this in the linked video from Inside Edition interview.
If SM was afraid of BM (as MM states) and SM had feared for her own safety in the past, BM must have abused or threatened Suzanne in the past. Otherwise you wouldn’t be fearful of a man you had known for 30 years. I think SM decided she was leaving BM, period, come heck or high water, final decision! He was not going to let her humiliate him as a man by walking out and he was not willing to give up at least half of his assets. But maybe she learned something that made her decision to leave very finite! MOO
Here’s the Short 2 min video.

If I were Barry, I would be very frightened of Melinda. She is composed, eloquent, and has damning evidence against Barry. She seems unshakeable. Nothing that she does seems to be out of anger-she believes in forgiveness and a higher power. I believe she will make a very compelling witness.

 

[Boxer]

MOO
They may have had a covenant marriage, much harder to get out of.

 

[Error505]

MOO
They may have had a covenant marriage, much harder to get out of.

MM says BM was more of the Baptist faith, SM had been raised Methodist. But after marrying BM, she followed more along the lines of the very traditional Baptist, husband head of household to be obeyed, so to speak. (Not meaning to get into a religious discussion). Legal Covenant marriages are only available in 3 states from what I could find.
Arizona, Arkansas and Louisiana. They both were raised and married in Indiana. So I don’t know. MOO
Covenant marriage - Wikipedia

 

[Boxer]

MM says BM was more of the Baptist faith, SM had been raised Methodist. But after marrying BM, she followed more along the lines of the very traditional Baptist, husband head of household to be obeyed, so to speak. (Not meaning to get into a religious discussion). Legal Covenant marriages are only available in 3 states from what I could find.
Arizona, Arkansas and Louisiana. They both were raised and married in Indiana. So I don’t know. MOO
Covenant marriage - Wikipedia

Good to know. I thought they were available to all that wished to have them.

 

[katydid23]

I firmly believe he was suspect #1 to LE from the very beginning, and I would hope that LE had him under the microscope the entire time.

MOO

I agree, but I hope they followed through on other leads as well. I know the defense is going to accuse the investigators of tunnel vision and only looking at poor BM, and not looking for sexual predators or hungry mountain lions.

 

[PaulaDC]

I was thinking of those cards/letters and one looked to be torn. As if we were gifted a view of what BM wanted us to see. I also wondered if he had been looking at them trying to do his best imitation of her signature. Then it occurred to him, that sharing those with Lauren and the public would prove what a great husband he was.

MOO

If they had marital issues before moving those were worded as if......I don't personally believe they were recently penned. moo

 

[katydid23]

So the daughters called the neighbor, but didn't in turn call Dad? This is strange....The neighbor talks to both the daughters and BM...so at what point are daughters talking to Dad or vice versa? And BTW, thank you for that dialogue from BM. Very interesting.

Yah, that doesn't make any sense to me. If the girls couldn't reach Mom, wouldn't their next call be to Dad? Wouldn't they assume Dad would know if she had plans that day making it hard for her to answer?

ETA: Or maybe they did call/text Dad and he didn't respond?

 

[Deleted member 222031]

Absolutely, no problem, happy to link it. I believe it’s this video with MK. About the 18:00 minute mark. Hope I got the right one. After a year & multiple YouTube accounts I have a terrible time remembering who said what on what channel

I have listened to this one before

AGREE ^^^^ Difficult!!!!

I agree with you, it’s a strange case in many ways and in other ways, follows a pattern we’ve seen. It does seem disproportionate when you look at the big picture, but so did Chris Watts, Scott Peterson and Patrick Frazee, Fotis Dulos (quick off the top of my head). Three of those involved the element of a new child though, and BM wasn’t facing that issue.

MM said SM was afraid of BM, and Suzanne had feared for her safety in the past. MM stated this in the linked video from Inside Edition interview.
If SM was afraid of BM (as MM states) and SM had feared for her own safety in the past, BM must have abused or threatened Suzanne in the past. Otherwise you wouldn’t be fearful of a man you had known for 30 years. I think SM decided she was leaving BM, period, come heck or high water, final decision! He was not going to let her humiliate him as a man by walking out and he was not willing to give up at least half of his assets. But maybe she learned something that made her decision to leave very finite! MOO
Here’s the Short 2 min video.

I'm not convinced that SM's sister is speaking about physical violence here. If course, DV is about creating fear whether or not the abuse is physical. I wonder if MM had ever advised SM to end her marriage in the past?

If you walk on eggshells long enough around an abuser, even if it is only mental abuse, it becomes your pattern to accept and hide it. That is one reason the abuser wields so much power. The dynamic can be mixed with the abuser behaving lovingly sometimes. This pattern can make the victim question their own perceptions and entrap them further.

Moving to CO seems to have put SM in a very vulnerable position. There is a lesson for other women in her story.

I hope part of her legacy will be for family & friends to work harder to maintain ties with someone they fear increased isolation (of any kind) may endanger. Even if the outcome isn't as tragic as Suzanne's, living with DV of any kind is unacceptable. Let's all of us on this thread pledge to support victims of abuse in honor of a beautiful soul gone much too soon. MOO

 

[katydid23]

Where did we learn that he did not answer calls from the daughters?

I think it is a potential deduction in that the neighbour called BM, and told him the girls called her because they couldn't reach Mom, and the neighbour saw that the car was home but the bike was gone.

So if this was all new 'news' for BM, then he hadn't spoken to the girls yet. So either they didn't call him or he hadn't answered their calls?