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

[10ofRods]

It seems like there could be two scenarios. An interesting note about Poncha Market is that it’s a known hub for mountain bikers and a common place to leave a car so that it’s down there at the descent(shuttle takes you up). So there is some relation to BM’s fake mountain biking scenario.

https://www.ponchamarket.com/blank-page-1

1. He was looking for evidence that he planted. Or maybe was wondering if the bike helmet (and possibly jersey) he planted had been found and thrown away.

2. He was intentionally wanting to be seen so he could leave the note about the helmet and jersey.

But whatever he was doing, based on the note he left, his mind was on the additional planted evidence. Because he didn’t mention anything about what his wife looked like. And we know the helmet was found. It makes me think biking clothing was also found and hasn’t been disclosed yet.

I think the helmet was found on that Thursday. So whatever BM was doing was to further his fake bide ride scenario and the planted evidence.

That's a really interesting scenario. Any piece of evidence planted in that trash can would have to be fairly large and obvious (the can itself was then emptied into a large dumpster in back of the store).

I have no clue how Barry could think any of this could work, but I think one of his main mental states that whole week was full on panic, so he wasn't thinking clearly. Even if he did plan out how to murder and dispose of Suzanne, there's no way (it's logically impossible) for him to have a valid alibi for the entire timespan of that set of events. "Good enough" alibi had suddenly become "Oh, shoot, they've got me!"

And he was terrified. Now, I think he's moved from fear to mostly permanent rage (mixed with fear). The rage should of course be at himself, but he's going to continue to act out against others.

 

[MrsWatson]

We know BM has a temper and has gotten physical in the past (the guy he hit in IN). What if, in his emotional state, he threw some stuff out into the woods? Just chucked it out there, like the failed baseball star he is. What if during his "searches" for Suzanne, he was actually collecting the things he threw during a temper tantrum? Her phone, her ring, the helmet? Or at least trying to collect them. Or relocate them.

Pure speculation.

 

[10ofRods]

Outdated technology. Water bladders are bigger and easier to use. Other than an occasional HydroFlask I don't see very many thermoses anymore.

When you go into the back country, what do you use to fill that hydroflask? We have to take water with us, and if it's several day, it's quite a bit of water. We use a round thermal cooler with a spigot (we have two sizes).

Hunters and campers (not to mention landscaping contractors) almost always have them. One hydroflask is not going to be enough water for a full day of work or hiking in the high elevations and dry air of Chaffee County. We just went camping, had to refill our smaller flasks each day - from the bigger jug.

However, I don't think that's what most of us are even talking about - we're talking about coolers (those rectangular things) not jugs.

And just as an aside, we were in the Sierra Nevada for a week and saw lots of thermal double walled lightweight canisters on people's packs and belts - I use one because I can't stand the plastic taste or feel of a hydroflask tube and because the water stays way cooler. However, if seriously hiking, I have definitely used a hydroflask. I thought my hydroflask was going to keep the water much cooler when we hiked Grand Canyon - was sorely disappointed in it.

But again, I do believe that Barry had to have a large cooler or leak proof box to bring back the large animals (and even just the partial skull we already know about). No one wants decomposing animal blood on their vehicle.

 

[MsBetsy]

The store manager never said she knew him, or that he was a regular. I think that might be some rather generous speculation.

jmo

Maybe he went there because it wasn't where he usually shopped and he didn't want to be recognized. The store owner didn't seem to know who Suzanne was or what she looked like.

Maybe he didn't even go there to get rid of evidence or look for something in the garbage. He could have been checking out their cameras to see if any were facing the road and would have captured his truck passing by at a specific time.

 

[TIGER0822]

His voting for her also shows that he knew she was dead. At that point LE was still saying there was no evidence that she was deceased and their main priority was finding Suzanne.

Most people would hang on to hope that their loved one was alive until a body is found or the evidence proves otherwise.

I think it is important that he specified I wanted Trump to win. Not that Suzanne wanted Trump to win. Barry, Barry, Barry. It’s all about ‘me’

 

[Ontario Mom]

I saw the interview with CM and the Poncha Springs market. They did not recognize him. I don't know exactly which one, it was TIR not PE.

I believe you're referring to this interview with the Poncha Market manager Tiffany, and CM. At 1:09:35 CM asks TB "does he come into the store anytime between the first time you saw him and the last one?" She responds and says "not that I've ever seen".

The question is weird (he also calls her Tina at the end of the interview), but the implication is the day BM left the stupid trash can receipt note, was the first time she ever saw him, and that she's never seen him since. Earlier in the interview she did say he ID'd himself to the kid that let him him, so, that sort of explains that.

 

[Boxer]

I think it is important that he specified I wanted Trump to win. Not that Suzanne wanted Trump to win. Barry, Barry, Barry. It’s all about ‘me’

Yes. Even under duress he can't seem to express thoughts about Suzanne that convey respect.

 

[K9Enzo]

When you go into the back country, what do you use to fill that hydroflask? We have to take water with us, and if it's several day, it's quite a bit of water. We use a round thermal cooler with a spigot (we have two sizes).

Hunters and campers (not to mention landscaping contractors) almost always have them. One hydroflask is not going to be enough water for a full day of work or hiking in the high elevations and dry air of Chaffee County. We just went camping, had to refill our smaller flasks each day - from the bigger jug.

However, I don't think that's what most of us are even talking about - we're talking about coolers (those rectangular things) not jugs.

And just as an aside, we were in the Sierra Nevada for a week and saw lots of thermal double walled lightweight canisters on people's packs and belts - I use one because I can't stand the plastic taste or feel of a hydroflask tube and because the water stays way cooler. However, if seriously hiking, I have definitely used a hydroflask. I thought my hydroflask was going to keep the water much cooler when we hiked Grand Canyon - was sorely disappointed in it.

But again, I do believe that Barry had to have a large cooler or leak proof box to bring back the large animals (and even just the partial skull we already know about). No one wants decomposing animal blood on their vehicle.

We use bladders & a bottle each while backpacking. We cannot carry the water needed for an entire trip. No way. We filter water. It’s a chore like prepping a meal, but has to be done. We also map our water sources so we know where they are. The dogs drink our water unless the water source is very fast moving. IMO

 

[Tiff23fr]

Mod Note:
As a reminder, a link is needed when making a statement of fact. If a source is known to be non-approved, don’t reference it, hint at it, etc. This results in the original post being removed and all posts that replied to it.
Thanks!

 

[Ontario Mom]

Back in October @Sillybilly made a post that the t-shirt find was off limits.
AFAIK, that never changed. So, just FYI:

ADMIN NOTE:

Had a chance to speak with Tricia tonite and it is decided to leave the recently 'found' t-shirt out of the discussion for now. We're not real confident in the source or that it is a legitimate find and don't want members going down that rabbit hole if it's not related to the case. If it is a legit find and has been turned over to LE, nothing lost.

Basically everything else from last nights post remains the same. In summary:

Discussion of the Adventures with Purpose search is approved (minus any/all references to psychic intervention)
Tube Crime is not approved
T-shirt talk is off limits for now
CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #48

 

[JosieMae]

I think he may have been doing something as simple as looking for store receipts from a certain time period where he needed an alibi.

Brilliant! I never thought of that.

 

[Seattle1]

I agree. In addition, I believe Colorado statutes require a specific mental state for each charge, rather than a more general "guilty mind" - the People must prove a criminal defendant acted "knowingly", "intentionally", "recklessly,"negligently", and so on. BM is charged with causing SM's death with "intent" to do so, and "after deliberation." These are the specific elements of Mens Rea the prosecutor must prove for the First Degree Murder charge. It will be interesting to see how much, if any, of the information that affects our understanding of BM's personality and character are admitted as evidence in court, given the relatively narrow definition of the mental state element.

It was CM (of YT IR) that introduced the term mens rea while interviewing SM's stepbrother. My initial post was only to say that I didn't think CM used the term as intended in legal practice -- especially in Colorado. Nonetheless, it's good to see all the discussion and observation by others on BM's guilty behavior. MOO

 

[CGray123]

I don't know whether it can be discussed at trial. I'm interested in jury behavior and what's in their minds (juries often don't discuss as much as you might think - they vote, certain people ask to see certain evidence, some discussion occurs - but then they vote again to see if someone is changing their mind in response to particular pieces of evidence).

That's my sense of it anyway.

I took an introductory course in Forensic Psychology a couple of years ago, and the coverage of jurors and juries was surprisingly extensive. Maybe not so surprising come to think about it, given the stakes involved in some of their decisions.

Your post sound like what the studies call a verdict-driven style of decision making: about 30% of juries take a vote shortly after they begin deliberations and then orient their subsequent discussions around the verdict options. This style tends to encourage the jurors to sort the evidence into two categories: supporting conviction or supporting acquittal. These juries spend less time reviewing and discussing evidence than the legal ideal suggests. Once a vote has been taken, there is a tendency for jurors to focus on defending their individual positions.

Other juries adopt an evidence-driven style, in which the first vote is postponed after jurors have had a careful, systematic discussion of the evidence. This style tends to produce richer, more probing discussions.

I found the course fascinating, and I hope to pursue these studies further someday.

 

[Seattle1]

Maybe he went there because it wasn't where he usually shopped and he didn't want to be recognized. The store owner didn't seem to know who Suzanne was or what she looked like.

Maybe he didn't even go there to get rid of evidence or look for something in the garbage. He could have been checking out their cameras to see if any were facing the road and would have captured his truck passing by at a specific time.

We know that BM initially did not want to be identified or his name connected with missing SM. I first wondered if he showed up after hours specifically to avoid the public while looking for something he'd planted separately from the bike that he believed should have been discovered already. I recall thinking BM was just fishing for information -- he wanted to know if CCSO had been inquiring at the store and also trying to determine if the weekend garbage had been collected yet. I think this happened before CCSO announced they found a personal item believed to be SM's property. MOO

 

[Boxer]

I will agree the motivation was financial, but I think it had been brewing for some time and had reached critical mass. I feel the impending sale of the IN property was going to reveal a major financial shortfall, perhaps a large Line of Credit (maxed out) secured against the property that needed to be satisfied upon sale that Suzanne was unaware of. Add to that, Barry’s willingness to defraud the government by applying for a loan he was not entitled to, likely gave Suzanne concern if she found out or perhaps she would also be implicated in the fraud as an “officer” of the business LLC. MM made a remark about “living within one’s means.” Perhaps Suzanne had come to terms with the fact that BM had been putting on a show and had them living BEYOND what they could truly afford all the while working day and night, or so he said. We also have no idea what kind of insurance coverage they had for her cancer treatments. Add to that a daughter in college, living away from home, a business that may not have taken off in CO, fancy house, fancy cars, fancy clothes, fancy vacations. Fancy that! Just a whole lot of money being spent with only one income. According to MM, the relationship had been in decline for a few years. Financial stress will do that especially if one partner is unwilling to face up to the impending disaster.

Those “happy” pics all over social media that made their way into MSM were a few years old. That alone speaks volumes. The AA will too. I suspect SM was done with the marriage and so was BM only he wasn’t willing to give up what he could still take from Suzanne, her money, and to do that he decided he needed to take her life. Sick. The love of money, is the root of all evil. Barry loves money, and was willing to murder to get it.

All MOO.

By overspending and getting into debt, he was using her inheritance in advance.
My theory and all MOO is: she liked living at Puna Path and her life in Salida.
He was and had always been a thief, he was in charge of of everything including spending and he spent all their money.
He was not making enough to cover lifestyle, and then that left only the equity in the house.
When she resisted the indignity of using her parents gift left to her and then to her girls, in order to cover lifestyle expenses, he did what thwarted thieves do, step up to robbery and murder.

 

[MsBetsy]

We know that BM initially did not want to be identified or his name connected with missing SM. I first wondered if he showed up after hours specifically to avoid the public while looking for something he'd planted separately from the bike that he believed should have been discovered already. I recall thinking BM was just fishing for information -- he wanted to know if CCSO had been inquiring at the store and also trying to determine if the weekend garbage had been collected yet. I think this happened before CCSO announced they found a personal item believed to be SM's property. MOO

Yes, I remember discussing that it could have been the helmet he was looking for. If he thought LE would not have found it (or other evidence) in one location, it's possible he could have moved it to the place where it was found.

 

[Janeumayer]

In one full year the only times BM has spoken publicly via the media is to defend himself! Every time LS was able to speak to BM, he was defending himself against what was being posted on social media, what employees had said, etc, Not one time did he contact any media to express any concerns SM was still missing, ask for new leads, or to ask for help locating her.
Talk about doing everything a guilty person does and NOTHING an innocent person does. His behavior will be probably be studied in law enforcement/detective courses “Profiling Suspects”. Lol. MOO

AND, let’s not forget, he never mentioned Suzanne by her name. Except for that 26-second video.

Unless I’m misremembering...

 

[OldCop]

For those of us who believe BM killed Suzanne sometime Saturday night and disposed of her sometime overnight into the morning hours, before acting out the Broomfield part of his alibi...

What the heck was he really doing digging through the trash can in front of the Poncha Market, after hours, on the Tuesday following? We know he wasn't looking for her, since he knew exactly where she was. Was he checking to see if evidence he'd stashed there, had been located? I wonder what you all think he was really doing there.

Here’s my thoughts on the trash dive at the Poncha Market.

-BM assumed the market was closed and that no one would observe him going through the trash.

-AM and some of BM’s IN friends were in town by Tuesday night. Why did BM sneak off by himself? I have heard of no other business or trash can that BM visited on Tuesday night.

-I don’t think he was stashing something that he wanted found as a red herring like the bike or the helmet because why would you assume someone would dig through a trash can and find it?

-I don’t think he was trying to hide something like a receipt because it would take 2 minutes to burn it or tear it into a million little pieces.

-I think he was looking for a receipt he accidentally discarded there. MG said he was shopping alone in Salida on Saturday afternoon. The Salida Stove and Spa sells pool chemicals like chlorine and maybe bleach. What if he bought a large quantity and then stopped at the Poncha Market for gas or a sandwich and accidentally tossed the receipt for the chlorine or bleach? The Poncha Market is 2 minutes from Salida Stove and Spa. BM knows by Tuesday that LE is not buying his story. I think he is going over all his steps from the time he killed SM. He may even have overheard LE talking about searching dumpsters nearby.

-Did BM go back even later that evening to search that trash can? Did he find what he was looking for?

-As an aside, BM must also pass by the Poncha Market going to and from the Salida dig site.

MOO

 

[OldCop]

I think this happened before CCSO announced they found a personal item believed to be SM's property. MOO

RSBM
You’re correct. The trash hunt was on Tuesday and the personal item, widely suspected to be the bike helmet, was found on Thursday off Hwy 50, just west of 225.

 

[swedeheart]

Have you guys seen this weekend's Dateline? It covered the Elizabeth Sullivan case, who was murdered by her husband Matt.

It was shockingly similar, down to the most minute details, to another case I've been following closely: Maya Millete.

What stood out to me was that the husband had consented to the search of the house, several times, but they didn't find any damning evidence, or not enough to arrest him. But 2 years later, he decided to sell the house, and as soon as he was moved out, LE was able to go in and tear up the carpets, search the attic, etc. They actually found the knife he killed her with, hidden in the attic! So it's not beyond reason that Barry hid the gun (or other evidence) at PP.

In this case, the husband also FROZE her body, for 2 years, in a freezer. The week he was moving to a new house, her body "popped up" right down the street from the house, thrown out like garbage on the beach. They think she had been in a freezer, in his freaking garage, the whole time, with their kids living there, as well as his new wife! Which made me think about those coolers again. If he didn't bury them, could he have frozen them, in a storage unit or something, with plans to throw them out after things died down? If Suzanne's body was found and still in tact (decomp-wise), a year or more after her disappearance, that could totally throw the time of death off, as it did in Elizabeth's case. I mean, that is what you would do with hunting meat, after all: you'd freeze it. Does or did Barry have a freezer for all his kills?

Anyway, give that show a watch. It's called "Secrets by the Bay." It got me thinking some wild thoughts. Lol. I was seriously astonished, though, how similar it was to Maya's case, and that case has always really seemed so similar to Suzanne's, as well.