Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #27

[OldCop]

MOO. I think any close male friend who cared about Suzanne would already have been in the media like her other friends, talking about how kind she was.

BM's effort to create doubt by invoking some mysterious acquaintance smells like smoke to me--that person, if they existed, would want justice for Suzanne and would be cooperating with LE. I almost wish there was a close male friend so they could help with the case. I don't get the sense that BM was jealous of Suzanne so much as ready to not deal with her anymore? Just ready to do his own thing and stay in Colorado and play firefighter and live up this new identity he had away from her family?

I agree. I think SM was ready for a male friend who was kind, who was loving, who didn’t try to control every aspect of her life. I think she was exhausted; from the chemo, from always trying to please Barry, from being away from family and friends, from always having to keep up appearances. She was ready for peace and happiness and no stress. I wonder if she told Barry.
To Barry, she was an anchor. She was Debbie Downer, always sick, always going on about her faith, no fun. He wanted to be in with the in crowd. I think he was having a bit of a midlife crisis. His best buddy was 20 years younger than him. He was always, and still is, working out at the gym. He needs to keep up appearances both physically and monetarily. He needs to be the big man in town. He wanted to be free.
MOO

 

[tmar]

I do believe in LE, I do believe in LE. I do, I do, I do, I do believe in LE, I do believe in LE, I do, I do, I do, I do!

This surely will have LE finalize this case.

 

[Chingaling]

I can't think of what reasons might exist after having already made a video recording their voice and showing their face in the news? I understand not wanting publicity but I also think sometimes--especially when something awful happens to a family member--we don't get to choose what makes us comfortable and we have to do what is in the best interest of finding that person.

OK thanks for your opinion.

 

[Boxer]

Didn't take this as "speaking down" to a woman at all, just totally Barry speak as a way of avoiding saying what he was really up to (which I believe was no good)

If Barry's friend was available to respond to the search area so quickly, why didn't Barry just have him check on Suzanne in the first place instead of involving a neighbor? Were the girls supposed to be home sooner and discover her missing and did they perhaps involve the neighbor prior to consulting with Barry? Were they able to reach him when they tried? Or did he not respond in a timely fashion and that is how the neighbor came to be involved?

Good question. Maybe friend worked a distance away.

 

[steeltowngirl]

BM’s promise reminded me of OJ’s promise waaaay back. And we know how that worked out.

BM: “And I continue to search for her every day and I will until I find her. I promise and I promised my girls that.”

OJ: “My first obligation is to my young children, who will be raised the way that Nicole and I had always planned. ... But when things have settled a bit, I will pursue as my primary goal in life the killer or killers.”

 

[Charlot123]

I agree. I think SM was ready for a male friend who was kind, who was loving, who didn’t try to control every aspect of her life. I think she was exhausted; from the chemo, from always trying to please Barry, from being away from family and friends, from always having to keep up appearances. She was ready for peace and happiness and no stress. I wonder if she told Barry.
To Barry, she was an anchor. She was Debbie Downer, always sick, always going on about her faith, no fun. He wanted to be in with the in crowd. I think he was having a bit of a midlife crisis. His best buddy was 20 years younger than him. He was always, and still is, working out at the gym. He needs to keep up appearances both physically and monetarily. He needs to be the big man in town. He wanted to be free.
MOO

You know, if I knew that Suzanne had such a friend, I’d say, “good for her! It is only fair, to finally get a loving person, after years of catering to the dominant husband who at the end...” But sadly, I feel, that SM, like her mother, was “a nice lady”, and did not have the time left in life to find that man.

And BTW, had anyone noticed the contrast between BM and SM’s father? Gene comes from an older generation, you’d think, more parochial, right? But he showed such quiet dignity when he thanked LS, and all those praying for them, and wishing them well. Said good words about his deceased wife, about Suzanne. Not a single bad word against anyone. And what a nice thing, to mention dancing with Suzanne! I really enjoyed that part.

 

[Charlot123]

Interesting. The law firm I first worked with wanted me to help screen out certain personality disorders (things that cross-cut occupational categories).

Looking back, I think I know why.

It's a bit different, isn't it, for you to screen out clients occupationally (before you've taken their retainer) than to try and control a client's freedom of speech (including media) via retainer contract?

The second part (getting them to obey a contract that says they can't talk to certain entities) must be difficult - especially if there's not a big retainer up front. I doubt that Barry has paid a big retainer up front (I don't even know that he actually has an attorney).

He may be the type who thinks he's smarter than most people - including attorneys.

I don’t think BM planned to sit with LS for an interview at all. But when Chris McDonough, in a brilliant move, dared his friend to do it, he rushed to speak himself. He was either scared, or maybe his friends got tired of being connected to BM? They are private people, and, honestly, they, themselves, did not boast of their stellar Afghanistan record, it was Barry, and now the Internet community is laughing at them!

 

[Sillybilly]

"This THING is just a tragedy"? <modsnip>
I haven't had a chance to read all of the comments so if this has been said dozens of times, my apologies.
Thank you to those who posted the videos (only partially through PE's interview w/ Suzanne's father) but much more to say later. Very busy Friday.

Just an observation FWIW, Suzanne's father used exactly the same term in his PE interview. "This thing happened ...".

 

[marylamby]

Just an observation FWIW, Suzanne's father used exactly the same term in his PE interview. "This thing happened ...".

Fair enough.

 

[Seattle1]

Moo. It is interesting that the email was sent to the former Indiana church soon after Suzanne went missing. And now we hear his disgusting nonsense about how pleased Suzanne is to be murdered if it saves one person. He doesn't understand how that sounds. He just doesn't get it.

I'm calling BS on BM. I feel that he is trying to hide under some kind of spiritual persona, hoping that the church members will come to his aid, insisting that he is innocent. What he doesn't understand is that truly spiritual people can see him for what he is, a con. But I bet that they loved Suzanne.

Same for his group of buddies in Salida. I'm thinking that he had great fun when he moved to Salida and could sell his puffed up image to a fresh audience. He's trying to rally support. Strength in numbers. He so needs someone to take his side. I'm not aware that anyone has done that.
In truth, he is a shell of a man. Immature, fake. I think he has a life long pattern of seeing others as objects to be used for his gain. It's catching up with him.
Moo

^^bbm

BM's first acknowledgment of SM case to Fox21 local media albeit cloaked in privacy, was not only heard by the public, but I'm sure it was noted by BM's family and friends-- far and wide, waiting for BM to say something, say anything-- after more than three months of silence.

I'm also not surprised about BM's odd reference to SM's faith, and I truly believe this was also part of a self-preservation statement by BM, not necessarily to the public, but to the IN friends and associates he previously reached out to early Monday morning, May 11, 2020.

What I really hate is the fact that it sounds so much like Chris Watts telling the detectives that his wife forgave him as he was squeezing the life out of her. I also think BM believes the same is true for him. Really sorry for SM's family and friends to have to read this vile, nonsense from him. They deserve much more than BM's self pity.

MOO

 

[marylamby]

^^bbm

BM's first acknowledgment of SM case to Fox21 local media albeit cloaked in privacy, was not only heard by the public, but I'm sure it was noted by BM's family and friends-- far and wide, waiting for BM to say something, say anything-- after more than three months of silence.

I'm also not surprised about BM's odd reference to SM's faith, and I truly believe this was also part of a self-preservation statement by BM, not to the public, but to the IN friends and associates he previously reached out to early Monday morning, May 11, 2020.

What I really hate is the fact that it sounds so much like Chris Watts telling the detectives that his wife forgave him as he was squeezing the life out of her. I also think BM believes the same is true for him. Really sorry for SM's family and friends to have to read this vile, nonsense from him. They deserve much more than BM's self pity.

MOO

I teared up when I heard what he said. I'm not family or a friend of SM's and I can only imagine how they felt.
I felt the same way when her father spoke. He was careful when speaking, I could see that.
I can't wait for judgement day, and I don't mean in an afterlife.

 

[Seattle1]

There is nothing in the public domain that even confirms he made the trip. I'm sure the cops know, but we do not.

At this point in the investigation or 3 months, I think we can be fairly confident that BM did in-fact travel to Denver on Sunday.

CBI/FBI are also involved in this case and according to BM, he's had 3 (or?) 30 hours of interviews with LE. If BM told FBI he traveled to Denver and evidence supports otherwise, he could have easily been charged with lying to the FBI.

It's not a crime to lie about your whereabouts, people do it all the time, but it's a crime to lie to LE during an investigation. This is how the missing Kelsey Berreth investigation started to unravel -- KK lied to the FBI about not knowing KB when she'd actually been to her home and delivered coffee to her.

MOO

 

[Seattle1]

Even the hard of hearing can feel the “loud” vibrations that heavy equipment makes whether a Bobcat or otherwise. I find the work sight neighbor’s account entirely credible. Surely we can all agree that it’s not always the noise machinery makes but the energy it exerts that makes us aware? IMO I think our resident plumbing expert even compared decibels of different machinery which I appreciate because he said it so much better than I can! IMO

During the FBI/CBI search of the residential construction site, I heard a reporter's live sound bite standing on the road with the son of the woman interviewed after she said she was awakened by the loud equipment noise. The son told the reporter that when he came to visit his mom on Mother's Day, she explained to the family about noise in the night that caused the windows to rattle. I think this corroborates your vibrating reference and is also very true of heavy equipment in general. MOO

 

[Boxer]

During the FBI/CBI search of the residential construction site, I heard a reporter's live sound bite standing on the road with the son of the woman interviewed after she said she was awakened by the loud equipment noise. The son told the reporter that when he came to visit his mom on Mother's Day, she explained to the family about noise in the night that caused the windows to rattle. I think this corroborates your vibrating reference and is also very true of heavy equipment in general. MOO

Also untangles the DM about whether she heard the noise on Saturday night, according to that snip, she did. And talked to crew the day after SM went missing on Monday, The search just started at 5pm Sunday, so would be on late news, MOO she heard about missing Suzanne and went to site on Monday.
I think the DM reporter made the timeline error.

Can you point me to that clip?

 

[Seattle1]

Also untangles the DM about whether she heard the noise on Saturday night, according to that snip, she did. And talked to crew the day after SM went missing on Monday, The search just started at 5pm Sunday, so would be on late news, MOO she heard about missing Suzanne and went to site on Monday.
I think the DM reporter made the timeline error.

Can you point me to that clip?

Unfortunately, I can't. When reporters are live on location, you'll get those snippets that they will play for on breaking news promo for a couple of days and then they are replaced. These are the same clips that you'll find embedded temp in a tweet.

 

[Boxer]

Unfortunately, I can't. When reporters are live on location, you'll get those snippets that they will play for on breaking news promo for a couple of days and then they are replaced. These are the same clips that you'll find embedded temp in a tweet.

No worries. I found an article where the neighbor says it was 5/9, but lost it again.
Nonetheless details are mounting up.

 

[lamlawindy]

Interesting. The law firm I first worked with wanted me to help screen out certain personality disorders (things that cross-cut occupational categories).

Looking back, I think I know why.

It's a bit different, isn't it, for you to screen out clients occupationally (before you've taken their retainer) than to try and control a client's freedom of speech (including media) via retainer contract?

The second part (getting them to obey a contract that says they can't talk to certain entities) must be difficult - especially if there's not a big retainer up front. I doubt that Barry has paid a big retainer up front (I don't even know that he actually has an attorney).

He may be the type who thinks he's smarter than most people - including attorneys.

You're 100% correct that controlling clients after representation begins can be difficult. That is why screening out clients before representation is really the only way to minimize the risks of clients doing something wacky.

 

[lamlawindy]

Curious, do you think if it ever does go to trial, does he take the stand?

That's an excellent question. In any trial, we attorneys face a dilemma: juries want to hear from the client but we are afraid that our client will reveal/say something on cross-examination that will lead to a conviction. Advising a client with regard to their 5th Amendment right to remain silent is often one of the most important parts of a trial.

In this situation -- assuming that Barry was on trial -- the facts in the government's case-in-chief will matter. For example, if the government argues that a financial motive to harm Suzanne existed on Barry's part, it's almost inconceivable how one would rebut that allegation without Barry's testimony about how they had sufficient funds, they lived a comfortable life, etc.

 

[swedeheart]

i didn't see this posted yet. it's just a new article about his "interview" with lauren (and some great family pics).

Husband of missing Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew, 49, claims cops have 'destroyed evidence' | Daily Mail Online

 

[BHughes]

Barry obviously believed when he gave his timeline that the investigators would NOT find out about the "mechanical bobcat thing". I wonder how the Investigators did find out, because if it was through GPS data, surely that would take quite a bit of time to analyse the data and get it back, yet it seems like they knew about the bobcat in the early days based on them searching the construction site.

I also think Barry was so caught up in his own narrative that he failed to take into account and weave into his timeline, little things such as SM's ongoing conversation via text with her friend which obviously ended abruptly.

I can only imagine Barry's timeline perhaps went something like this:

5 - 7pm I cooked a special dinner for my wife. We sat down and ate it and talked about our plans for the next day. She mentioned that she was going to go on a bike ride, not sure what time though. I told my wife to be careful of mountain lions! I told my wife I had to go to Denver because I needed to start work on an important job but she understood that my job was important than her, and I told her the girls would be coming home to spend time with her.

7-8 - I was reading my Bible for an hour and I think my wife was maybe having a shower and doing that sort of stuff because I could hear the water running and those sorts of things.

8-9 pm - My wife and I spent time chatting and enjoying each others' company, then I went off to bed at about 9pm because I was feeling tired and I needed to get up very early the next morning to head off to my job. My wife came to bed shortly after me and we said goodnight to each other.

5am - I woke up and had a shower and breakfast, then I tip toed really quietly into the bedroom and kissed my wife goodbye. She was asleep when I left.

Going off your timeline.... IMO MOO

If the neighbor's, to job site, story is true and fits.....

When Barry does give ^ that timeline, investigators go to the job site they know he has been working at to ask workers there about the time frame Barry has been working there and with them. Asks
about his demeanor, personality, etc.. The job site supervisor then tells investigators that a neighbor actually came to them asking about keys to equipment bc she heard equipment running and noise around midnight that Saturday.

Investigators then go to neighbor and get her story.

Investigators go back to Barry and say oh, yea, do you know why equipment was moved Saturday night at your job site??

Barry face palms and says "OH YEA! Forgot about that mechanical fixing I had to do on that bobcat!!!"

So he is in his boxers, sweats WHATEVER, ready for bed and all of sudden remembers he didn't fix that "mechanical" thing on bobcat. Jumps up and gets dressed, runs out the door at midnight, or around midnight.

Ok, for me, I would remember that before I remembered what I ate for dinner!!!! But that just "slips" his mind.