CO - BARRY ARRESTED AGAIN - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 *Case dismissed w/o prejudice* *found in 2023* #118

[katydid23]

Cash or property bond.
Crap. So he needs 300k?

If he can come up with 300K, why is he given a public defender?

 

[Seni]

Horrifying is the correct word. Does this rise to judicial misconduct? The Gray line is becoming very blurry. My opinion only.

Judge already had her judgment ready before the presentations by prosecution and defence.

I understand that she got prior arguments from both sides but she should have given greater consideration to the presentations made today. IMO

She seemed bored.

Track record?

 

[DizzyB]

It is my opinion that Barry might find it quite difficult to adhere to the bond requirements given he has continued to believe himself impervious to the law. I hope local LE keeps a close watch

Curious about where he will live-the condo that is currently for sale? When he got out the first time, I seem to remember something about the monitoring being problematic due to the signal strength where he was staying. Was I imagining that?

 

[steeltowngirl]

If he can come up with 300K, why is he given a public defender?

The public defender had some kind of conflict. So Jane and company stepped in. Seems fishy to me.

JMO

 

[katydid23]

The judge said that she wouldn't reduce the bail amount but did modify the terms of the bond. The bond was changed to a cash surety or property bond. That means that a bail bond company posts the bail on the defendant's behalf for a non-refundable fee, typically 10-15% of the total bail amount, which means that he could pay $300,000 for the bond.

The judge also added additional conditions to the bond terms for Barry Morphew:

• He must surrender his passport
• He may not leave Colorado for any reason
• He will wear a GPS monitor
• He cannot leave his home for any reason except to appear in court, meet with his attorneys, attend a doctor's appointment, or for a medical emergency.
• He must use only his name of Barry Morphew
• He must only drive vehicles registered to him
• He may not possess or control any firearm.

Colorado judge denies reduction of Barry Morphew's bail, modifies bond terms for alleged murder of wife Suzanne

Barry Morphew appeared in a Colorado courtroom for a hearing on Tuesday, where a judge failed to reduce his bail but did modify the terms of his bond.

www.cbsnews.com

Sept 2

Are his defense attorneys public defenders?

If he can post 300k, how can he get public defenders?

 

[katydid23]

The public defender had some kind of conflict. So Jane and company stepped in. Seems fishy to me.

JMO

But aren't they being paid by the state, like a public defender would be?

 

[fcavanaugh]

If he does make payment/bonds out, I’ll be very interested where BM chooses to reside in CO. Thinking back to his first time out on bond in 2021, iirc his GPS monitor did not work properly due to where he chose to live had unreliable signal or some such, and he was ordered by the court to travel to neighboring town (Poncha Springs?) for GPS activity download. What good is GPS monitoring if it doesn’t work properly and/or poor signal due to where someone lives and before anyone realizing is the case/being reported to the authorities and the court gets wind of it, the person has cut it off, fled and/or etc.

I agree and hope the Colorado authorities watch/monitor BM very, very closely as imo him fleeing or pulling a Fotis Dulos are a possibility. The former being more of a risk than the latter imo but who knows.

IMO for as long as the M daughters’ continue to support BM, he’s less likely to off himself prior to going on trial. IMO all bets are off so to speak if they stop supporting him which personally I don’t see happening anytime soon, if ever, even after he’s (hopefully) convicted.
I could be wrong but we’ve seen it in many, many other cases (too many to count) offspring supporting the parent murderer even post conviction. I can definitely picture that being the case here as well.

IMHOO

#JUSTICEFORSUZANNE

ETA-clarification

 

[steeltowngirl]

But aren't they being paid by the state, like a public defender would be?

I think they are being paid by the state. From what I understand, Jane and David are essentially the hand picked public defenders.

Since Morphew is in custody, the judge determined that he has the right to an attorney appointed by the state, but she said state public defenders have recused themselves because of a conflict of interest.

Prosecutors said they would provide Morphew's attorneys with the grand jury records and a witness list within the next three weeks and were "prepared to go to trial at any time."

A smiling Barry Morphew makes first court appearance after extradition

Barry Morphew, the Colorado man accused of killing his wife and burying her in a shallow grave in the San Luis Valley, made his first court appearance Tuesday.

www.koaa.com

 

[TIGER0822]

The public defender had some kind of conflict. So Jane and company stepped in. Seems fishy to me.

JMO

DBM

 

[steeltowngirl]

Is this correct ? (BBM)

“If Morphew is able to post the 10 percent, or $300,000, through a surety, he will not get that money back, even if he complies with all orders of the court and appears at all hearings. That is a fee that the bail bondsperson would keep for risking the $3 million bond.

Judge gives Barry Morphew a chance at pre-trial release

Should he post bond, Barry Morphew would not be allowed to use aliases and would be subject to GPS monitoring.

www.cpr.org

 

[GOBliaison]

If he does make payment/bonds out, I’ll be very interested where BM chooses to reside in CO. Thinking back to his first time out on bond in 2021, iirc his GPS monitor did not work properly due to where he chose to live had unreliable signal or some such and was ordered by the court to travel to neighboring town (Poncha Springs?) for GPS activity download. What good is GPS monitoring if it doesn’t work properly and before anyone realizing is the case and being reported to the authorities and the court gets wind of it, the person has cut it off, fled and/or etc.

I agree and hope the Colorado authorities watch/monitor BM very, very closely as imo him fleeing or pulling a Fotis Dulos are a possibility. The former being more of a risk than the latter imo but who knows.

IMO for as long as the M daughters’ continue to support BM, he’s less likely to off himself. IMO all bets are off if they turn on him which personally I don’t see happening anytime soon, if ever, even after he’s (hopefully) convicted.
I could be wrong but we’ve seen it in many other cases offspring supporting the parent murderer even post conviction and I can definitely picture it being the case here as well.

IMHOO

#JUSTICEFORSUZANNE

Then, IMCO, no ultimate male suitor(s) will ever materialize. Which, all-in-all, is neither (1) the end of the world, nor (2) fraught with the perilous prospect(s) of having Barry Lee Morphew as one's father-in-law.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Protection order
https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/Protection Order.pdf

 

[fcavanaugh]

Just popping this here for information purposes about the Judge’s background/credentials. Apologies if posted previously and I missed it.
Snipped from link below and BBM:

“Judge Hopkins was appointed to the district court bench on July 10, 2018. Prior to her judicial appointment, she began her legal career in 2007 as a deputy public defender with the Alamosa Office of the Colorado State Public Defender. She represented juvenile and adult clients. In December 2011, she was named managing deputy public defender of the Alamosa office. In that capacity she divided her time between court administrative matters and representation of indigent clients accused of felony crimes. Hopkins earned her B.A. from the University of Puget Sound in 2001 and her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law in 2006.”

*IMO, interesting.

Amanda C. Hopkins appointed chief judge of the 12th Judicial District | Colorado Judicial Branch

www.coloradojudicial.gov

IMHOO

#JUSTICEFORSUZANNE

 

[MarleyMahem]

I don't know how to add a mainstream media article as I'm a long time lurker only. But the judge had some words about the bond issue that I didn't hear earlier that came out and I wanted to share them. How do I do that, please?

 

[katydid23]

I don't know how to add a mainstream media article as I'm a long time lurker only. But the judge had some words about the bond issue that I didn't hear earlier that came out and I wanted to share them. How do I do that, please?

Can you copy and paste the url, in the very top centre of the page of the article. Copy it from the article then paste it on your post. It will be a working link.

 

[MarleyMahem]

https://kdvr.com/news/local/judge-denies-reduced-bond-for-barry-morphew-during-2nd-murder-trial/

Ugly mug of Barry - love that prosecution told the judge all the aliases, grime, and especially that he was living in a trailer driving the same old vehicles. Yes, because he's a cheapskate - always was. % all his life That's why he never registered the vehicles properly and switched the plates around. He's a sorry excuse. Justice for Suzanne!

 

[MarleyMahem]

Can you copy and paste the url, in the very top centre of the page of the article. Copy it from the article then paste it on your post. It will be a working link.

I think it worked-TY very much!

 

[Seattle1]

The bond deal stinks. He doesn't deserve to go home until trial.

I'm trying to find a sliver of a bright side. With the Libby and Abby case, the defendant RA garnered a ton of public and legal support due to (in some folks' minds) a perceived bias on the part of the judge against RA. Perhaps this new judge is taking a careful approach to avoid similar in the Morphew case.

With help from Barry's previous defense team playing fast and loose with facts, he managed to skate away before his case went to trial. Until now. Armed with far more evidence, and a better prosecution team, this time the case WILL get to a jury.

A jury will see through his charade.
There WILL be justice for Suzanne.

JMO

A Colorado warehouse worker (Jerrelle Smith, 41), in part, is who we have to thank for this bond injustice!

In August 2024, Smith was finally convicted of enriching himself by collecting the pay of "fake" co-workers and then arranging the killing of the supervisor who discovered the plot.

Although the murder of the supervisor happened in Oct 2021, Smith's Murder trial was delayed until 2024 because his pretrial bond release hearing was pending before the Supreme Court until June 20, 2023, when the higher Court decided in favor with his defense that the terms "capital punishment" (cited in the Colorado Constitution) inferred punishment by death, and since the death penalty was abolished in Colorado on or after July 1, 2021, the higher court concluded that the district court abused its discretion when it treated Smith’s charge of first degree murder as a "capital offense," and then denied Smith’s request for bail.

As a result of the Supreme Court's Decision, between June 20, 2023, to Nov 5, 2024, when Amendment I was passed-- correcting the intent of the drafters of the Constitution, all defendants charged with Murder in the first degree, were eligible for pretrial bond release, where the only exception for no bail, PEPG, was completely disregarded.

Smith finally had his bond hearing on July 28, 2023, and bail was set at $1M. Since he was unable to make bail, he remained in jail awaiting his August 2024 trial.

Here, with Morphew, we're still dealing with the after-shock of the Supreme Court's utter nonsense decision! MOO

Although Amendment I restored no bail for Murder in the first degree, the effective date for the Amendment applies only to offenses which occurred on or beyond the date voted or Nov 5, 2024.

Colorado warehouse employee convicted of arranging murder of supervisor

A Colorado warehouse worker was convicted Thursday of enriching himself by collecting the pay of "fake" co-workers and then arranging the killing of the supervisor who discovered the plot.

www.cbsnews.com

7/28/23

Bail set at $1 million for man accused of plotting murder to cover up payroll scheme​

 

[steeltowngirl]

A Colorado warehouse worker (Jerrelle Smith, 41), in part, is who we have to thank for this bond injustice!

In August 2024, Smith was finally convicted of enriching himself by collecting the pay of "fake" co-workers and then arranging the killing of the supervisor who discovered the plot.

Although the murder of the supervisor happened in Oct 2021, Smith's Murder trial was delayed until 2024 because his pretrial bond release hearing was pending before the Supreme Court until June 20, 2023, when the higher Court decided in favor with his defense that the terms "capital punishment" (cited in the Colorado Constitution) inferred punishment by death, and since the death penalty was abolished in Colorado on or after July 1, 2021, the higher court concluded that the district court abused its discretion when it treated Smith’s charge of first degree murder as a "capital offense," and then denied Smith’s request for bail.

As a result of the Supreme Court's Decision, between June 20, 2023, to Nov 5, 2024, when Amendment I was passed-- correcting the intent of the drafters of the Constitution, all defendants charged with Murder in the first degree, were eligible for pretrial bond release, where the only exception for no bail, PEPG, was completely disregarded.

Smith finally had his bond hearing on July 28, 2023, and bail was set at $1M. Since he was unable to make bail, he remained in jail awaiting his August 2024 trial.

Here, with Morphew, we're still dealing with the after-shock of the Supreme Court's utter nonsense decision! MOO

Although Amendment I restored no bail for Murder in the first degree, the effective date for the Amendment applies only to offenses which occurred on or beyond the date voted or Nov 5, 2024.

Colorado warehouse employee convicted of arranging murder of supervisor

A Colorado warehouse worker was convicted Thursday of enriching himself by collecting the pay of "fake" co-workers and then arranging the killing of the supervisor who discovered the plot.

www.cbsnews.com

7/28/23

Bail set at $1 million for man accused of plotting murder to cover up payroll scheme​

Whoa.. isn’t that rich? A now-convicted murderer set the standard for future murderers.

Thank you for finding the back story. Excellent sleuthing work, as always!

 

[Seattle1]

But aren't they being paid by the state, like a public defender would be?

Yes.