Still Missing CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 *arrest* #86

[FromGermany1]

I just read, that SM wanted a divorce since 2 years, so since 2018. It fits with her twitter, when she stopped to praise her husband, if I remember well. Does anybody know, if it is true? IF like that, BM had a lot more time to make plans of how to get rid of his wife SM (and a lot more time to listen to "True Crime").

 

[FromGermany1]

I think that is exactly what happened. BM picked up SM's phone and saw enough to cause him to search the porches, the garage, and break down the bedroom door.

Maybe, from the garage he got something, he had prepared already (dart, dart gun).

 

[StarrDetective]

Don’t know if anyone happened to catch Dateline on Friday night, Season 30, Episode 7, Horror at the Lake. It is about a FL woman who was murdered in her home. During the course of the investigation investigators obtained cell phone records from her phone. They were able to show her cell movement from the house, through the yard, and down to the lake behind her home right after her murder. There was a graphic which showed the steps taken by whoever carried the phone to the lake where it was discarded along with some security cameras, also removed from the home.
This is the same type of data being used in the SM case to show his movements on the afternoon of May 9, when it is believed he was chasing SM around the home prior to killing her. BM has stated he was chasing/killing chipmunks.
Just found it interesting to see it being used in this investigation.

I watched it and also found it interesting. Immediately reminded me of this case. The way the prosecution displayed the movement was great. Impossible to deny

 

[mrjitty]

Allowing for bad connections accuracy is within a couple of yards.

RSBM

Just chiming in to say I use Garmin to track daily runs. I know the routes by heart and it is amazingly accurate. You get the milestone markers down to the tree every time.

There have been a couple of times when my watch has struggled to acquire the GPS properly - usually in bad weather but over a half hour run it figures it out - but on those occasions, often it short counts the meters - so i have to run a bit further.

It's also noticeable that in a very open area of my course i tend to get a faster time there than under tree cover which i believe is because GPS is more accurate there.

My experience is my phone receives GPS much better than my watch - presumably because it has a better antenna (big surface vs small surface)

So not surprised at what you have plotted there - great work!

 

[mrjitty]

I am not fully familiar on how this is done, but I did find this information online:
You don’t need a smartwatch, fitness band, or pedometer to track your steps. Your phone can track how many steps you take and how far you walk all by itself, assuming you just carry it with you in your pocket.

Can confirm.

Before I got my Garmin watch, I tracked all my runs on my phone. You get a very accurate route map, and step count, current speed, average speed, splits etc - It's just not as good as having a fitness watch.

So basically all of that base data is being tracked - e.g by Android / Google Maps, even if you don't have a running app installed.

 

[Megnut]

If you're used to "controlling things for quite a while" but your partner begins to resist or push back, nah, you don't back down, not if ya wanna win at control. Nope, you gotta raise the stakes.

Controllers become more controlling.

Sometimes to the ultimate end.

We've heard it said, of many a controller: he put her in her place.

A dart'll do that too.

He needed her to be quiet. He'd have barbecued that spy pen too, if only he'd known about it.

IMO he was hoping she'd take their secrets to the grave.

Oh, Suzanne, I did it for you.

IMO that makes sense to him.

And THAT to me is chilling.

JMO

 

[OldCop]

I think those images are out there. Need credentials to get them.

And it shows someone in the cab of the black truck. Never noticed that before...

And, maybe he picked up her phone, unlocked it, saw the texts and pic between JL and SM ...

I believe the two vehicles at the top of the drive were LE offficers. Likely at least one was stationed there because the house was locked down. The other, if he wasn’t also assigned there, probably pulled in to say hello or to relieve him for a lunch break. I remember some very long days sitting guarding a scene…..

 

[Megnut]

If Suzanne was showering when Barry arrived home at 2:43, she wouldn't have heard his truck. Or even FELT it.

(The brown towel has a story to tell. She brought it outside. I think she wrapped herself in it to go inside, hung her bikini up, showered, dried off with that same brown towel and left it hanging in the bathroom, and IMO, Barry used this same towel when HE next showered, and paranoid, disposed of it as a contact point, same with each shirt in Broomfield.)

(The cracked door has a story to tell. It COULD have happened anytime prior, it COULD have happened just prior to Suzanne's "I'm done" pronouncement and her text to her sister, but IMO, the data suggests that it happened right about 2:47. Which means Suzanne was locked in her bedroom. I find it hard to believe that, tranqued, she out-ran him; I find it easier to believe that she was already in the bedroom when he arrived, ergo his futile chipmunk dash from porch to porch.)

(Suzanne's cellphone has a story to tell, as does her power cord. I think it's very possible Suzanne charged her phone bedside at night, and tableside by day. I do. Which may mean Suzanne left it charging while she attempted to connect with JL on what's app with another device. If Barry did see her phone, and did see anything displeasing to him, no stretch to imagine him ripping the phone and cord right from the wall, then running to the bedroom with both phones. When asked about airplane mode, am I remembering right, that he answered oddly with a kitchen reference that didn't even answer the question? In any case, I think it's safe to say that Suzanne was not attending to her phone after 2:11 as indicated by all the unanswered texts and calls from Barry. She was in civil mode and IMO not in poke-the-Beary mode. Surely she'd know that ignoring him would inflame him. She was trying to extricate herself gently, unaware of the violence ahead of her.)

(One last thing, the scratches on Barry's arm and possibly hands, the ones he himself said came from a tree, either on the hike that didn't happen or from his searching, prove to me that Suzanne was close enough and alive enough to fight for her life. She had no .22. She had no dart. She had no power cord. All she had was her fingernails. She was outgunned, overpowered.)

You lay those stories one alongside another, you get a pretty clear picture.

LWOP

JMO

 

[Deleted member 718]

Colorado Judicial Branch - Court Docket Search

Docket for: Chaffee County - Chaffee Combined Court
Showing 1 - 2 of 2 records


Date Len Appearance Name Hearing Type Case # Location Division
11/9/21
1:30 PM 2Hr IN PERSON MORPHEW, BARRY Motions Hearing D82021CR78 Chaffee County Division 2
11/9/21
1:30 PM 1Hr IN PERSON MORPHEW, BARRY Status Conference D82021CR85 Chaffee County Division 2

 

[sk716]

I believe the two vehicles at the top of the drive were LE offficers. Likely at least one was stationed there because the house was locked down. The other, if he wasn’t also assigned there, probably pulled in to say hello or to relieve him for a lunch break. I remember some very long days sitting guarding a scene…..

That reminds me, the other day someone asked about the date on all of the helicopter footage, but the post got lost in the shuffle. I knew it was the 23rd, but while working on the AA and timeline, I noticed that the 23rd was Necrosearch day at the house, they had been at the CR105 'rock beach' property on the 22nd. I believe the home was released back to the family after the 23rd search. It had been four days on the Puma Path property at that point with the needle cap being found in the dryer on the 19th and the spy pen on the 20th.

 

[sk716]

If Suzanne was showering when Barry arrived home at 2:43, she wouldn't have heard his truck. Or even FELT it.

(The brown towel has a story to tell. She brought it outside. I think she wrapped herself in it to go inside, hung her bikini up, showered, dried off with that same brown towel and left it hanging in the bathroom, and IMO, Barry used this same towel when HE next showered, and paranoid, disposed of it as a contact point, same with each shirt in Broomfield.)

(The cracked door has a story to tell. It COULD have happened anytime prior, it COULD have happened just prior to Suzanne's "I'm done" pronouncement and her text to her sister, but IMO, the data suggests that it happened right about 2:47. Which means Suzanne was locked in her bedroom. I find it hard to believe that, tranqued, she out-ran him; I find it easier to believe that she was already in the bedroom when he arrived, ergo his futile chipmunk dash from porch to porch.)

(Suzanne's cellphone has a story to tell, as does her power cord. I think it's very possible Suzanne charged her phone bedside at night, and tableside by day. I do. Which may mean Suzanne left it charging while she attempted to connect with JL on what's app with another device. If Barry did see her phone, and did see anything displeasing to him, no stretch to imagine him ripping the phone and cord right from the wall, then running to the bedroom with both phones. When asked about airplane mode, am I remembering right, that he answered oddly with a kitchen reference that didn't even answer the question? In any case, I think it's safe to say that Suzanne was not attending to her phone after 2:11 as indicated by all the unanswered texts and calls from Barry. She was in civil mode and IMO not in poke-the-Beary mode. Surely she'd know that ignoring him would inflame him. She was trying to extricate herself gently, unaware of the violence ahead of her.)

(One last thing, the scratches on Barry's arm and possibly hands, the ones he himself said came from a tree, either on the hike that didn't happen or from his searching, prove to me that Suzanne was close enough and alive enough to fight for her life. She had no .22. She had no dart. She had no power cord. All she had was her fingernails. She was outgunned, overpowered.)

You lay those stories one alongside another, you get a pretty clear picture.

LWOP

JMO

With one note, do you usually lock the bedroom door when you're showering in the master bath? It's more likely that Suzanne got away from him at some point and attempted to lock herself in the bedroom.

 

[Megnut]

With one note, do you usually lock the bedroom door when you're showering in the master bath? It's more likely that Suzanne got away from him at some point and attempted to lock herself in the bedroom.

Agreed.

Unless you were planning to do some what's apping and it just made you feel more secure. Even if you knew you were alone.

I just don't see how she could've gotten that far, that fast --

Either way, it looks pretty clear -- she was in her room and he broke through the door to get to her.

She knew she was about to die.

That's a hurt I can't shake.

JMO

 

[OldCop]

That reminds me, the other day someone asked about the date on all of the helicopter footage, but the post got lost in the shuffle. I knew it was the 23rd, but while working on the AA and timeline, I noticed that the 23rd was Necrosearch day at the house, they had been at the CR105 'rock beach' property on the 22nd. I believe the home was released back to the family after the 23rd search. It had been four days on the Puma Path property at that point with the needle cap being found in the dryer on the 19th and the spy pen on the 20th.

On YT it said it was uploaded by news9 on 5/22 is 8:52 minutes long. There is also one uploaded on 5/21 by CBS Denver. It is 13:43 minutes. It’s basically the same footage. They may have hired someone to do a pool shoot of the footage. Or a freelancer may have sold it to them. Didn’t really dig into it regarding the source.

 

[Boxer]

If Suzanne was showering when Barry arrived home at 2:43, she wouldn't have heard his truck. Or even FELT it.

(The brown towel has a story to tell. She brought it outside. I think she wrapped herself in it to go inside, hung her bikini up, showered, dried off with that same brown towel and left it hanging in the bathroom, and IMO, Barry used this same towel when HE next showered, and paranoid, disposed of it as a contact point, same with each shirt in Broomfield.)

(The cracked door has a story to tell. It COULD have happened anytime prior, it COULD have happened just prior to Suzanne's "I'm done" pronouncement and her text to her sister, but IMO, the data suggests that it happened right about 2:47. Which means Suzanne was locked in her bedroom. I find it hard to believe that, tranqued, she out-ran him; I find it easier to believe that she was already in the bedroom when he arrived, ergo his futile chipmunk dash from porch to porch.)

(Suzanne's cellphone has a story to tell, as does her power cord. I think it's very possible Suzanne charged her phone bedside at night, and tableside by day. I do. Which may mean Suzanne left it charging while she attempted to connect with JL on what's app with another device. If Barry did see her phone, and did see anything displeasing to him, no stretch to imagine him ripping the phone and cord right from the wall, then running to the bedroom with both phones. When asked about airplane mode, am I remembering right, that he answered oddly with a kitchen reference that didn't even answer the question? In any case, I think it's safe to say that Suzanne was not attending to her phone after 2:11 as indicated by all the unanswered texts and calls from Barry. She was in civil mode and IMO not in poke-the-Beary mode. Surely she'd know that ignoring him would inflame him. She was trying to extricate herself gently, unaware of the violence ahead of her.)

(One last thing, the scratches on Barry's arm and possibly hands, the ones he himself said came from a tree, either on the hike that didn't happen or from his searching, prove to me that Suzanne was close enough and alive enough to fight for her life. She had no .22. She had no dart. She had no power cord. All she had was her fingernails. She was outgunned, overpowered.)

You lay those stories one alongside another, you get a pretty clear picture.

LWOP

JMO

I hope the lab inspected the cracked MB door jam. Wood oxidizes when opened to the air.
The Puma search was a week + after 5/10 and the crack may be able to dated fairly closely.

 

[CGray123]

One of the inaccurate themes that seem to persist on this thread involves the idea that BM could be acquitted if only one juror held out against conviction. The truth is that if the 12-member jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict ONE WAY OR THE OTHER in a felony case, the court's only option is to declare a mistrial and schedule a new trial if the prosecution so requests.

I was surprised to learn recently that since 1994, Colorado statutes have allowed a narrow exception to this rule in some cases. Section 18-1-406 (7) of the Colorado Revised Statutes permitted a judge to dismiss a seated juror for cause after deliberations have begun, and to allow the decision to be made by the remaining jurors if the charge was less than a class 1 felony.

Although this statute would not apply to BM's class 1 felony charge of First Degree Murder, I wondered if it could be a source of the ongoing misunderstanding about the consequences of a lone juror holding out against all others.

So, I thought the recent case of People v. Taylor might be of interest, at least to fellow nerds.

In this case of illegal drug possession, the trial judge dismissed a juror for cause after the jury reported that he had expressed disagreement with the state's drug laws. The judge then accepted a guilty verdict from the remaining jurors. The Colorado Court of Appeals remanded for a new trial on the grounds that Section 18-1-406(7) is unconstitutional.

It is now absolutely clear that in Colorado, a mistrial is required in all felony cases if the 12-member jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict.

 

[Boxer]

Still mysterious, the Salida Stove and Spa folks telling the FBI that they saw BM at a certain time, 5/9 at around 4pm.
Which is MOO during the the gap his truck data was wiped.

But they were "mistaken."

 

[OldCop]

With one note, do you usually lock the bedroom door when you're showering in the master bath? It's more likely that Suzanne got away from him at some point and attempted to lock herself in the bedroom.

At 2:07 BM leaves DSI
He texted her 11 times at 2:26. No response from SM.
At 2:31 after getting no responses he texts her again and asks, “Did you leave?”
By now he’s probably boiling mad.
BM texted her at 2:35 and told her he was on the way. So it was no surprise that he was coming.
At 2:39 JL texts SM and says “my gang is home”.
SM never responds.
At 2:43 BM arrives home.
My theory of how it went down: I think when SM got the text at 2:35 that BM was on the way, she had an “oh, sh**t” moment. It might have been then that she saw the 11 missed texts from him. She knew he was going to be mad. She gathered up her things, including the brown towel, ran up to her bedroom and locked the door so she could change out of her bathing suit before he got there.
BM did not know where SM was at that point when he arrived home. Remember, he asked her in a text if she had left. Once he realized her car was still there he began to check the house and patio, probably calling her name. When he got to the mbr, he tried the door and it was locked. He put a shoulder to it and busted in. We’ll probably never know exactly what happened next.
I originally thought BM snuck up on her while she was sunbathing and plunged the needle in her neck. Once I found out she knew he was coming, I never thought he took her by surprise. MOO

 

[OldCop]

Still mysterious, the Salida Stove and Spa folks telling the FBI that they saw BM at a certain time, 5/9 at around 4pm.
Which is MOO during the the gap his truck data was wiped.

But they were "mistaken."

@Boxer, funny you should mention Salida Stove and Spa. Because of a Saturday timeline discussion I was having with @sk716, I went back to revisit BM’s activities from the time he left DSI at 2:07 before he arrived home at 2:43.
He was caught on camera heading wb on 50 (towards Maysville)at 2:27. This info came from security footage at Salida Auto Sales. I pulled up google maps and realized 7 things:
1. It was only 2 minutes from DSI to Salida Auto Sales.
2. If BM passed that camera after leaving DSI, he would be traveling EB, not westbound.
3. Where did he go for the 20 minutes between leaving DSI at 2:07 and passing the security camera at SAS going wb at 2:27?
4. Salida Stove and Spa is two minutes past SAS heading east from DSI.
5. BM would be heading wb on 50 if he went to SS&S first and then started home from there passing SAS.
6. It takes approximately 15 minutes to get from SAS to Puma Path. From 2:27 when he passed SAS to 2:43 when he arrived home is exactly 15 minutes.
7. SS&S is supposed to close at 2:00 on Saturday. It would be highly likely that the owners would still be there about 2:10, (much more likely than 4:00 - 5:30 as BM would have us believe).

 

[Seattle1]

@Boxer, funny you should mention Salida Stove and Spa. Because of a Saturday timeline discussion I was having with @sk716, I went back to revisit BM’s activities from the time he left DSI at 2:07 before he arrived home at 2:43.
He was caught on camera heading wb on 50 (towards Maysville)at 2:27. This info came from security footage at Salida Auto Sales. I pulled up google maps and realized 7 things:
1. It was only 2 minutes from DSI to Salida Auto Sales.
2. If BM passed that camera after leaving DSI, he would be traveling EB, not westbound.
3. Where did he go for the 20 minutes between leaving DSI at 2:07 and passing the security camera at SAS going wb at 2:27?
4. Salida Stove and Spa is two minutes past SAS heading east from DSI.
5. BM would be heading wb on 50 if he went to SS&S first and then started home from there passing SAS.
6. It takes approximately 15 minutes to get from SAS to Puma Path. From 2:27 when he passed SAS to 2:43 when he arrived home is exactly 15 minutes.
7. SS&S is supposed to close at 2:00 on Saturday. It would be highly likely that the owners would still be there about 2:10, (much more likely than 4:00 - 5:30 as BM would have us believe).

Thanks, @OldCop as your post perfectly describes how SS&S personnel could very well have been "mistaken" on the time they saw BM.

 

[Megnut]

@Boxer, funny you should mention Salida Stove and Spa. Because of a Saturday timeline discussion I was having with @sk716, I went back to revisit BM’s activities from the time he left DSI at 2:07 before he arrived home at 2:43.
He was caught on camera heading wb on 50 (towards Maysville)at 2:27. This info came from security footage at Salida Auto Sales. I pulled up google maps and realized 7 things:
1. It was only 2 minutes from DSI to Salida Auto Sales.
2. If BM passed that camera after leaving DSI, he would be traveling EB, not westbound.
3. Where did he go for the 20 minutes between leaving DSI at 2:07 and passing the security camera at SAS going wb at 2:27?
4. Salida Stove and Spa is two minutes past SAS heading east from DSI.
5. BM would be heading wb on 50 if he went to SS&S first and then started home from there passing SAS.
6. It takes approximately 15 minutes to get from SAS to Puma Path. From 2:27 when he passed SAS to 2:43 when he arrived home is exactly 15 minutes.
7. SS&S is supposed to close at 2:00 on Saturday. It would be highly likely that the owners would still be there about 2:10, (much more likely than 4:00 - 5:30 as BM would have us believe).

This is brilliant analysis, @OldCop.

As well, it supports the idea that Barry was in town shopping and not at home.

It fits better at 2ish.

It refutes Barry and the defense's proposal, that the missing 18 miles constituted a spa run.

Those 18 miles are the difference BETWEEN Barry's outbound odometer reading and his incoming one, to and from Broomfield. Most of that is accounted for by Barry himself, with his elk turn. Still a few miles remain a mystery. IMO perhaps he took a small detour to avail himself of a commercial dumpster. I'd be REAL CURIOUS to know if there were some REAL CLOSE to where MG heard his truck in the 4 o'clock hour.

@OldCop, your mapping is hugely compelling. Is it POSSIBLE that Barry stopped there to get the spa stuff before going home, but opted not to because he didn't have the refill bottles with him?

We really haven't nailed down WHY he went there (as it appears now he easily could have, just an important two hours earlier). Is it possible they had a refill plan and he DID have the bottles and DID refill them, just didn't technically "buy" anything? Is there such a plan?

If he refilled those bottles, he used them! (Because they were empty again! And he didn't add the bottles to his growing heap destined for remote dumpsters. Why? He's cheap -- he told us so. Whatever he used the chemicals for, he'd know he still had a hot tub to maintain/sell. Cheaper to refill than repurchase!)

Did the spa chemicals go in the spa? Did Barry get new chemicals quite quickly on the heels of that day?

Did he use them up doing something nefarious? Chemical bath? A scent he carried with him to Broomfield? (What's the remedy for an unwanted body odor? Repeated showering until it dissipates sufficiently!

Did he add it to a cooler to conceal any potential odors? Did he pour it in a grave, for the same reason?

I believe Barry did three things in town. He got his blade/plate repaired/replaced. He drove by Backhoe guy's Bobcat attachment (for a spare SIM????) and now, based on this good mapping by @OldCop, hit the spa store.

He LEFT PP to do those things.

He had ALREADY removed all of his trail cams so IMO he KNEW he was going to be firing his .22 soon -- so why'd he leave? Presumably Suzanne was sunning and possibly communicating with JL and unaware of the ploy against her....

Must be BECAUSE HE HAD TO.

That tells me three things were critical to his master plan. The Bobcat, the backhoe and the chlorine.....

Vital.

JMO