Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #59 *ARREST*

[Puzzles8]

Why would a gun be legal in one state, Indiana and illegal in Colorado?

 

[GatorFL]

Curious, why would they shy away from charging all the crimes they come across?

They're irrelevant in a strong case. How many capital murder cases have you watched where there were all these ancillary charges?

This reminds me of the Casey Anthony case in a lot of ways so far.

 

[GatorFL]

Why would a gun be legal in one state, Indiana and illegal in Colorado?

Different states have different firearms laws.

 

[mom2chloe]

I can think of 3 things off the top of my head.

"Working with domestic abuse meetings"
"I'm afraid this is domestic abuse" (said by brother)
"She said she was scared" (said by sister)

And as he is charged with her murder, that alone is domestic abuse (domestic violence). imo

I agree and wonder if the social media contacts that LE reached out to regarding communication with Suzanne either came forward as witnesses recently or after BM was ordered held without bond. I certainly hope so! Suzanne may well have confided in others maybe even her minister prior to her text to Melinda regarding being afraid. IMO

I hope we don’t have to wait forever for the AA to be disclosed. Maybe since he has hired a stellar defense team they will allow its disclosure at the next hearing. Praying!

 

[NuttMegg]

A lawyer representing a defendant does not ever have to tell the Court they are guilty, however, they are not supposed to put someone including their own client on the stand if they know they are going to perjure themselves.

I thought it was so strange when Watts confessed to killing his kids, to his public defenders about 2-3 weeks after his arrest. And that they wrote his confession down, and offered to keep preparing for trial with several approaches to get him declared not guilty. I guess I thought they'd have to excuse themselves. I was shocked, but what do I know. Learn something new every day.

 

[Puzzles8]

Different states have different firearms laws.

But the laws must be based upon some perceived danger or misuse. What possible reasons might Colorado have for making that gun illegal?

What are those guns typically used for?

 

[Puzzles8]

I agree and wonder if the social media contacts that LE reached out to regarding communication with Suzanne either came forward as witnesses recently or after BM was ordered held without bond. I certainly hope so! Suzanne may well have confided in others maybe even her minister prior to her text to Melinda regarding being afraid. IMO

I hope we don’t have to wait forever for the AA to be disclosed. Maybe since he has hired a stellar defense team they will allow its disclosure at the next hearing. Praying!

I think BM's attorneys will try to keep it sealed as long as they can. At a minimum, IMO the AA will not show BM in a very positive light.

JMO, MOO

 

[Boxer]

They're irrelevant in a strong case. How many capital murder cases have you watched where there were all these ancillary charges?

This reminds me of the Casey Anthony case in a lot of ways so far.

But legally, is there an advantage to not charging crimes discovered during the investigation?

 

[Error505]

When will we see the AA? Was it mentioned the 27th?

That’s the earliest because it’s the next scheduled court date iirc. Not long, 1 week left!

 

[NuttMegg]

But the laws must be based upon some perceived danger or misuse. What possible reasons might Colorado have for making that gun illegal?

What are those guns typically used for?

maybe someone will answer re Colorado, but the states have a real mishmash of laws re guns, ammo, hunting, open carry etc. Then there might be different laws within a state if it is partly federal land. One small example, in Alaska small caliber rifles like 22's can't be used for big game because in effect if you shoot a moose with a 22, the moose will probably run away and eventually die of infection, whatever, and the meat is lost, and the hunter will just shoot other moose with the same pathetic gun and never even punch the game tag. . Then, on the other hand, why would a sawed off rifle be legal for game hunting? The bullet has a small chance of even hitting the target unless it is very close. And the rifle can be hidden under clothing just like in an "untouchables" movie. The really terrible aspect to local state gun laws, IMO, is that one densely populated state or city can try to protect citizens by outlawing handguns, yet would-be criminals can drive over a state line and buy all they want.

 

[susiQ]

So I finally had a chance to read some background info on BM’s attorneys. Sure, they have successfully defended a couple clients in recent high-profile cases, Tom Falllis and more recently, the infamous KK- evil Frazee’s accomplice. Every case is different with a different set of circumstances, and I personally don’t envy these attorneys having BM as their client that’s for sure, and have little doubt these capable attorneys are up to the challenge/task of defending, imo, the indefensible.

Stating the obvious, in the United States, BM is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, entitled to due process. I respect and understand his attorneys duty to the constitution to ensure their client receives a fair trial. I too, want BM to receive a fair trial so as to avoid future appeals etc. down the road, as others have pointed out. I won’t wish BM’s attorneys luck though, as I believe their client is responsible for Suzanne no longer being of this earth and want him to pay the ultimate price for his horrendous crime. More than anything, I want justice for Suzanne, his beautiful, innocent wife, his VICTIM.

Having said that, I trust and have a lot of faith in DA Linda Stanley. She’s intelligent, an impressive background, seems to be a real spitfire too. When I watched and listened to her a couple weeks ago at the PC after BM’s arrest, when she emphatically stated, paraphrased, “I wouldn’t have filed charges and arrested him if I wasn’t confident”, and stated “this is about Suzanne”, the way she confidently and assuredly said it and her serious, determined stance, really made me feel confident that all LE involved and DA Stanley have worked diligently, methodically behind the scenes, crossed every “t”, and dotted every “i”. I believe they have the “goods” on BM to put him away for a long time. DA Stanley is certainly no slouch, prepared, capable, ready to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that BM is responsible for taking Suzanne from this world.

I feel confident the prosecution will be careful in the jury selection process and carefully vet/weed out those they feel are not “up to the task”, so to speak. I have faith and trust in the process and even though there’s always a risk that one juror isn’t convinced, I feel most jurors take their role very seriously and get it right more often than not.

I am also one who believes that once the AA is unsealed/gets released, it’s going to be even more horrifying than any of us ever imagined. There’s a reason the DA is confident,
because she has an airtight case, and hopefully BM’s attorneys after thorough review of the AA, which I believe will go toward exposing their client for the monster he is, will advise him the best course of action is to plea in exchange for Suzanne’s body/remains.

Amongst a host of other character flaws, I think BM is a morally corrupt, desensitized, disconnected individual that has shown blatant disrespect and total disregard for the rights of others probably for most of his life. After all, IMO, he made a conscious, premeditated decision to end Suzanne’s life, and disposed of her with such callous disregard, like yesterday’s trash, which is beyond heinous and cruel. I believe he really feels that he had a right to do so too. I’d go a step further and say in his sick mind, he blames Suzanne for “making” him do it, and feels 100% justified. He’s a scary, dangerous individual who I also believe is a danger to his daughter’s and to society if he ever gets out/walks free. I do have faith that won’t happen though.
If he doesn’t/refuses to plea/confess, which I highly doubt he will due to his huge ego, arrogance thinks he can beat this, then it will be a showdown between the attorneys in court, but in the end, after all the evidence against BM is methodically laid out by the DA for the jury, witness testimony, etc., all LE involved and DA Stanley’s hard work will prove to have payed off. That truth and justice will prevail, and Suzanne will ultimately get the justice she so rightfully deserves. And that after he’s convicted/sentenced, that BM fades into oblivion living in his new 6 x 8 digs, where all he has to look forward to are bologna sandwiches, love letters and marriage proposals from deranged, deluded, wannabe prisoner’s wives.

To echo DA Linda Stanley, this is about SUZANNE.
No truer words ever spoken.

Thinking about Suzanne’s daughter’s, Andy, Melinda, David, and the extended Moorman family as they digest all the charges. This is such a heartbreaking case, and my thoughts and prayers go out to each and every one of them.

All of the above IMHOO

#FindSuzanne
#BringSuzanneHome
#JusticeForSuzanne

BAM! BAM, BAM!!! As our beloved Warwick7 would say . Nothing left to say. No truer words spoken. You have encapsulated our feelings entirely. Thank you! #JusticeforSuzanne

 

[Seattle1]

They're irrelevant in a strong case. How many capital murder cases have you watched where there were all these ancillary charges?

This reminds me of the Casey Anthony case in a lot of ways so far.

Really? This is a no-body murder case where prosecutors constantly remind us that they only get one bite at the apple. It would be negligent for the state not to charge based on the evidence. Two recent no-body murder convictions in Colorado each included all actionable charges pursuant to C.R.S.

GUILTY - CO - Kelsie Schelling, 21, pregnant, Pueblo, 4 Feb 2013 *Arrest* #2

GUILTY - CO - Kelsey Berreth, 29, Woodland Park, Teller County, 22 Nov 2018 - *Arrest* #70

 

[Momofthreeboys]

He may also have gone with a PD because he thought 'lawyering up' so early would look suspicious.

Your comment about him being angry with Suzanne totally resonates. I wonder if the judge had any inkling of such a sentiment when BM was told communications with his daughters had to remain 'civil'.

Why wouldn't they be 'civil'? I'm speculating that he's badmouthed SM to LE at the very least for causing HIM all these headaches. I wouldn't be surprised if he's done the same with his girls.

jmo, of course.

That is standard language and a “gift” of sorts because prosecutors asked the girls and they wanted visitation with their dad.

 

[Tiff23fr]

Thread is closing for cleanup.

 

[Tiff23fr]

Thread is re-opened.
If a source is not a WS approved source that can be linked in the thread, do not bring it here. Once it creeps into the thread, it typically requires pages of cleanup as we have just experienced. This can be frustrating on our end, and I know it can be frustrating on your end as well while you wait on the thread to be re-opened.

If there is uncertainty if a source is approved or not, you can use the report feature from one of your recent posts to ask a member of the mod team.

In summary: link information stated as fact AND play nice

 

[Spartygirl]

@Tiff23fr
I have SS of the court docs but not the link.
Am I able to share here ??

 

[mom2chloe]

@Puzzles8 because I cannot quote. There is a new member @ToastIsUp who posted good info on your questions and also a Profiling Evil on YouTube with additional information. Idk why I can’t quote or even like posts currently but hopefully it’s fixed soon.
hopefully this helps you!
ETA it’s working!

People be kind and responsible; we don’t want this thread shut down especially while awaiting new info. IMO

 

[Boxer]

That whole "passionate about defending boys and men wrongly accused of domestic violence [...]", means to me that Barry believes this will be a factor during court proceedings.

Once again; I am both anxiously awaiting and dreading the release of the AA. I sincerely believe the report will contain some horrific and heartbreaking information.

MOO kind strange to work your children into a marketing piece about successfully defending accused murderers.

 

[Error505]

@Puzzles8
I hope this helps in reference to Colorado gun laws and what BM is charged with

Definition of short-barreled rifle which is what BM is charged with possessing
18 U.S. Code § 921
The term “short-barreled rifle” means a rifle having one or more barrels less than “sixteen inches” in length and any weapon made from a rifle (whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise) if such weapon, as modified, has an overall length of less than twenty-six inches.
18 U.S. Code § 921 - Definitions

Colorado Gun Law
What guns are illegal in Colorado?
Guns that are illegal to own include (but are not limited to) any gun or gun accessory that has been classified under federal or state law as a dangerous weapon, including:

• Armor-piercing ammunition,
• Firearm silencers,
• Machine guns,
• Short shotguns (those having a barrel or barrels less than eighteen inches long or an overall length of less than twenty-six inches),
• Short rifles (those with a barrel less than sixteen inches long or an overall length of less than twenty-six inches),
• Any defaced firearm (that is, one in which the manufacturer’s serial number, or other distinguishing number or identification mark, has been removed, defaced, altered, or destroyed, except by normal wear and tear), and
• Large capacity ammunition magazines (capable of holding more than 15 rounds), if purchased after July 1, 2013.3

Certain local governments have banned assault weapons, such as Vail and Boulder. Preemption renders these local laws unenforceable. However, the assault weapon ban in Denver is valid.4


Note that the Colorado Supreme Court recently upheld a ban on large-capacity gun magazines. It is not a violation of rights to limit magazines to 15 rounds.
Colorado Gun Laws (With 2021 Updates)
EBM to add tag

 

[genuineusa77]

I thought it was so strange when Watts confessed to killing his kids, to his public defenders about 2-3 weeks after his arrest. And that they wrote his confession down, and offered to keep preparing for trial with several approaches to get him declared not guilty. I guess I thought they'd have to excuse themselves. I was shocked, but what do I know. Learn something new every day.

I think Watts pubic defenders were going to try for not guilty by mental illness! Like he flipped out when Shannon said he will never see the kids and his rage overtook him.