Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #34

[Ontario Mom]

JP and the other 2 all arrived together around 6 pm. Sunday night.

BM left home around 5 am Sunday so he could get to Broomfield early to set up for the job (so he says). That puts him at the hotel around 9 am.

JMO

I see what you're saying, that BM expected to be there by around 9am.
I thought you meant JP.
I misread, so my apologies for making this wretched timeline even more confusing.

I do find it interesting that BM implied to MG at least, that he'd been there on the jobsite working all day before he had to suddenly rush off for the family emergency, but in her estimation, whatever work that was done there wouldn't have taken him longer than 30 minutes.

So if he did arrive somewhere around 9am (I'd love to know check in time and when the surveillance cameras caught him leaving that day for the last time), but then didn't arrive back home until somewhere around 9pm (allowing for commute time), what the heck was BM actually doing for upwards of 8-9 hours that day?

 

[10ofRods]

Saturday timeline as I know it. Please feel free to add or make changes.


Saturday morning MG and BM work at dig site until 1100. Suppose to work all day but BM wants to quit early. (Per MG)

Saturday 1230 - Suzanne stops communication with friend (per AM / PE)

Saturday ?? - BM speaks with JP and asks him to work Sunday (per JP)

Saturday ?? - BM is in town / out shopping (per MG)

Saturday ?? - BM asks MG to get crew together for Sunday (per MG)

Saturday evening - Suzannes FB account requests random friends (per AM / PE)

Possibly Saturday 2330 - Neighbor hears noise at jobsite (per site neighbor and son, not 100% sure which night it was)

The only problem I have is that MG doesn't claim direct knowledge that BM is "in town." She hears about that, she doesn't observe it. I'm willing to trust what she says about what she actually saw, but the rest...I need the eyewitnesses to his presence in town (I think that story is another BM plant).

Thank you so much for doing this - gives me some closure for the day and things to really think about.

 

[Seattle1]

I see what you're saying, that BM expected to be there by around 9am.
I thought you meant JP.
I misread, so my apologies for making this wretched timeline even more confusing.

I do find it interesting that BM implied to MG at least, that he'd been there on the jobsite working all day before he had to suddenly rush off for the family emergency, but in her estimation, whatever work that was done there wouldn't have taken him longer than 30 minutes.

So if he did arrive somewhere around 9am (I'd love to know check in time and when the surveillance cameras caught him leaving that day for the last time), but then didn't arrive back home until somewhere around 9pm (allowing for commute time), what the heck was BM actually doing for upwards of 8-9 hours that day?

I think it's safe to say whatever he did involved chlorine or bleach in the hotel room rented for JP, and very wet towels on the bathroom floor. And sounds like BM also took a nap on the bed at one point. I guess we'll have to wait for a preliminary hearing to learn the rest!

 

[BeckyF]

However, if these workers, were questioned at trial, noting their backgrounds, and perhaps not being so truthful in the past, Defence would tear them apart.
Jury may think, they are not being truthful.
MOO.

I agree. And he knows that.

 

[10ofRods]

It seems reasonable that they would be.
You can't have stoned/tweaking first responders.
Imagine the massive lawsuits.

jmo

Okay, I've done the training to be a volunteer fireman. Fire person? In the small town where I grew up and where my dad lived until recently. Then I completed second level in another town and have a certificate on my wall (along with the equipment I got with the training).

I trained alongside lots of colleagues (many are teachers). I then met more volunteers (SARS, fire, police) and none of us have been drug tested. Nor are we paid.

We're just asked to do certain duties if there's a call-up. And, we are eligible for more training. Let's just say that hose handling and stairwell search and security are not my cuppa.

 

[BeckyF]

I wish LS had asked MG more about BM spending 'all afternoon' in town.

At 1100, MG thought he was going home to spend time with his wife, hiking or biking. That didn't preclude them going for a ride or hike (as far as MG knew) and then going into town later. MG may simply have assumed from BM's reason that he would be spending the rest of the day and evening with SM.

I agree. A lot more questions needed to be asked.

 

[KLM6]

The only problem I have is that MG doesn't claim direct knowledge that BM is "in town." She hears about that, she doesn't observe it. I'm willing to trust what she says about what she actually saw, but the rest...I need the eyewitnesses to his presence in town (I think that story is another BM plant).

Thank you so much for doing this - gives me some closure for the day and things to really think about.

Yes, all of it is hearsay. It was just getting confusing so I typed out what we've "heard" took place.

 

[AmandaSkis]

I really believe that BM had somewhat planned the death of SM, but something went haywire and he had to switch up plans. Then he had to get some "help" covering the botched job. Unfortunately for him, I think the people he thought would cover for him, will, in the end, be more concerned with "saving their own hides" !

I was going to write this same line of thinking. I’m still in the premeditation camp but now I think there are others involved.

 

[PaulaDC]

There were great photos of his truck in the TD video as he drove by and as TD walked past his truck as it was parked. I'll see if I can dig some up.

That probably was his Mom's truck as his was impounded? moo

 

[PaulaDC]

Agreed. The phrase "looked like he had just had the worst night of his life" is particularly inflammatory, unless she actually voiced it that way at the time. A statement like that could be damning if she can back it up by someone she said it to or wrote it down (she doesn't strike me as the type of person to keep a diary, but you never know) - but if not, I think it can actually work against her credibility as a witness as it possibly reveals some bias/resentment/etc. on her part. I'd rather her stick to factual descriptions (his clothes were dirty and rumpled, he had bags under his eyes, he was hyper/manic in his words and actions, etc.) On one hand, I'm glad to see these individuals sticking up for themselves and to BM, but I'm worried that those emotions may be playing a part in how they are speaking about the events in question. MOO, JMO

In my opinion that sounds like something you would say about a hangover.

 

[AmandaSkis]

The whole point of hiring someone though, is to distance yourself from the crime. If he had done that, then his alibi should be rock solid.

Not only is his alibi not rock solid, but it’s falling apart with each new revelation. That work trip was thrown together last minute, the condition of the room was suspicious, Barry left the wrong tools, never had the supplies delivered, and spent at Morgan’s estimation, 30 minutes or so setting up the job.

Hitmen don’t typically remove bodies, or stage evidence. If Barry did those things afterwards, then what was the point of hiring someone?

Personally I’m undecided as to if this was planned or not, or if Barry had help after the fact.

Those are fair points. I still think premeditated but now I’m wondering if someone else killed SM but really messed up. Maybe BM’s strange behavior noted by MG is attributed to BM waiting on word that the murder has happened. Friday night, something goes wrong and no murder, so BM decides he has to take care of this himself. That could explain the messy alibi.

 

[Deleted member 102539]

Consider the source, though. MG has no actual personal knowledge of where Barry was after noon.

Where does she learn that he was "in town"? Who could know that he was in town the whole time? Some other person - who actually was with Barry? OR, perhaps MG was told by people that Barry was "in town."

Could that be the two men who approached her? "Look, M., we were with him in town - he was in town all afternoon."

In which case, those two guys (if lying) are simply aiding BM. Or, more likely, these two men were simply told by BM.. "I was in town all afternoon" when in fact none of these people have personal knowledge of his whereabouts.

Although..if even one of them said they saw Barry in town that afternoon, that's establishing an alibi and complicating the case for LE.

I personally do not think BM was "in town" all afternoon.

I remember the wording "BM was in town shopping by himself/on his own", so I had the impression, he never ever was shopping before "by himself". What does that mean exactly? Is it even important to know? Didn't he buy groceries before this Saturday? Didn't he buy disinfectants/bleach and similar before this Saturday? Didn't he buy a set of 10 T-shirts or diapers before this Saturday (based on Frazee's purchase )?

 

[BeckyF]

I really believe that BM had somewhat planned the death of SM, but something went haywire and he had to switch up plans. Then he had to get some "help" covering the botched job. Unfortunately for him, I think the people he thought would cover for him, will, in the end, be more concerned with "saving their own hides" !

My only reservation about the theory that he had help is that he had only lived in the area since 2018. I can’t imagine having enough trust in someone that he couldn’t have been that close to that you would ask that person to help cover up a murder. Of course at this point since the discussion recently has been around the people that worked for him, those are the ones I’m thinking of so it could have been someone else he was closer to.

 

[PaulaDC]

MG said that on Saturday, BM wanted her to work on the area sloping down toward the river at the east Salida worksite, bringing in and spreading sand so it was less mucky. Then, she claimed that BM declared they were done for the day at 11:00 and she was surprised because she thought they were ending work before the job they were there that day to do was actually complete.

So, what was that all about?

I wonder if the sand was delivered that same morning or the day before and if the entire load was delivered to the east Salida site or if some part of it was delivered to Puma Path.

If the entire load went to the east Salida site (or even if not), I wonder whether some of what was delivered to east Salida was later loaded into a truck bed (thus the sound of heavy machinery near midnight at the east Salida site) and then moved to Puma Path for a middle of the night hardscaping project.

So far, this case and the disclosures of the BM-related people involved produce as many questions as they do answers.

I think that BM had the thought if MG was on that property and seen it would appear that she had completed that job. He cut her off but the question is, did BM come back and put SM in that spot and then complete the job with the fresh sand making it appear that MG had done that work not he himself, disassociating himself from that spot? Is this where he switched the bucket out on the machine and added the blade after to smooth out "rake" the sand which was the job he told MG she was there for. Is this discrepancy what started that dig?

 

[Topppps]

I can’t tell you how much I dislike the wood chipper theory.

That sort of thing is incredibly rare on the whole, yet I’ve seen it brought up in countless cases now. Not once has it been true.

Barry had limited time, as he had a hell of a lot to accomplish in the hours following the murder. Not only that, but using a machine like that creates more evidence than it destroys.

That machine would have to be disappeared as well, as the forensic evidence inside would bury BM.

I don't know if the forensic evidence in a woodchipper would be enough even today. Sure it would produce evidence such as chopped hair and human sawdust but that wouldn't be the right type of evidence. Since you would have to prove the person is dead, the chipper would have to produce bones that could be found that would prove the person is dead and that is certainly not a given they barely solved the Helle Craft case.

I don't know if I would say it produces more evidence than it destroys since it would only leave like a handful of evidence.

 

[PaulaDC]

I'm right with you that something is fishy about MG raking that beach area.
The neighbor said the 'noise' lasted about 1/2 hour.
About right for chipping a body.
Was the chipper on small tires that needed smooth ground to roll down near the water???

Raking with a blade. No way did he expect a female to rake sand by hand. moo

 

[PaulaDC]

He was pacing. I feel LE didn't look under the water. They missed her. That's where his cocky attitude has come from. He never thought they may go back. moo

 

[NWLady]

I'm a little undecided on one of MG's comments in her interview to LS, it doesn't make much sense to me - maybe I am overthinking it? MG said that if BM was innocent she would have expected him to maybe talk to her as she has worked with him a long time, but then, in the next sentence she says she is scared of him? Does she mean she is scared of him now as she thinks that he is responsible for Suzanne's disappearance or has she always been scared of him? Because, if I was scared of someone that I worked with and had been scared of them for a long time - I wouldn't expect them to talk to me about issues outside of work etc because I wouldn't see us as having a comfortable working relationship. I would avoid spending much time with them alone or at all tbh unless absolutely necessary, also MG said that the original Broomfield job was supposed to be just her and BM iirc, I wouldn't be too happy about spending time working with someone that scared me when it would just be the 2 of us, and assuming that they would car share - travelling that distance together alone? with someone your scared of? like I said, maybe I am overthinking it, but idk.

JMO but I think it's possible the reason she is scared now is because she has talked to LE/investigators and has turned over her phone and may be afraid of retaliation now from BM because of those things, possibly?

 

[TexieLouWho21]

Raking with a blade. No way did he expect a female to rake sand by hand. moo

Excuse me, what do you mean by this? Specifically the "female" part. Hopefully I am misinterpreting.

 

[Iwondertoo]

I see what you're saying, that BM expected to be there by around 9am.
I thought you meant JP.
I misread, so my apologies for making this wretched timeline even more confusing.

I do find it interesting that BM implied to MG at least, that he'd been there on the jobsite working all day before he had to suddenly rush off for the family emergency, but in her estimation, whatever work that was done there wouldn't have taken him longer than 30 minutes.

So if he did arrive somewhere around 9am (I'd love to know check in time and when the surveillance cameras caught him leaving that day for the last time), but then didn't arrive back home until somewhere around 9pm (allowing for commute time), what the heck was BM actually doing for upwards of 8-9 hours that day?

Honestly, I think he was sleeping.

I doubt he slept at all Saturday night with all his worrying, planning and organizing of his work schedule and workers. By the time he drove to Broomfield early Sunday morning (he says he left Salida at 5 am but who knows?) , then did a half hour work Sunday morning prepping the job sight (per MG) then transferred the tools to a hotel cart and bleached the tools and/or himself, he must have been exhausted. His adrenaline would have been spent.

Frankly, with how frenetic his Saturday to Sunday sounds, I find it surprising that he was able to wake up Sunday afternoon for his daughters texts or calls when they started worrying about their missing mom.

My mind boggles.

JMO