Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 *Case dismissed w/o Prejudice* #101

[Megnut]

We will likely never know how it all happened, but based on the signature gouges on Barry's arm, there was an intimate scuffle.

The point of tranquilizing wildlife, it seems to me, is to drop the animal -- to prevent injury to animal and tranquilizor. Sedate the animal before approaching, then conduct whatever business necessitated that sedation (transport, veterinary care, tagging, etc and not to saw off antlers) before giving the corresponding reversal agent.

We don't know what was in the dart associated with the sheath. We don't know if it was a lethal agent, or whether it was or wasn't intended to be such.

But I have two theories. Theory #1 is that Barry made first contact outside (not directly outside) the bedroom, grabbing Suzanne in a chestlock, probably from behind, injecting her manually. And that's when she gouged him, perhaps momentarily breaking free, attempting then to find safety in her bedroom.

Or alternately, Theory #2, it was inside the bedroom, that he held her down, resulting in the gouges.

Did he attempt to immobilize her to inject her or did he attempt to hold her down until the tranquilizer overwhelmed her?

I think this is determinable. Based on the position and angle of the gouges. Whether he was behind her or atop her.

IMO there are two reasons for breaking into the bedroom --

1. Suzanne had her phone and he couldn't let her call for help.

Or

2. There were weapons in that room. He couldn't let Suzanne get hold of a gun, to defend herself.

Because, otherwise, he only had to wait for the tranquilizer to work before calmly picking the lock.

I think Suzanne may have briefly shifted the power axis and he was forced to punt.

The sheath and the doorframe and the gouges tell a story.

There is evidence of a crime in the home.

I disagree with the judge's finding that the sheath is no more evidentiary than knives in a kitchen or guns in a gunsafe.

If a set of knives were missing, I'd say that could have significant evidentiary value. Both the presence and absence of a means for violence is relevant IMO!

That Barry himself brought firing tranquilizers into the story makes tranquing materials even more relevant.

They should be there (in the home) so why are they missing? Smoking gun.

It takes one google search and one video of a deer being tranquilized to feel the brutality of a dart into thin human skin.

JMO

 

[PaulaDC]

We will likely never know how it all happened, but based on the signature gouges on Barry's arm, there was an intimate scuffle.

The point of tranquilizing wildlife, it seems to me, is to drop the animal -- to prevent injury to animal and tranquilizor. Sedate the animal before approaching, then conduct whatever business necessitated that sedation (transport, veterinary care, tagging, etc and not to saw off antlers) before giving the corresponding reversal agent.

We don't know what was in the dart associated with the sheath. We don't know if it was a lethal agent, or whether it was or wasn't intended to be such.

But I have two theories. Theory one is that Barry made first contact outside (not directly outside) the bedroom, grabbing Suzanne in a headlock, probably from behind, injecting her manually. And that's when she gouged him, perhaps momentarily breaking free, attempting then to find safety in her bedroom.

Or alternately, it was inside the bedroom, that he held her down, resulting in the gouges.

Did he attempt to immobilize her to inject her or did he attempt to hold her down until the tranquilizer overwhelmed her?

I think this is determinable. Based on the position and angle of the gouges. Whether he was behind her or atop her.

IMO there are two reasons for breaking into the bedroom --

1. Suzanne had her phone and he couldn't let her call for help.

Or

2. There were weapons in that room. He couldn't let Suzanne get hold of a gun, to defend herself.

Because, otherwise, he only had to wait for the tranquilizer to work before calmly picking the lock.

I think Suzanne may have briefly shifted the power axis and he was forced to punt.

The sheath and the doorframe and the gouges tell a story.

There is evidence of a crime in the home.

I disagree with the judge's finding that the sheath is no more evidentiary than knives in a kitchen or guns in a gunsafe.

If a set of knives were missing, I'd say that could have significant evidentiary value. Both the presence and absence of a means for violence is relevant IMO!

That Barry himself brought firing tranquilizers into the story makes tranquing materials even more relevant.

They should be there (in the home) so why are they missing? Smoking gun.

It takes one google search and one video of a deer being tranquilize to feel the brutality of a dart into thin human skin.

JMO

My mind has personally gone to a darker thought with those gouges and BM exclaiming his having good sex that evening. I feel he took greater advantage of her than we will ever know. Moo

 

[Megnut]

My mind has personally gone to a darker thought with those gouges and BM exclaiming his having good sex that evening. I feel he took greater advantage of her than we will ever know. Moo

I believe that Suzanne was dressed to bike when Barry arrived at 2:43.

I think she may have been wearing the bike shorts that were later found on her closet floor.

I hope Barry was just extrapolating, introducing sex into his weak narrative as a feeble bolster to his perfect evening, perfect marriage script.

But it worries me.

Territory and possession being what they are, and we know he controlled things for quite a while, he may have felt he needed to show Suzanne who she belonged to. Caveman.

Apologies to cavemen.

Barry never seemed to understand that Suzanne belonged only to herself.

He didn't have the right to vote for her, speak for her, or silence her.

If you listen late at night in the whispering wind over Maysville, the mountains are screaming her name.

JMO

 

[OldCop]

One last one for @crhedBngr and other map studiers. Attached is a Forest Service map of the area around Puma Path followed by a map legend. It shows routes open to motorized vehicles.
A couple of things stood out to me.
-There are a lot more roads open to motorized vehicles up in the mountains than I realized. The old RR without telematics could easily access these area which would likely be deserted on an early May evening.
-You can take 228 from Garfield Mine all the way to 224 to Hwy 50 or to 240 via 219, all of which would keep you off the main road. You can cross Hwy 50 from the north side of 224 to the south side and follow it back to PP via the back road that goes by Monarch Spur RV Park.
-There is an Angel of Shavano Campground on 240 on the way to Mt. Shavano. SM had an instagram photo showing that she rode her bike in this area. BM referred to SM as an angel. Would he think this was an appropriate area to lay her to rest? Or was that a Freudian slip?
-The back of the PP home actually faces north across Hwy 50. The front faces south. BM talked about mines that were up BEHIND his house to SA Grusing.
-There is a power line that parallels the Colorado Trail south of Fooses Dam that would be easily accessible by ATV.
- The area south of PP in front of the house is more isolated and less accessible.

 

[Megnut]

I can't fathom the challenge for law enforcement in determining who owns any one tract of land in what looks like virgin US territory. I suspect LE can't just canvas it without first determining ownership/boundaries and securing permissions/warrants.

I suspect Barry, meanwhile, freely roamed the area unbothered by the pesky legalities of trespassing.

JMO

 

[crhedBngr]

One last one for @crhedBngr and other map studiers. Attached is a Forest Service map of the area around Puma Path followed by a map legend. It shows routes open to motorized vehicles.
A couple of things stood out to me.
-There are a lot more roads open to motorized vehicles up in the mountains than I realized. The old RR without telematics could easily access these area which would likely be deserted on an early May evening.
-You can take 228 from Garfield Mine all the way to 224 to Hwy 50 or to 240 via 219, all of which would keep you off the main road. You can cross Hwy 50 from the north side of 224 to the south side and follow it back to PP via the back road that goes by Monarch Spur RV Park.
-There is an Angel of Shavano Campground on 240 on the way to Mt. Shavano. SM had an instagram photo showing that she rode her bike in this area. BM referred to SM as an angel. Would he think this was an appropriate area to lay her to rest? Or was that a Freudian slip?
-The back of the PP home actually faces north across Hwy 50. The front faces south. BM talked about mines that were up BEHIND his house to SA Grusing.
-There is a power line that parallels the Colorado Trail south of Fooses Dam that would be easily accessible by ATV.
- The area south of PP in front of the house is more isolated and less accessible.

Your efforts are much, much appreciated.

 

[Megnut]

One last one for @crhedBngr and other map studiers. Attached is a Forest Service map of the area around Puma Path followed by a map legend. It shows routes open to motorized vehicles.
A couple of things stood out to me.
-There are a lot more roads open to motorized vehicles up in the mountains than I realized. The old RR without telematics could easily access these area which would likely be deserted on an early May evening.
-You can take 228 from Garfield Mine all the way to 224 to Hwy 50 or to 240 via 219, all of which would keep you off the main road. You can cross Hwy 50 from the north side of 224 to the south side and follow it back to PP via the back road that goes by Monarch Spur RV Park.
-There is an Angel of Shavano Campground on 240 on the way to Mt. Shavano. SM had an instagram photo showing that she rode her bike in this area. BM referred to SM as an angel. Would he think this was an appropriate area to lay her to rest? Or was that a Freudian slip?
-The back of the PP home actually faces north across Hwy 50. The front faces south. BM talked about mines that were up BEHIND his house to SA Grusing.
-There is a power line that parallels the Colorado Trail south of Fooses Dam that would be easily accessible by ATV.
- The area south of PP in front of the house is more isolated and less accessible.

It's almost like with collective sleuthing, we could find her.

Maybe Barry was doing several things on Mother's Day morning. Between 4 and 5 am. What we know he didn't do was see a herd of elk, turn toward them, then choose to drive a full 6 or 7 wasted miles just to turn around.

LE believes he tossed a helmet.

What if he also tossed a phone, some clothing and made the first one or two trash dumps of his day? What better place than at a campsite? Where else might he have found a drive-to trash bin?

Barry may have discarded clothing, towels, the towel, an entire set of sheets no one else knows is missing, containers for household cleaners, empty coolers.... the kinds of this that wouldn't stand out in somebody else's community dumpster.

12 miles, nearly a full half hour. Maybe Broomfield wasn't his first trash run, merely the first time he exited the truck to do so.

JMO

 

[Love Never Fails]

This makes me so uneasy. If the defense thinks he did it and they wanted to hurry it along because the risk of finding her body would hurt their case.. then what does that say about justice really? I really struggle with this. I know a good defense is every persons right in this country. I support that. What I struggle with is when that defense is essentially getting a criminal off by playing games. If defending a client because you feel they are really innocent then fine.. but if there is any part of the lawyers that think or know he is guilty, I just don't see how this is justice at all. I know this has been discussed and it is what it is.. but ugh hurrying a trial along and the defense worrying about a body because it implicates their client is in no way serving justice. IF they thought he was innocent they would welcome extra time, welcome her body discovery because it would point to someone else did it.

Couldn’t agree with you more. Well said.

 

[Love Never Fails]

Yup. If the prosecution hadn’t screwed up, the defense could have thrown a paper hurricane at the court and it wouldn’t have made a difference other than racking up more billable hours BM would have to pay.

But the did prosecution screw up - repeatedly - and the thought that the defense somehow cheated or that Judge Lama had the wool pulled over his eyes is laughable.

The DA botched it; she refused to listen to MULTIPLE people in the CBI who told her not to arrest because the case isn’t strong enough. Judge Lama had no choice but to exclude evidence the prosecution failed to turn over in the appropriate legal manner.

The prosecution wasn’t defeated by a “gullible” judge or a “lying” defense team, IMO they were defeated by LS’s own ego. She should have listened to the smarter people in the room.

So you KNOW this do you?
It appears you are taking a hard core stance with nothing to back it up. It doesn’t make you right.

 

[Boxer]

Could you elaborate or include a link as to your statement that LS talked about the fact that LE never quit but she wasn’t listening to them? afaik we are not privy to whether an appeal was filed regarding the Judge tossing the expert witnesses. If anyone knows with certainty whether the DA did or did not appeal this I

This makes me so uneasy. If the defense thinks he did it and they wanted to hurry it along because the risk of finding her body would hurt their case.. then what does that say about justice really? I really struggle with this. I know a good defense is every persons right in this country. I support that. What I struggle with is when that defense is essentially getting a criminal off by playing games. If defending a client because you feel they are really innocent then fine.. but if there is any part of the lawyers that think or know he is guilty, I just don't see how this is justice at all. I know this has been discussed and it is what it is.. but ugh hurrying a trial along and the defense worrying about a body because it implicates their client is in no way serving justice. IF they thought he was innocent they would welcome extra time, welcome her body discovery because it would point to someone else did it.

The problem is that the prosecution usually enjoys an advantage.
Making the prosecution reveal their evidence to the defense is primary right of the accused to know and face the evidence against them.
Delaying discovery either side does not allow the time for the opposition to deal with the information.
It's a tactic. Everyone in thw court knows this.
The DA delayed discovery 3 times which created a pattern.
They deserved sanctions, the severity of the sanction was surprising, but maybe the judge expected the DA to appeal and get the prosecutions conduct hashed out in a higher court.

 

[crhedBngr]

It's almost like with collective sleuthing, we could find her.

Maybe Barry was doing several things on Mother's Day morning. Between 4 and 5 am. What we know he didn't do was see a herd of elk, turn toward them, then choose to drive a full 6 or 7 wasted miles just to turn around.

LE believes he tossed a helmet.

What if he also tossed a phone, some clothing and made the first one or two trash dumps of his day? What better place than at a campsite? Where else might he have found a drive-to trash bin?

Barry may have discarded clothing, towels, the towel, an entire set of sheets no one else knows is missing, containers for household cleaners, empty coolers.... the kinds of this that wouldn't stand out in somebody else's community dumpster.

12 miles, nearly a full half hour. Maybe Broomfield wasn't his first trash run, merely the first time he exited the truck to do so.

JMO

RBBM

Agreed!

JMVHO.

 

[FromGermany1]

I believe that Suzanne was dressed to bike when Barry arrived at 2:43.

I think she may have been wearing the bike shorts that were later found on her closet floor.

I hope Barry was just extrapolating, introducing sex into his weak narrative as a feeble bolster to his perfect evening, perfect marriage script.

But it worries me.

Territory and possession being what they are, and we know he controlled things for quite a while, he may have felt he needed to show Suzanne who she belonged to. Caveman.

Apologies to cavemen.

Barry never seemed to understand that Suzanne belonged only to herself.

He didn't have the right to vote for her, speak for her, or silence her.

If you listen late at night in the whispering wind over Maysville, the mountains are screaming her name.

JMO

bbm.......... And the thought probably even gave him the (sometimes lacking?) strength, he needed to "stand his ground" (without a blue pill). It may have been some sort of play in better times, but these better times were long gone. Around MD it may have gotten dead serious and brutal. MOO

 

[Boxer]

One last one for @crhedBngr and other map studiers. Attached is a Forest Service map of the area around Puma Path followed by a map legend. It shows routes open to motorized vehicles.
A couple of things stood out to me.
-There are a lot more roads open to motorized vehicles up in the mountains than I realized. The old RR without telematics could easily access these area which would likely be deserted on an early May evening.
-You can take 228 from Garfield Mine all the way to 224 to Hwy 50 or to 240 via 219, all of which would keep you off the main road. You can cross Hwy 50 from the north side of 224 to the south side and follow it back to PP via the back road that goes by Monarch Spur RV Park.
-There is an Angel of Shavano Campground on 240 on the way to Mt. Shavano. SM had an instagram photo showing that she rode her bike in this area. BM referred to SM as an angel. Would he think this was an appropriate area to lay her to rest? Or was that a Freudian slip?
-The back of the PP home actually faces north across Hwy 50. The front faces south. BM talked about mines that were up BEHIND his house to SA Grusing.
-There is a power line that parallels the Colorado Trail south of Fooses Dam that would be easily accessible by ATV.
- The area south of PP in front of the house is more isolated and less accessible.

So agree.
The area is laced with access roads, power line cuts etc. My feeling is the power line cut running parallel to Old Monarch Rd. as it drops down from 50 to 888 and White Pine offers off road accessibilty, and deserted area, like No Name Creek.
MOO if he did it, which now he could have used the RR during the 3 hour window talked about by her brother.
But just as a side note, it is possible to get out of a truck to do things with stuff in the bed without opening a door. The slider window to the bed of the truck works. Before electronic keys it was often used to get in, if the truck got locked with key inside.
Even if tight, a fit man can get through it.

 

[Megnut]

How far is the loop from Angel back to 50?

 

[OldCop]

It's almost like with collective sleuthing, we could find her.

Maybe Barry was doing several things on Mother's Day morning. Between 4 and 5 am. What we know he didn't do was see a herd of elk, turn toward them, then choose to drive a full 6 or 7 wasted miles just to turn around.

LE believes he tossed a helmet.

What if he also tossed a phone, some clothing and made the first one or two trash dumps of his day? What better place than at a campsite? Where else might he have found a drive-to trash bin?

Barry may have discarded clothing, towels, the towel, an entire set of sheets no one else knows is missing, containers for household cleaners, empty coolers.... the kinds of this that wouldn't stand out in somebody else's community dumpster.

12 miles, nearly a full half hour. Maybe Broomfield wasn't his first trash run, merely the first time he exited the truck to do so.

JMO

I think he may have discarded SM’s body sometime before 10:17 pm on 5/9 using the old RR. His phone was turned to airplane mode from 2:47 pm, (aa page 34) and turned off airplane mode at 10:17 pm, (aa pge 35).
I think he killed her shortly after he returned home and put the phone in airplane mode. I think he used the next several hours of daylight to think out his plans, do evidence cleanup such as throwing his clothes in the wash, collecting items to be discarded including the bike, the helmet, the phone, a set of SM’s biking clothes, the tranq supplies and so on. He removed her bike from the back of the RR and placed her body inside, possibly in a container or cooler. He went out shortly before dusk to bury her body or to discard it in a mineshaft or ravine.
He returned to PP and shortly thereafter, 10:17 pm, took his phone out of airplane mode to try to establish that he was home.
In the middle of the night he finished loading his truck and in the wee hours of the morning began his journey to Broomfield stopping to stage the bike, the helmet, and possibly the phone fabricating the story of the herd of elk to explain why he turned left on 50. He wiped down SM’s bike, helmet, phone, and the rr with the brown towel and placed it in the bag of items to be discarded in Broomfield.
That’s my latest theory.

 

[Megnut]

Questions that niggle me:

When did he start the fireplace fire?

When did he have the steak?

On which side of 10:30pm did he leave PP?

Justmynigglingquestions

 

[Aloe]

One last one for @crhedBngr and other map studiers. Attached is a Forest Service map of the area around Puma Path followed by a map legend. It shows routes open to motorized vehicles.
A couple of things stood out to me.
-There are a lot more roads open to motorized vehicles up in the mountains than I realized. The old RR without telematics could easily access these area which would likely be deserted on an early May evening.
-You can take 228 from Garfield Mine all the way to 224 to Hwy 50 or to 240 via 219, all of which would keep you off the main road. You can cross Hwy 50 from the north side of 224 to the south side and follow it back to PP via the back road that goes by Monarch Spur RV Park.
-There is an Angel of Shavano Campground on 240 on the way to Mt. Shavano. SM had an instagram photo showing that she rode her bike in this area. BM referred to SM as an angel. Would he think this was an appropriate area to lay her to rest? Or was that a Freudian slip?
-The back of the PP home actually faces north across Hwy 50. The front faces south. BM talked about mines that were up BEHIND his house to SA Grusing.
-There is a power line that parallels the Colorado Trail south of Fooses Dam that would be easily accessible by ATV.
- The area south of PP in front of the house is more isolated and less accessible.

Here is a bit of history regarding Arbourville, the ghost town located at/near the Monarch Spur RV park. Remnants of the old brothel still stand. Apparently, there is still a partial cemetary underneath Hwy 50, some of which was relocated to Gunnison. I believe Arbourville is the location of the fire that happened the week prior to Suzanne's murder?

Madonna Mine Colorado – Jan MacKell Collins

Arbourville History - Monarch Spur RV Park and Campground

 

[susiQ]

Questions that niggle me:

When did he start the fireplace fire?

When did he have the steak?

On which side of 10:30pm did he leave PP?

Justmynigglingquestions

1. When did he start the fireplace fire?

A: I’m guessing just before he left PP to dispose of SM. Like @OldCop, I think around dusk to a preplanned location. Home by 10:17 pm for final clean-up to assemble items for the dump runs next day and prep for the staging.

2. When did he have the steak?

A: Is this a trick question? . There was NO steak off once plate .

3. On which side of 10:30 did he leave PP?

A: See #1.

JMHO

 

[Seattle1]

Thanks for this, @Seattle1. I think Judge Murphy is much more experienced in handling over zealous attorneys whether prosecutors or from the defense team. His practice of delaying an immediate decision to research case law helps diffuse the situation and has him standing on much firmer ground in the event of an appeal. Judge Lama on the other hand, is much less experienced and more easily persuaded by aggressive defense teams.

^^rsbm

I agree @OldCop. Unlike Judge Lama's courtroom, we had the benefit of observing the senior Justice during BM's advisement and arraignment, as well as a couple of otherwise prohibited hearings via Covid forced Webex, where Murphy was firm about his actions (he was no robot), and left nobody wondering who was in charge!

Lama, on the other hand, wasted no time falling for the defense's false allegation that a private citizen was streaming live from the courtroom, resulting in his Court Order to lock down the courtroom, and also disable reporters from their ordinary tools necessary to do their jobs.

(I believe this occurred on Lama's first, if not second day, on the Morphew case).

Ultimately, I think Judge Lama feared an appeal under his watch more than he desired justice for the victim. I can't find any other reasonable explanation for how he handled his discretion (i.e., late witness strikes) in this case.

MOO

ETA:

Confirming it was Lama's first day.

Ashley Franco
@AshleyKKTV

Quick update— we’re on a 5 minute break but we are not allowed to have phones or computers in court now due to an issue. More to come after the day is wrapped.

2:42 PM · Jan 24, 2022

 

[Aloe]

I believe that Suzanne was dressed to bike when Barry arrived at 2:43.

I think she may have been wearing the bike shorts that were later found on her closet floor.

I hope Barry was just extrapolating, introducing sex into his weak narrative as a feeble bolster to his perfect evening, perfect marriage script.

But it worries me.

Territory and possession being what they are, and we know he controlled things for quite a while, he may have felt he needed to show Suzanne who she belonged to. Caveman.

Apologies to cavemen.

Barry never seemed to understand that Suzanne belonged only to herself.

He didn't have the right to vote for her, speak for her, or silence her.

If you listen late at night in the whispering wind over Maysville, the mountains are screaming her name.

JMO

We will likely never know how it all happened, but based on the signature gouges on Barry's arm, there was an intimate scuffle.

The point of tranquilizing wildlife, it seems to me, is to drop the animal -- to prevent injury to animal and tranquilizor. Sedate the animal before approaching, then conduct whatever business necessitated that sedation (transport, veterinary care, tagging, etc and not to saw off antlers) before giving the corresponding reversal agent.

We don't know what was in the dart associated with the sheath. We don't know if it was a lethal agent, or whether it was or wasn't intended to be such.

But I have two theories. Theory #1 is that Barry made first contact outside (not directly outside) the bedroom, grabbing Suzanne in a chestlock, probably from behind, injecting her manually. And that's when she gouged him, perhaps momentarily breaking free, attempting then to find safety in her bedroom.

Or alternately, Theory #2, it was inside the bedroom, that he held her down, resulting in the gouges.

Did he attempt to immobilize her to inject her or did he attempt to hold her down until the tranquilizer overwhelmed her?

I think this is determinable. Based on the position and angle of the gouges. Whether he was behind her or atop her.

IMO there are two reasons for breaking into the bedroom --

1. Suzanne had her phone and he couldn't let her call for help.

Or

2. There were weapons in that room. He couldn't let Suzanne get hold of a gun, to defend herself.

Because, otherwise, he only had to wait for the tranquilizer to work before calmly picking the lock.

I think Suzanne may have briefly shifted the power axis and he was forced to punt.

The sheath and the doorframe and the gouges tell a story.

There is evidence of a crime in the home.

I disagree with the judge's finding that the sheath is no more evidentiary than knives in a kitchen or guns in a gunsafe.

If a set of knives were missing, I'd say that could have significant evidentiary value. Both the presence and absence of a means for violence is relevant IMO!

That Barry himself brought firing tranquilizers into the story makes tranquing materials even more relevant.

They should be there (in the home) so why are they missing? Smoking gun.

It takes one google search and one video of a deer being tranquilized to feel the brutality of a dart into thin human skin.

JMO

Sedation would have given him time and access to her phone with a viable thumb print. moo