Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #68 *ARREST*

[Charlot123]

Practical question. I hope LE has had the guts to check the spy pen for fingerprints before it became evidence.

A spy pen is good only as long as it lies among other pens. Close by, it probably does look slightly different. And Barry, while not quite refined, has good eyesight. What if he found it and listened to the recording?

It is interesting if his fingerprints were on the pen. Or someone else's?

 

[MassGuy]

Just listened to LS's recap of today's hearing and learned that the spy pen was unknown to LE until SO advised them she gave SM a spy pen during a trip to Florida. The spy pen was then discovered by LE inside a closet-- sometime in June.

It seems to me that once LE found the spy pen, they still did not know who the male voice belonged to since SM told nobody about JL, and LE finally identified him in November. MOO

That June date is interesting, as it means there were three search warrants executed at the property, and not just the two we knew about (May and July).

 

[crhedBngr]

￣
aargh, catching up is misery!
I wish I could just plug a USB thumb drive directly into my brain!

btw - has anybody noticed my tasty new username title line?
*as I twirl, and give a little curtsy*

RBBM

Love it, love it!!!

 

[gitana1]

This is to address those who feel free to condemn Suzanne for this affair, whether emotional or physical or both.
Suzanne isn't missing, she's dead, IMO.
If she's dead, someone killed her.
The state believes she's dead and the person who killed her is BM. So do I.
Witness accounts and text msgs describe severe emotional and physical abuse perpetrated by BM for years, at least.
I can't understand the outrage directed at a woman who not only endured years of abuse but WAS MURDERED by the man who made her life a living hell.
IMO IMO IMO IMO

Yeah, I’m not clutching my pearls over this revelation. I mean given the context, geesh. It’s like we need our victims to be long-suffering and perfectly moral at all
all times, no matter the circumstances. No matter their humanness.

 

[Tumbleweed]

It doesn’t seem to work with the times we were given.

Her last message is just after 2pm, and like 40 minutes later his evidence destruction begins.

We should have a much better sense of the timeline tomorrow.

I'm not convinced that the 2:47 was 2:47 PM on May 9th. Please see tweets below:

Lauren Scharf
@LaurenScharfTV
12h

On May 10, from 2:47 a.m. - 5:30 a.m. Barry Morphew took steps in disposing of evidence according to activity on cell phones and truck. Neilsen is referring to Page 2 of the arrest affidavit.

Carol McKinley
@CarolAMcKinley
12h

Nielsen reads the prosecution's theory from the 129 pg Arrest Warrant Affidavit that investigators used Morphew's Telematix report on his truck that "From 247 pm 5/9 until 537 am 5/10 he took steps to dispose of evidence of Suzanne’s disappearance and death."

Ashley Franco
@AshleyKKTV

The defense is talking about the system inside #BarryMorphew truck that tracks certain events such as when the doors open and where the truck is. On May 9th day before #SuzanneMorphew goes missing it shows at 10:05 am the truck is at a worksite
@KKTV11News

Ashley Franco
@AshleyKKTV

·Judge asks why the defense is talking about May 9th because prosecution did not talk about it. Nielsen says she will have to recall the witness at the end of the prelim. Judge says he understands. Nielsen moves on to talk about the surveillance cameras on Morphew property.

So if the judge said that the prosecution did not talk about May 9th, then Lauren was probably right, and not Carol. Hopefully this will be cleared up tomorrow.

 

[Cindizzi]

Just listened to LS's recap of today's hearing and learned that the spy pen was unknown to LE until SO advised them she gave SM a spy pen during a trip to Florida. The spy pen was then discovered by LE inside a closet-- sometime in June.

It seems to me that once LE found the spy pen, they still did not know who the male voice belonged to since SM told nobody about JL, and LE finally identified him in November. MOO

CHAFFEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Salida, Colorado

PRESS RELEASE

November 10, 2020

Today marks the 6-month anniversary of the Suzanne Morphew missing person case.

[. ]


In one aspect of the case, the task force continues to focus on Suzanne Morphew’s social media presence as part of the investigation. Investigators say Suzanne kept in touch with friends she loved dearly. They also believe that sometimes in these types of cases that people don’t come forward with information for concern that they may get someone in trouble. To those who may be fearful to come forward, they can reach out anonymously. Once investigators know your concerns, they can address them.

Anyone who may have engaged with Suzanne on Facebook, Instagram, Voxer, FaceTime or WhatsApp and would like to share new information or come forward if they haven’t been interviewed is asked to contact the Suzanne Morphew tip line, regardless of how insignificant you think the information may be, or whether you think investigators are already aware of it.

Suzanne Morphew case remains a priority to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office - Chaffee County Sheriff

 

[gitana1]

This is the state's case. The state called these witnesses. The state somehow thinks this is important.

One rule in litigation is to get ahead of your bad facts. The state may have thought they wanted to introduce this up front to get it over with so the defense can't do an "ah ha" later on.

Or they may be setting this up for motive.

Suzanne is texting her boyfriend at 2:11pm. Barry walks in and sees her texting, grabs her phone, reads through the messages and flies into a rage. Cue their evidence of his destruction of evidence over the next few hours.

Yeah it does seem like this has to be foundational. I mean it’s the prelim, not trial. So they don’t have to bring up non-essential bad stuff.

Although it could be strategy to get this out publicly before trial so a jury isn’t shocked.

 

[marylamby]

I think he is a coward, who wanted to save his own neck. Six months of non stop headlines about Suzanne, pleas from le to step forward? Speaks volumes of his character, IMO.

I still think this mindset is jumping to conclusions. Could JL be a total basta*d? Sure, but we just don't know at this point.
He could've sent anonymous tips that helped direct LE. He might've had an agreement with Suzanne or personal insight of her wishes where he was torn and thinking of her best interests.

<modsnip: Sleuthing non POIs is not allowed>

I'm reminded of how so many thought the photos of the Morphew family painted a very happy family - but they too hadn't been uploaded anywhere for a long time. Only photos of Suzanne and her daughters and they were few and far between and also weren't recent to her disappearance.
According to testimony today, two of JL's children knew about Suzanne. At least one MM encouraged her mother to get a divorce and a restraining order.
For all we know the Ls could be separated or divorced by now. We just don't know.
Life is complicated.
IMO

 

[Seattle1]

I'm not as shocked that SM was having an affair as I am that BM wasn't. MOO.

I don't think we know that he wasn't. We almost didn't know that SM was having an affair!

 

[gitana1]

I think they kind of had to throw this out there immediately. It would have been devastating if the defense was the first to reveal it---This way, it is awkward, and not optimum way to open their case---but we are digesting it and processing it so we can move on to the murder details. JMO

But it’s not trial. So I’m not sure of the reason here. That would make sense if this was trial.

 

[*Verdigris]

Alrighty then.
So, is anyone else thinking that Barry did the bleach things, and the bobcat things, and the cement pouring - all deliberately for a wild goose chase?
Make that geese chase.

Even still, other peripheral things will bring him down.
But the only thing holding, is where did he put Suzanne?

jmoo

 

[katydid23]

Do you think that influences a jury? Have to ask ...

I think it can, at least subconsciously. It seems to imply that they believe their client is innocent and worthy of being set free.

 

[Deleted member 222031]

Oof. Agreed! She was in an abusive relationship with BM. And apparently he was alienating her children from her. She probably greatly feared what would happen if she tried to leave. Clearly with reason. But in the meantime, she found someone she felt treated her well and loved her.

I don’t blame her. And I don’t judge her for that. SHE didn’t murder anyone. She just tried to find a ray of sunshine in the miserable trap she was in.

Her "ray of sunshine" was a nice, safe, married father of six. Did she deserve happiness? Yes. But her choices had the potential to hurt many people & now they have. I think she might even own that were she here today. He was SAFE - they weren't going to run away to Ecuador. And finding a new partner would never satisfy what was missing - a sense of her own agency, which she had yielded to her husband for most or all of her adult life.

Not victim-blaming. Just pointing out that such "happiness" is shallow. I would want much, much more for Suzanne.
As always, JMOO.

 

[StarrDetective]

But it’s not trial. So I’m not sure of the reason here. That would make sense if this was trial.

Because it’s part of the story and to exclude it would be shady. Still doesn’t change the fact that Barry is a homicidal maniac loser narcissistic terrible father, etc.

 

[StarrDetective]

Her "ray of sunshine" was a nice, safe, married father of six. Did she deserve happiness? Yes. But her choices had the potential to hurt many people & now they have. I think she might even own that were she here today. He was SAFE - they weren't going to run away to Ecuador. And finding a new partner would never satisfy what was missing - a sense of her own agency, which she had yielded to her husband for most or all of her adult life.

Not victim-blaming. Just pointing out that such "happiness" is shallow. I would want much, much more for Suzanne.
As always, JMOO.

They talked for hours on end!! That’s called an emotional connection. Not a shallow one. Mo
But, I, too, would want more for her than a married father of 6 sneaking around and afraid to come forward. 10000% with you

 

[gitana1]

I don't think we know that he wasn't. We almost didn't know that SM was having an affair!

Exactly. In fact, if he was and was coldly denying her affection, that could be part of the reason she sought solace with another.

 

[gitana1]

Because it’s part of the story and would be shady to exclude it. Doesn’t change the fact that Barry is a homicidal maniac loser narcissistic terrible father, etc.

I don’t think it would be shady at all. This is a prelim. The judge decides whether there is probable cause to believe he committed a crime. Her conduct isn’t relevant as part of the narrative, at this stage...unless it IS.

You have to remember that evidence at a prelim is a skeleton of what will be shown at trial. So unless it is key to probable cause, it’s hard to think of another reason for them bringing it up. Unless they just want to get a potential jury pool to get used to the idea so they can get over any dramatic, irrational impulses to judge her into the bad guy and BM as the victim.

 

[O.Incandenza]

I think there’s a decent chance that Barry stopped on the way home, and perhaps made purchases that would indicate a premeditated crime.

They got to first degree murder somehow; hopefully we’ll know the answer tomorrow.

I think either the timing is a coincidence and he really was planning this for a while, or they somehow can show that there was some time between him seeing the messages that afternoon and killing Suzanne. So the premeditation occurred in that brief time period. But I struggle to think of what kind of evidence could prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.

On the other hand, I'm not sure why the prosecution would devote the entire first day of the hearing to Suzanne's affair if that wasn't the motive. Perhaps they have evidence of BM finding out about the affair earlier in the week and then planning the murder?

 

[MassGuy]

Alrighty then.
So, is anyone else thinking that Barry did the bleach things, and the bobcat things, and the cement pouring - all deliberately for a wild goose chase?
Make that geese chase.

Even still, other peripheral things will bring him down.
But the only thing holding, is where did he put Suzanne?

jmoo

That’s just not normal criminal behavior. We see that in bad movies, but not in real life.

Barry didn’t have a great deal of time to work with, and his priority was getting rid of Suzanne’s body, and building an alibi.

I do think the bleach is going to factor in however, just maybe not in the way we imagined. I think he may have used it to destroy any trace of Suzanne in the back of his vehicle or something.

 

[MassGuy]

I think either the timing is a coincidence and he really was planning this for a while, or they somehow can show that there was some time between him seeing the messages that afternoon and killing Suzanne. So the premeditation occurred in that brief time period. But I struggle to think of what kind of evidence could prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.

On the other hand, I'm not sure why the prosecution would devote the entire first day of the hearing to Suzanne's affair if that wasn't the motive. Perhaps they have evidence of BM finding out about the affair earlier in the week and then planning the murder?

I don’t think that was their intent, but the defense dragged it out on cross, so it wound up being the result.

I haven’t ever seen the defense do that to this extent. Barry is certainly getting his money’s worth.