Still Missing CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 *arrest* #98

[mrjitty]

Does anyone know if we will get all the exhibits uploaded during the trial?

On other cases we've had to guess at them from video feeds...

 

[MassGuy]

Does anyone know if we will get all the exhibits uploaded during the trial?

On other cases we've had to guess at them from video feeds...

Not during, but in past cases there's been a discovery dump after trial.

 

[Cindizzi]

Not during, but in past cases there's been a discovery dump after trial.

This case has just been maddening as far as the documents not being published on the Court site!
I honestly am not going to get my hopes up about that changing once it goes to trial. Wish I knew why it’s so different from other Colorado cases I’ve followed.
In the Redwine case, the trial exhibits were uploaded within 24 hours DURING TRIAL.
Even the Stauch case ( which hasn’t come to trial yet) has had every document posted in a very timely matter.
I don’t get it, but it’s frustrating.
JMO

 

[FromGermany1]

Hard to say. We should have way more data for the 7th and 8th than we do. Instead it's super spotty.

For the 5th and 8th we have BM using his second phone, which he owned since Nov 30th 2019:
05.05.2020 Tuesday 12:48 PM
08.05.2020 Friday 3:43 PM
(UTC -6)
Then he didn't use this phone until 10.05.2020 Saturday 08:47 AM.

Does starting with his second device have a certain meaning re his car using also? Any logical conclusions by my smart fellow members just as you are? With logic I'm at war sometimes.

 

[FromGermany1]

Thank you. Most victims of DV don’t document things. Sad because she lost her life.

I think, they always don't know, where to hide it in a save way.
It would be interesting to know, whether and when he read her journal before burning his disgraceful deeds, recorded on paper.

 

[Diddian]

For the 5th and 8th we have BM using his second phone, which he owned since Nov 30th 2019:
05.05.2020 Tuesday 12:48 PM
08.05.2020 Friday 3:43 PM
(UTC -6)
Then he didn't use this phone until 10.05.2020 Saturday 08:47 AM.

Does starting with his second device have a certain meaning re his car using also? Any logical conclusions by my smart fellow members just as you are? With logic I'm at war sometimes.

He’s accessing the device each time on the 5th of the month. And SM texted, “I’m done. I could not care less what you’re doing or have been doing. I just want to handle this civilly” on the day after that 5/5/2020 access. And the PE guys emphasized “5” and also that something was going on on the dark web.

Is he using the device to view or access something on the dark web that releases new material the 5th of every month?

ETA: that second date, 8/5/2020 would have been the Morphew’s 26th wedding anniversary and it is the first time BM uses the device since SM disappeared.

 

[mrjitty]

Her own daughter, M2, told LE that she needed to get a RO and flee the marriage. That speaks volumes.
IMO

RSBM - right?

This is the rabbit hole I went down for some weeks on the Pistorius case.

Because 99.99% of men who engage in DA/DV don't murder their wives, there is a belief that it isn't predictive, or even to normalise it, as just the usual stuff that goes on in a failed marriage. You'll even hear that a bad assault was out of character or the abuser "snapped".

However when you look at the much smaller data set where men did murder their wives you will frequently find these red flags - so they actually do provide clear warnings

Given it's so obvious BM murdered SM, we can (even pre trial) look back at the warning signs and it is clear multiple people, including SM were worried about her safety - it's just that they under appreciated the risks. But the stuff about restraining orders, admitted violence, threats of suicide, secret camera, concealed affair, decision to divorce - these are all obvious indicators that built to a weekend that the vulnerable, isolated victim did not survive.

Unfortunately the judge decided this wasn't probative enough.

I disagree on a policy basis because we end up saying that victims need to raise the alarm in a way that a male judge thinks is meaningful, rather in a way that survivors and their close supporters understand as significant and safe.

I guarantee after this case, there will be the usual media platitudes of "how did this happen" when witnesses were tipping the police off as to the domestic angle in the first hours live on video!

 

[Cindizzi]

I think, they always don't know, where to hide it in a save way.
It would be interesting to know, whether and when he read her journal before burning his disgraceful deeds, recorded on paper.

I have no doubt that BM found SM’s journal, read it and then burned it in the fireplace. I’m not sure WHEN he did it or if he confronted her with it though.

On Friday morning May 8, it seems that SM is getting her ducks in a row, so to speak. In her mind, after texting him on Wednesday May 6 that she is done, she is anticipating the girls coming home that weekend. At 7:00 am she is backing up the notes on her phone with her list of grievances.
At 8:43 she texts BM about continuing to do his invoicing, mentioning that she forgot about a certain client “ last night “indicating that they had discussed this Thursday night.
At 9:00-9:30 she texted her sister and for the first time conveyed to her that BM had been physical with her.

BM tells LE that he and SM had a fight via text on Friday morning.

The photo of the fireplace clearly shows in the foreground 2 metal pieces from a Pendaflex hanging file folder.

BM told LE that they had been “ cleaning out files that week”.

If I wanted to hide a journal I could see dropping it in a hanging file that no one else really accessed.

Perhaps he saw it Thursday night when they were going through invoices and secretly took it with him to work on Friday. Maybe he read it while he was hanging around down by the river Friday night.

The paper scraps in the fireplace look like Christmas wrapping paper, but there are lots of journals sold that have a Christmas themed cover. I’ve owned one.
Plus LE testified that there was also “ book binding material “ found in the fireplace.
JMO

https://www.courts.state.co.us/user.../21CR78/21cr78 Morphew Redacted Affidavit.pdf

 

[mrjitty]

The photo of the fireplace clearly shows in the foreground 2 metal pieces from a Pendaflex hanging file folder.

BM told LE that they had been “ cleaning out files that week”.

If I wanted to hide a journal I could see dropping it in a hanging file that no one else really accessed.

RSBM/BIB

Random, but this is exactly the way I was taught to hide things via intentional misfiling in the pre digital days

Place sensitive item inside an old file that will never be accessed. Remember the file name.

Bonus points. Send the file out to document archive.

Now only you can ever locate the material again, by retrieving the innocuous file from archive.

I could totally believe SM did this.

 

[waldojabba]

Great post

RSBM - right?

This is the rabbit hole I went down for some weeks on the Pistorius case.

Because 99.99% of men who engage in DA/DV don't murder their wives, there is a belief that it isn't predictive, or even to normalise it, as just the usual stuff that goes on in a failed marriage. You'll even hear that a bad assault was out of character or the abuser "snapped".

However when you look at the much smaller data set where men did murder their wives you will frequently find these red flags - so they actually do provide clear warnings

Given it's so obvious BM murdered SM, we can (even pre trial) look back at the warning signs and it is clear multiple people, including SM were worried about her safety - it's just that they under appreciated the risks. But the stuff about restraining orders, admitted violence, threats of suicide, secret camera, concealed affair, decision to divorce - these are all obvious indicators that built to a weekend that the vulnerable, isolated victim did not survive.

Unfortunately the judge decided this wasn't probative enough.

I disagree on a policy basis because we end up saying that victims need to raise the alarm in a way that a male judge thinks is meaningful, rather in a way that survivors and their close supporters understand as significant and safe.

I guarantee after this case, there will be the usual media platitudes of "how did this happen" when witnesses were tipping the police off as to the domestic angle in the first hours live on video!

Great post @mrjitty - thank you

 

[Momofthreeboys]

He’s accessing the device each time on the 5th of the month. And SM texted, “I’m done. I could not care less what you’re doing or have been doing. I just want to handle this civilly” on the day after that 5/5/2020 access. And the PE guys emphasized “5” and also that something was going on on the dark web.

Is he using the device to view or access something on the dark web that releases new material the 5th of every month?

ETA: that second date, 8/5/2020 would have been the Morphew’s 26th wedding anniversary and it is the first time BM uses the device since SM disappeared.

Interesting observation. Paying rent for the daughter in Gunnison? The 5th of the month is often when rent is due before a late fee. Or a recurring bill of some sort? But odd that he would use a different device although is it determined and known that the device was a different phone? Or do we not know what type of device?

 

[fcavanaugh]

Came across this interesting article published last month by a former District Attorney of Colorado’s 18th Judicial District. The credits say former DA Brauchler is also a frequent columnist for the Denver Post. I couldn’t pull up the article in the Post as it required a subscription but found the article at link below. Anyway, just thought I’d share as I found it interesting and good to know that a former Colorado DA is advocating for more judicial transparency and accountability in the CO court system/judiciary.
Snipped from the article:

Brauchler: Colorado’s judges need more oversight and occasional ouster

This week, the Colorado Commission of Judicial discipline made the unprecedented decision to ask the Colorado General Assembly to give it complete autonomy from the Colorado Judicial Branch it is charged with investigating.

This seems so obvious, it is difficult to imagine why it has not been the case until now. In fact, it is such common sense that the Colorado Supreme Court echoed the request for investigative autonomy from itself. I cheer on this change, despite how long overdue it is. More is needed.

While Colorado looks under the judicial hood at needed reform, here are some others this legislature can work on right now.

Make Colorado’s Open Records Act apply to the entire judicial branch, just like it applies to the other branches of state government. I have argued for just such a needed improvement to judicial transparency and accountability to Coloradans on these pages and testified to the same multiple times under the Gold Dome. Those currently in power continue to allow the judicial branch to write its own rules for what it will disclose to the public who funds them. That must change.

Insist on attorneys being experts in the legal field in which they will serve as a judge … before they start serving as a judge. Even the best, most experienced podiatrist is ill-suited to render opinions on infectious diseases. Yet, in our state, the only requirement to be eligible to put on a robe is that a lawyer has practiced for a mere five years and is in good standing with the bar. There is no requirement that they have achieved any level of expertise in any area of the law, and even if they had, there is no requirement that they serve as a judge only in the area of their expertise. The result is that a ten-year divorce lawyer who has never been in front of a jury could be appointed by a governor to serve as a felony-level judge and the next day, pick a jury for a murder case, sentence a convicted child molester, or rule on the admissibility of rape shield evidence.
That is bonkers.

Put cameras in the courtroom. It is unjustifiable that in 2022, seven years after every moment of the Aurora Theater Shooting trial was broadcast online and elsewhere that the only way for taxpayers and voters to learn what judges do is to physically be in our tiny courtrooms.

The judicial branch should be commended for how much of the criminal justice process has been made accessible through WebEx, but it is time to take off the training wheels. With exceptions for cases involving juveniles, sexual assault victims, domestic relations, and a few others, everything should be accessible to the public all the time. Simple rule: If the public is allowed to watch it in court, they ought to be allowed to watch it online.

These are but a few of the easy, low-hanging fruit changes that will make our judicial branch more experienced, accessible, and accountable to Coloradans.

Brauchler: Colorado’s judges need more oversight and occasional ouster

IMHOO

#FindSuzanne
#BringSuzanneHome
#JusticeForSuzanne

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Interesting observation. Paying rent for the daughter in Gunnison? The 5th of the month is often when rent is due before a late fee. Or a recurring bill of some sort? But odd that he would use a different device although is it determined and known that the device was a different phone? Or do we not know what type of device?

That’s a good point re rent. I wonder if he was paying rent for anyone else at that time?

 

[K9Enzo]

That’s a good point re rent. I wonder if he was paying rent for anyone else at that time?

The text exchange between SM and SO - SM stated: I feel like he's supporting someone else.

page 16: https://denver.cbslocal.com/wp-cont...06/2022/01/People-Exhibits-Prelim-Hearing.pdf

I kept waiting for SO to say who? Who do you think he's supporting? I was hoping she would become very nosey. IMO

ETA: peoples exhibit 15 (not page 16)

 

[Momofthreeboys]

The text exchange between SM and SO - SM stated: I feel like he's supporting someone else.

page 16: https://denver.cbslocal.com/wp-cont...06/2022/01/People-Exhibits-Prelim-Hearing.pdf

I kept waiting for SO to say who? Who do you think he's supporting? I was hoping she would become very nosey. IMO

I thought maybe one of his workers perhaps in exchange for labor.

 

[waldojabba]

For the 5th and 8th we have BM using his second phone, which he owned since Nov 30th 2019:
05.05.2020 Tuesday 12:48 PM
08.05.2020 Friday 3:43 PM
(UTC -6)
Then he didn't use this phone until 10.05.2020 Saturday 08:47 AM.

Does starting with his second device have a certain meaning re his car using also? Any logical conclusions by my smart fellow members just as you are? With logic I'm at war sometimes.

BBM Did you mean this date to be 05.08.2020? Or is it as you wrote it August 5, 2020 / thx

 

[Niner]

BBM Did you mean this date to be 05.08.2020? Or is it as you wrote it August 5, 2020 / thx

European way of putting the date. Still have a hard time with this... date first then month...

 

[sk716]

I can shoot down an entire defense argument.

Barry's phone at the time, was MM2s old phone. So of course it looks like MM2 used his phone.

 

[waldojabba]

The text exchange between SM and SO - SM stated: I feel like he's supporting someone else.

page 16: https://denver.cbslocal.com/wp-cont...06/2022/01/People-Exhibits-Prelim-Hearing.pdf

I kept waiting for SO to say who? Who do you think he's supporting? I was hoping she would become very nosey. IMO

ETA: peoples exhibit 15 (not page 16)

Because it was from a "secret" device and SM's instinct was that he was supporting someone else,
my mind goes to another woman, maybe another family or child support.
He could also have been sending money to Shirley or Marcy that he did not want SM to know about.
If it's important to this case we will know soon enough !

 

[BeckyF]

RSBM - right?

This is the rabbit hole I went down for some weeks on the Pistorius case.

Because 99.99% of men who engage in DA/DV don't murder their wives, there is a belief that it isn't predictive, or even to normalise it, as just the usual stuff that goes on in a failed marriage. You'll even hear that a bad assault was out of character or the abuser "snapped".

However when you look at the much smaller data set where men did murder their wives you will frequently find these red flags - so they actually do provide clear warnings

Given it's so obvious BM murdered SM, we can (even pre trial) look back at the warning signs and it is clear multiple people, including SM were worried about her safety - it's just that they under appreciated the risks. But the stuff about restraining orders, admitted violence, threats of suicide, secret camera, concealed affair, decision to divorce - these are all obvious indicators that built to a weekend that the vulnerable, isolated victim did not survive.

Unfortunately the judge decided this wasn't probative enough.

I disagree on a policy basis because we end up saying that victims need to raise the alarm in a way that a male judge thinks is meaningful, rather in a way that survivors and their close supporters understand as significant and safe.

I guarantee after this case, there will be the usual media platitudes of "how did this happen" when witnesses were tipping the police off as to the domestic angle in the first hours live on video!

Great post! Thank You!