Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #72 *ARREST*

[Deleted member 222031]

I feel as though giving too much of what they want to say away in the preliminary would likely give the defense time to really go after whatever angle it is. Is it likely they want to be as general as possible now so they don't show too much? I feel these LE witnesses are there to just show the facts they uncovered. Most of it is so straight forward and not really open for interpretation. He said he was at xx location or doing xyz and his phone, truck gps, or video showed he was doing abc instead. He claimed x, but text messages show y. I can't wait to find out the specifics, but that isn't what is needed for these hearings. The defense is doing more it seems to me to convivence the judge these things aren't suspicious or odd. The prosecution isn't there to show how they think it happened exactly, just that there is evidence to show she was alive before Barry arrived home and no further proof of life after he did arrive home. If I recall, the defense has brought up more details beyond what the prosecution brought up in order to make her look bad and it has only made him look worse! LOL

I agree with all you have said so well in this post. Not having that AA leaves us all begging for more, more, more! But all we have to go on is hurried tweets and the excellent sleuthing here. I have learned so much from both.

 

[jakat]

I don't think Barry indicated that he was shooting chipmunks with darts...but that he was shooting them. It just so happens that tranquilizer darts can be fired from standard rifles which are compatible.

And this is why he was running around at 30 mph in the house. He was shooting chipmunks out of the windows. 85 of them. Yeah, right!

 

[jakat]

corn feed anyone?

What was he doing with corn feed? Baiting chipmunks or something else? Did he really have corn feed?

 

[Deleted member 222031]

And this is why he was running around at 30 mph. He was shooting chipmunks. 85 of them. Yeah, right!

I'm going to turn into a rabid chipmunk with plague if this most impossible of scenarios (tranq darts aimed at chipmunks) continues to be repeated in this thread. And a tranq dart won't be enough to put me down, either.
Lol

 

[Momofthreeboys]

IMO the outcome of this case - once it gets to trial - will heavily depend upon the jurors being able to put the puzzle pieces together/connect the dots. People process information differently. Some are more left brained( logical analytical linear )
and some are more right brained ( creative intuitive emotion). The ideal juror will be a balance of the two IMO. It will be important for the prosecution to have alot of very well thought out visual aids to show the jury how the information comes together - what dot connects with the next dot etc. Without someone on the prosecution side able to weave the pieces together for the jury, in concert with the visual boards, show them how they need to eliminate the "noise" ( her affair etc) there may be a juror who just does not get it. All of this IMO.

Sure if they can prove she is deceased which is one of the corner pieces of the puzzle. Right now they left me at Barry running around the house with a tranquilizer loaded in a 22 chasing a 100 lb wife who was having an affair and backing his truck around the driveway to unhook his bobcat and trailer. I don’t think so. More to come hopefully. You couldn’t write a novel this crazy. I am actually beginning to think there was $70000 in a safe and he hired help so I know I am spinning like a top.

 

[Ontario Mom]

LE made a big issue about BM omitting his changing a "thingy on the bobcat" out of his timeline. During the preliminary, the defense emphasized this was an appointment that had been made far in advance. See LS prelim recap.

I checked with all of her videos after the prelim and was unable to locate that info about this being an appointment he made far in advance Can you link to the one where this was said?

 

[Momofthreeboys]

I just got a visual of the prosecution starting the trial with an empty frame on an easel and each time they make a salient point, they insert a puzzle piece. At the closing argument they put in the last few pieces and it completes a portrait of Suzanne!

Yeah except that every time the defense comes up with a reasonable answer a piece gets taken away. :-(

 

[Boxer]

There are several cases where I live where no record could be found of the burner purchaser. Paid cash, bought at a liquor store, no cameras, no ID asked for. This is California. And it's across two counties. Some of these are large scale drug busts with FBI involved - but burner phone registration/SIM registration remains elusive.

Keep in mind that you can buy a burner phone in Mexico easily, as well - and a SIM card. There are 5-6 services (ultimately served by T-Mobile or ATT) that register your SIM and provide you service (like Lycamobile). I'm not going into any more detail about burner phones are registered to use for illegal activities, but it happens - a lot. You can therefore use the phone (internationally) with almost no trace.

So, I'm not confident at all that all burner phones can be traced. If I had one, I would find a way to register it - not from my home, obviously.

MOO in this case all the stops will be pulled to find the source of the number, and any location it was used.
Hoping if a burner was used, it was able to be tracked.

D didn't go into the outgoing call, so it can't be in their favor, choosing instead to spend their time on something most people know, running around makes a jagged tracking pattern.

 

[jakat]

Or the river! Maybe she just got in the river.

The man truly has no shortage of ideas about how his wife disappeared.

MOO

 

[Boxer]

I checked with all of her videos after the prelim and was unable to locate that info about this being an appointment he made far in advance Can you link to the one where this was said?

Yes. I will look.

 

[jakat]

I'm going to turn into a rabid chipmunk with plague if this most impossible of scenarios (tranq darts aimed at chipmunks) continues to be repeated in this thread. And a tranq dart won't be enough to put me down, either.
Lol

 

[Momofthreeboys]

I’ve only ever seen it covered, which is to be expected, as most people keep it covered when not in use. We’ve never heard anything regarding the water level.

True and there is a lot of info about why she would be found if she were in the water. Bodies rarely aren’t found in water even if they get caught on something. I think the water idea was pretty well covered in searches and is not a possibility for me.

 

[jakat]

IIRC (I can't find the tweet) the defense challenged that BM could not have been moving around the house chasing SM like LE claimed. I believe they said he would have been moving over 30 mph and that's impossible. Does anyone remember this? IMO

Yes, I do. That's what they said. I'll try to find the tweet. It was 45 mph. Wow!

Lauren Scharf
@LaurenScharfTV
·
Aug 10

Agent Grusings theory is that #BarryMorphew did something to #SuzanneMorphew when he got home on May 9. Chasing Suzanne around the home while she is concious. The push pin map that they presented said it isn't possible for him to move at 45 miles per hour, according to Neilsen.

 

[Seattle1]

I feel as though giving too much of what they want to say away in the preliminary would likely give the defense time to really go after whatever angle it is. Is it likely they want to be as general as possible now so they don't show too much? I feel these LE witnesses are there to just show the facts they uncovered. Most of it is so straight forward and not really open for interpretation. He said he was at xx location or doing xyz and his phone, truck gps, or video showed he was doing abc instead. He claimed x, but text messages show y. I can't wait to find out the specifics, but that isn't what is needed for these hearings. The defense is doing more it seems to me to convivence the judge these things aren't suspicious or odd. The prosecution isn't there to show how they think it happened exactly, just that there is evidence to show she was alive before Barry arrived home and no further proof of life after he did arrive home. If I recall, the defense has brought up more details beyond what the prosecution brought up in order to make her look bad and it has only made him look worse! LOL

There's a very good reason why the state typically uses only a few investigators as witnesses for a preliminary hearing. These witnesses are very capable of giving a summary of the AA -- not the type of account expected from expert witnesses that will be called at trial.

During the Frazee prelim, only two individuals took the stand for the state: Woodland Park Police Officer and a CBI Agent. The forensic cellphone analysis detailing the communication and location of the parties was very critical in the conviction of the accused, and this very important evidence was introduced by the Woodland Park Police Officer.

When the witness was crossed by the defense about the cellphone forensics, it did not take 4 hours. The witness responded to analytical questions (similar to running through walls at 30 mph) by stating he could not confirm the data because he was not a phone expert. Asked and answered. The Judge was able to ask the defense to move on -- the witness answered the question-- he's not an expert.

Obviously, all those technical concerns were answered at the trial by expert witnesses, and the jury convicted Frazee.

MOO

 

[Area52]

The $70k in the garage that went "missing" intrigues me. I think we'll hear more about it at trial. Is there a paper trail with Barry pulling $70,000 out of an account right before Suzanne goes missing, and now he's got to cover his a$$ as to where it went? I don't trust him! Time will tell

 

[10ofRods]

wise words @Alethea - If that is one lesson her death can teach all of us - it's this. Just leave. get yourself and your kids out. If only .....
JMO

I want to take this opportunity to thank you, @oviedo, for all your work and, really, just your overall goodheartedness and kindness to everyone.

As someone who did leave and did get my kids out safely, I can say that from the moment when I came to the firm decision that I was leaving, to the point in which I and the kids left the house with just a few belongings (headed for my parents' house - and my parents did not know the DV situation details at all, they would learn them that morning)...was almost 2 years. The idea to plan it didn't occur to me until I had a (very) secure job and knew I could support myself and the kids if necessary.

One of the most necessary things of all, though, is to tell someone of the abuse and the rest of the situation. Not just in a support group that may assume anonymity, but an actual friend. This is very hard to do. It has to be someone who can't possibly convey in any manner to your spouse that you're planning to leave. And each time I'd make a friend, my ex would move us again - and again. Finally, though, he chose to move near my parents (and I will say that my ex did make some efforts to make himself a better person, it was during one of those phases that he decided this).

If that friend doesn't exist in your life, then tell a pastor or counselor (and give permission for them to discuss it if anything happens to you). While I was working for LE at the time of this planning, I never told anyone in that group about anything. I didn't even tell my therapist (long story).

I wouldn't have been able to tell my parents, because their actions and behaviors would have tipped him off.

It's been 31 years now. Every situation is different. For me, the most basic thing to remember is to be ready to go at any moment, even if it's to a shelter or you have to sleep in your car, because waiting for kids to get older etc. can't be part of the equation, it's too dangerous. One of the women I confided in said, "Don't pay the utility bills if you need the money to save for your escape - let him worry about it later." I didn't need that particular advice - but it's stayed with me, as that woman did need to scrape together meager funds for her own escape. Credit cards can hit their maximums, utilities can go unpaid, your credit score can take a hit - none of that matters.

 

[Tumbleweed]

So let’s say the Salida Stove & Spa employee is incorrect, as the prosecution said. Please tell me when Barry could have been there. Any ideas? I can’t find any time that makes sense to me.

I'm thinking that it was on Friday, instead of Saturday, and the employee just mixed up the days. This is just a guess. LE should know when he was really there via phone and truck records. Just wish we knew...

 

[angelainwi]

And this is why he was running around at 30 mph in the house. He was shooting chipmunks out of the windows. 85 of them. Yeah, right!

Someone had mentioned previously that his running around may have been looking for the dart cap....that made a lot of sense to me.

 

[Lyanna]

Did you notice in the final row of photos the one of the two bobcats? Wonder if they were hanging around to gobble up some dead chipmunks or dead turkeys that somebody not very careful about attracting wildlife left lying about.

They are beautiful, would have liked to see what the 3 of them were looking at

 

[Goldenseal]

I say this without any victim blaming but I wish she would have just picked up and went to her sister's or someone else's house. Ending a relationship is the most dangerous time for a person involved in an abusive situation. Waiting until you're alone together may seem like the adult, mature, civil way to do it (like I am sure SM thought), but it's dangerous. Pick up and leave and then tell them you're not coming back when you have some distance and protection. Obviously it shouldn't be like this but it very often is.

That has puzzled me, too, to read that SM sent an "I'm done" text to BM after all the time she supposedly worked with the domestic violence group at her church. Basically the first thing they tell you is that it's the most dangerous when you leave the abuser. Then, she tells him she's leaving when there's not a soul around, and she hasn't packed up and fled already? I don't understand this.