Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 #80 *arrest*

[OldCop]

I have screencapped the swan dive photo and I uploaded but it was removed. I've been looking for the trailer pic again, too. I can't remember if the ATV was on it.

Here ya go, @sk716.

 

[O.Incandenza]

If I remember correctly, the Media Consortium made both their motion and the Judge's response public prior to the Judge unsealing them, pursuant to Rule 55.1. OP accessed the same to attach the snapshot here so I don't understand the complaint. Perhaps contacting the court clerk may answer why the unsealed docs have not been docketed on the public site. MOO

ETA: add link
Judge rejects media consortium’s request to reconsider sealing of Barry Morphew arrest affidavit - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition

No motions of any sort have been posted to the court's public website, as far as I can see. Only the complaint and orders from the court itself. I assume that's just standard practice for the district.

The motions are probably publicly available via whatever Colorado's equivalent of pacer is. Or someone could go to the court itself and access them that way. The filings/orders etc for most cases aren't accessible at all through the public court website, as far as I can tell. I think this is the only one listed in the 11th district. Some districts don't have any at all.

 

[O.Incandenza]

I share that 'hair-brained idea' and am not so sure I'm 'side-eyeing' it just yet. Everything feels 'off' and granted, it should.
One does start to doubt everything when lies abound but in the case of Suzanne's phone? My hinky meter was off the charts. I think he was texting from both phones to each other AND to JL. I'm not 100% solid but I somehow can't help thinking it's possible.
IMO

I think this is very unlikely. In order to do this he would have had to have remote access to both her linked-in and whatsapp accounts, since texts were being sent from those accounts to JL during times we know BM was at DSI or at the job site with MG. I'm pretty sure LE would have found evidence of that access.

But the thing that makes me almost positive he didn't have access to those accounts is that all the communication stopped after 3 PM on Saturday. If BM had been remotely sending messages pretending to be Suzanne prior to killing her, he almost certainly would have continued to do so until some time on Sunday. That would have made his alibi much, much stronger. The complete cessation of digital activity from Suzanne after Saturday afternoon is one of the most damning pieces of evidence against him.

 

[sk716]

Here ya go, @sk716.

I've Google Earthed a lot of dirt roads in those mountains this evening. I've seen two spots that might be the right area, but the sat images on Google Earth are from 2015. Google Maps is too flat to get an idea of location. Both were on the Whitepine side of Bald Mountain, but the images are six years old and may look very different today.

Interestingly, there are a lot of obvious 4-wheeler trails on Bald Mountain even though they seem rare on Monarch and Pahlone.

 

[Seattle1]

No motions of any sort have been posted to the court's public website, as far as I can see. Only the complaint and orders from the court itself. I assume that's just standard practice for the district.

The motions are probably publicly available via whatever Colorado's equivalent of pacer is. Or someone could go to the court itself and access them that way. The filings/orders etc for most cases aren't accessible at all through the public court website, as far as I can tell. I think this is the only one listed in the 11th district. Some districts don't have any at all.

Colorado maintains a few non-subscription, public dockets for cases of interest but not all cases make the list. Posting the public link for BM's case below for convenience.

Although the unsealed motions in question are not present as of this post date, it could very well be an oversight by the county court clerk. In my experience, it wouldn't be the first time and it's easily remedied by contacting the clerk directly. Nonetheless, the motion docs are available for public viewing at the consortium news site previously linked up-thread. MOO

Colorado Judicial Branch - 11th Judicial District - Homepage

 

[marylamby]

I think this is very unlikely. In order to do this he would have had to have remote access to both her linked-in and whatsapp accounts, since texts were being sent from those accounts to JL during times we know BM was at DSI or at the job site with MG. I'm pretty sure LE would have found evidence of that access.

But the thing that makes me almost positive he didn't have access to those accounts is that all the communication stopped after 3 PM on Saturday. If BM had been remotely sending messages pretending to be Suzanne prior to killing her, he almost certainly would have continued to do so until some time on Sunday. That would have made his alibi much, much stronger. The complete cessation of activity from Suzanne after Saturday afternoon is one of the most damning pieces of evidence against him.

Yes but Sunday in the AM is when the supposed bike ride/mountain lion/abduction happened so why would she have needed to contacted anyone.
BM had already disposed of her and her phone.

 

[Seattle1]

Yes but Sunday in the AM is when the supposed bike ride/mountain lion/abduction happened so why would she have needed to contacted anyone.
BM had already disposed of her and her phone.

SM had much on her calendar for Sunday, May 10 including the virtual wedding of SO's daughter, and also expecting her daughters and a house guest to join her on Mother's Day. I think court evidence will show that SM going dark mid-day Saturday was very unusual for SM. MOO

 

[sk716]

Do we know which areas were searched? I kind of got the impression that at least one day was just right along Hwy 50.

Ya know, the only time I've ever been in Colorado was the time we stopped at Four Corners on the way to the Grand Canyon, but I'm carrying a whole lot of geology and geography of southern CO now.

 

[Puzzles8]

I like visual aids, too, @sk716. @Trackergd and I have always thought that area was where BM brought her body. A power line parallels the back road to the RV park. It would be easy enough to start down the road on an ATV, then go over to the power line cut, follow that for a while, then veer off up into the mountains that way.
Few folks would use that road at night. If BM traveled along that road with no headlights, it would be easy enough to pull off if he saw headlights from another vehicle. Once he was off road and up into the mountainside, he’d be scot free.

To add, there was almost a full moon that night.

 

[charminglane]

(Assuming you are being serious) It was NOT 85 in one afternoon. "#BarryMorphew didn't shoot 85 chipmunks all at once."

source:
https://twitter.com/laurenscharftv/status/1429809514954514436?s=21

NEVER assume I am serious.
Seriously!

 

[OldCop]

I obviously missed this along the way -- where exactly is this hiking/biking trail relative to Puma Path and the Ritter's home?

When I looked on google maps for the Colorado Trail, I see it heading north from the trailhead at hwy 50, but I don't see the route on the south side of the highway.

The Colorado Trail crosses 50 at 225 and goes south towards Fooses. Ironically, the north side of the Colorado Trail near Hwy 50 intersects with County Rd 228.
228 leads to Garfield Mine where BM said he turned around after following a herd of elk on the morning of May 10th before heading to Broomfield.

 

[marylamby]

I agree unless the potentially rare occurrence where he doesn't move this case forward. If that happens I believe he will keep the AA sealed.

We shall soon see!

 

[OldCop]

Do we know which areas were searched? I kind of got the impression that at least one day was just right along Hwy 50.

Ya know, the only time I've ever been in Colorado was the time we stopped at Four Corners on the way to the Grand Canyon, but I'm carrying a whole lot of geology and geography of southern CO now.

LE closed Hwy 50 from 225 up to Monarch Pass on Friday, May 15th for a search after SM’s helmet was found on Thursday. It was located about a half mile west of 225 off the road on the south side of the highway.
No other evidence was known to be found during that search.

 

[marylamby]

SM had much on her calendar for Sunday, May 10 including the virtual wedding of SO's daughter, and also expecting her daughters and a house guest to join her on Mother's Day. I think court evidence will show that SM going dark mid-day Saturday was very unusual for SM. MOO

Totally agree. I was responding to the question where if he'd continued using her phone on Sunday, his alibi would've been more believable - or something to that effect.
Please see the post I was responding to.

 

[sk716]

So, I just accidentally discovered the final blow to any theory that involves putting Suzanne in the river at the house:


There's a small dam to the east of the RV park

 

[Seattle1]

Totally agree. I was responding to the question where if he'd continued using her phone on Sunday, his alibi would've been more believable - or something to that effect.
Please see the post I was responding to.

Actually, I'm in agreement with OP and don't believe BM was impersonating SM (using her LinkedIn and/or WhatsApp) on Saturday or Sunday.

 

[sk716]

LE closed Hwy 50 from 225 up to Monarch Pass on Friday, May 15th for a search after SM’s helmet was found on Thursday. It was located about a half mile west of 225 off the road on the south side of the highway.
No other evidence was known to be found during that search.

Of course not, she was to the south (MOO).

I gotta talk this through, might be gobbledegook ... he takes the bike and helmet west on 50 towards Monarch (town). Turns around on May 10 on the turn off to the Garfield mine in Monarch. If we assume (I know, I know) that White Pines refers the area on the west side of Bald Mountain, Whitepine (which he would have had time to drive to in a car or truck, but would not have been able to get to on an ATV without using public roads) and while "searching" for Suzanne, puts on a big show for Andy...

It's misdirection. It's gotta be. He wanted LEOs to look west, and look at hikers/bikers/fictional evil hobos so obviously, she can't be to the west.

 

[marylamby]

Actually, I'm in agreement with OP and don't believe BM was impersonating SM (using her LinkedIn and/or WhatsApp) on Saturday or Sunday.

That's more than fine, I'm not convinced of anything and open to everything. I'm always impressed with and value your input.

 

[OldCop]

Of course not, she was to the south (MOO).

I gotta talk this through, might be gobbledegook ... he takes the bike and helmet west on 50 towards Monarch (town). Turns around on May 10 on the turn off to the Garfield mine in Monarch. If we assume (I know, I know) that White Pines refers the area on the west side of Bald Mountain, Whitepine (which he would have had time to drive to in a car or truck, but would not have been able to get to on an ATV without using public roads) and while "searching" for Suzanne, puts on a big show for Andy...

It's misdirection. It's gotta be. He wanted LEOs to look west, and look at hikers/bikers/fictional evil hobos so obviously, she can't be to the west.

“Look over here, not over there.”
He did the same thing when he was talking to TD. He kept pointing up to the north saying that’s where the mountain lion would have dragged her.

 

[OldCop]

So, I just accidentally discovered the final blow to any theory that involves putting Suzanne in the river at the house:
View attachment 311781

There's a small dam to the east of the RV park

Yes, and they sent divers in there to search.