Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #73 *ARREST*

[branmuffin]

Why did BM unhook his trailer, and detrailer his Bobcat. It was needed in Broomfield the next day. If the Bobcat played no part, wonder why, what logistics.

Maybe because where he deposited SM's remains he couldn't get to with the trailer attached.

 

[10ofRods]

<RSBBM>
In case you were wondering, there is no surveillance of the Morphew home from 5/9 or 5/10. The DVR was missing. Lots of talk about whose DNA was on the DVR cords. DNA test showed moderate support that Suzanne's DNA was on the cords, but Barry and their daughters' DNA excluded.

I didn't realize the DVR was actually missing. Wonder if that was something BM was disposing of on his infamous trash run?

I could also see BM wiping the cable/cords to it and rubbing an unconscious Suzanne's hand to leave DNA on it.

There must be something important up with the camera scenario. There were obviously some functioning cameras in/and around the home that suddenly weren't working that particular weekend.

MOO

Edited format

I'd bet that Barry had gloves in his murder kit.

While it's possible he remembered to put Suzanne's hands on it, it's more likely to me that Suzanne - perhaps with the help of a handyman - installed the thing in the first place, so she handled the cables quite a bit - perhaps moving them around for cleaning behind things, as most people do when they deep clean.

All Barry had to do is put on gloves, which is a common sense criminal thing to do while staging a crime scene.

DNA analysis might have shown that Barry touched it last, if he had not worn gloves.

 

[10ofRods]

Why did BM unhook his trailer, and detrailer his Bobcat. It was needed in Broomfield the next day. If the Bobcat played no part, wonder why, what logistics.

Well, the difficulty of making quick stops at multiple trash dump sites, with a trailer on the back of your truck, is a factor (and he'd be way more obvious). Just finding a parking spot (HIE probably had plenty of parking for vehicles with trailers, but it would have been hard to find such a spot at WalMart or Home Depot, and the dump sites).

You have to drive more slowly with a trailer, it takes longer to find a slot to gas up at the gas station - everything is more awkward. The chances of LE noticing a truck with a Bobcat are higher, too. Supposed to drive in the slow lane through Denver, etc. My dad towed a trailer to CO for years, and as a man who preferred to drive fast, he disliked it intensely. The parking issues got worse and worse as Denver got more and more crowded...

During COVID, it would have been easier, but Barry probably wanted to travel swiftly and be able to maneuver quickly as well.

 

[branmuffin]

On the subject of no evidence of a BM affair.

The definition of an affair indicates an ongoing relationship. I’m willing to bet any affairs conducted by BM (think rich widows, as someone said, or wealthy businesswomen with useful contacts) were quite separate, and in addition, to other proclivities.

His internet searches for “Cute girls near Salida” was raised at the prelim. The location qualifier suggests he wasn’t just idly looking for pictures, he was looking for hook-ups. Searching for “Cute girls near Salida” was hardly going to lead to wholesome mentoring opportunities for him with high school girls. The tangible results would likely be links to paid sex workers.

Could that have been a hobby he engaged in (didn’t SM allude, in one of her recovered text messages, to “what you’ve been up to for years”?) while legitimately denying he was having an affair.

IMO

You could well be right. Although IMO BM isn't the type of guy who pays for his dalliances. No sir, all he has to do is turn on the charm and the women drop like flies.

I know a lot of people don't agree with me but BM is, at least was, a very handsome guy with a great smile. He probably had lots of attention from many women he met through the course of his business. If he could threaten suicide to bring SM to heel he's not above playing the sympathy card related to his wife's cancer diagnosis. He probably can be quite charming in the right circumstances.

I agree with you that the term affair suggests more of a long term relationship that includes an emotional aspect as well as the physical side. Some people feel an emotional attachment is more of a betrayal than a physical one since that's just biological.

 

[Boxer]

There's no doubt that all involved in a murder trial take it seriously. But what do you think voir dire is and its peremptory challenges? Each side has the ability to dismiss potential jurors from the jury specifically because they believe they'd be detrimental to the outcome they want. So the opposite of detrimental is beneficial. That sounds like implicit bias to me.

MOO the sysyem is set up as best it can be knowing these issues.
MOO the defense's success in suppressing relevent evidence is more of a factor for any individual case verdict not beimg just than a bias, explicitly denied under oath, then acted on in the jury room.

 

[coastal]

Well, the difficulty of making quick stops at multiple trash dump sites, with a trailer on the back of your truck, is a factor (and he'd be way more obvious). Just finding a parking spot (HIE probably had plenty of parking for vehicles with trailers, but it would have been hard to find such a spot at WalMart or Home Depot, and the dump sites).

You have to drive more slowly with a trailer, it takes longer to find a slot to gas up at the gas station - everything is more awkward. The chances of LE noticing a truck with a Bobcat are higher, too. Supposed to drive in the slow lane through Denver, etc. My dad towed a trailer to CO for years, and as a man who preferred to drive fast, he disliked it intensely. The parking issues got worse and worse as Denver got more and more crowded...

During COVID, it would have been easier, but Barry probably wanted to travel swiftly and be able to maneuver quickly as well.

Yeah, he didn't want to look suspicious with all that scurrying about, someone might think he had something to bury with the bobcat. He outsmarted himself here.

 

[OldCop]

I have wondered if SM had previous knowledge of BM having affairs in Indiana and if throughout their marriage BM had accused SM of having affairs or behaving inappropriately with other men (interesting text to SO about what she was “allowed to wear”) and finally she thought “well, dammit if I am going to be accused, I might as well…”
moo

This is a quote from our @NoSI in the last thread:

Text messages between SO and SM -

# Peoples Exhibit 6 – “I can’t handle the unstableness. The day he cut his leg he accused me of wanting to go back to town to get his meds and talk to someone. I came back with I can’t question you about another but you can me? He literally opened his car door while I was driving up the mountain like he was going to jump. His usual tactic when I bring up another”.

This indicates that SM has questioned BM about affairs or other woman and that he has questioned her. Evidently, SM offered to go into town for some meds after BM cut his leg one time and he said she was using that as an excuse to go into town and talk to “another” man.
Did BM know her affair was with JL or did he suspect an affair with someone local? That last sentence could be interpreted 2 ways: she wanted to call her lover or she wanted to see her lover.
On 5/7 at 4:43 she texted BM to say she had been studying all day and making veggie stew for dinner. This was the day she was supposed to have gone to the bike shop. Was she afraid to tell BM she had gone into town that day? Afraid it would set him off again?
He also tried to jump out of the car one day when she brought up another woman. Every time she mentions that she suspects he is having an affair, he says he’s going to kill himself.
MOO

 

[Boxer]

Maybe because where he deposited SM's remains he couldn't get to with the trailer attached.

A possible time to use the truck for hiding SM, between 2:47pm and the data wipe (+5:30pm?) +2.5 hours, while leaving his phone at home.

 

[Diddian]

Blimey loosing a DVR is quite something, It is the box of magic tricks at the heart of your CCTV System basically without it nothing happens. For it to go missing is ODD. For those that don't know a DVR is a box with a memory in it when cameras record they can save to the memory (hard copy until over written) and most have the ability to upload or save to the cloud. Without the box(dvr) being attached
nothing works. This sort of thing does not simply go missing.

I don't have one of these systems (but I have a ferocious and protective dog, so don't go thinking I'm an easy hit!), so I have a question...
If the CCTV system was installed in association with a company that provides security services (i.e., responds to an emergency security call), could the DVR be that company's equipment? So, once the Morphew's opted not to continue the security services the previous owner might have used, the equipment had to be returned, like equipment is returned when you cancel cable or internet services?
ETA: Oops, I see @IRBHTX already asked this. Sorry!

 

[Diddian]

Well, the difficulty of making quick stops at multiple trash dump sites, with a trailer on the back of your truck, is a factor (and he'd be way more obvious). Just finding a parking spot (HIE probably had plenty of parking for vehicles with trailers, but it would have been hard to find such a spot at WalMart or Home Depot, and the dump sites).

You have to drive more slowly with a trailer, it takes longer to find a slot to gas up at the gas station - everything is more awkward. The chances of LE noticing a truck with a Bobcat are higher, too. Supposed to drive in the slow lane through Denver, etc. My dad towed a trailer to CO for years, and as a man who preferred to drive fast, he disliked it intensely. The parking issues got worse and worse as Denver got more and more crowded...

During COVID, it would have been easier, but Barry probably wanted to travel swiftly and be able to maneuver quickly as well.

Interesting that, if he wasn't going to take it, he bothered to take the time on Saturday to replace the plate or the thing the plate mounts on or whatever it was that he had replaced. It's like he didn't want LE to see the Bobcat without that repair and ask what might have caused the damage.

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

I really wish we could know what he was thinking or how he thought it would all go. I will never understand the preplanned part. Surely they can think through things enough to know they can't cover ever detail. He even listened to other true crime cases and didn't he see they all got caught. Fotis Dulos also.. the hate of a single person is so great they just take the risk.

You call it the hate of a person. I see it as his love of money was worth the risk for Barry. With Suzanne gone, he was about to have to become a real working Joe for a living. This was a guy used to expensive homes, expensive cars, expensive vacations, you name it.

Suzanne leaving with her inheritance money would sure put a damper on his "rich and famous" lifestyle. The more he thought about it, the more he blamed her for wanting to screw it all up. He wasn't about to let that happen.

Notice how quickly he moved to get his financial affairs in order and take over Suzanne's wealth after she disappeared. No time for much of anything else except maybe his push-up contests.

JMO.

 

[CGray123]

There's no doubt that all involved in a murder trial take it seriously. But what do you think voir dire is and its peremptory challenges? Each side has the ability to dismiss potential jurors from the jury specifically because they believe they'd be detrimental to the outcome they want. So the opposite of detrimental is beneficial. That sounds like implicit bias to me.

Voir dire is one of the mechanisms the system uses to mitigate the influence of bias and prejudice. It also educates jurors about their role, the nature of the case, and the seriousness of their duty to remain impartial until all the evidence is heard.

No one gets to stack the jury with "beneficial" members. After both sides strike the jurors they think could be adverse, the result in theory is a jury of impartials.

Attorneys have all kinds of theories as to how best to conduct voir dire, mostly based on crude and superficial stereotypes - but there's zero evidence that any of them work, in the sense of picking a jury favorable to one side.

No matter what the attorneys can figure out by observing, listening, and studying the juror bios, they cannot possibly know in advance how a particular juror will react to the evidence offered in the case about to be tried, and they cannot know how one juror will influence, or be influenced by, others in the jury room. Even those who use "jury consultants" and employ "scientific" jury selection have little to show in terms of measurably better outcomes. (Lieberman & Sales, 2007; Posey & Wrightsman, 2005).

 

[Boxer]

Interesting that, if he wasn't going to take it, he bothered to take the time on Saturday to replace the plate or the thing the plate mounts on or whatever it was that he had replaced. It's like he didn't want LE to see the Bobcat without that repair and ask what might have caused the damage.

They have said the Bobcat not involved though.
MOO he just forgot the bobcat, and why it was unhooked from truck at all with a job for it the next day is important.

 

[10ofRods]

I don't think she was there on Mothers Day and I am beginning to wonder if she was there on the Saturday. Yes I know a selfie was taken and sent to JL and a request to switch from linked in to Whats app but did JL and SM physically talk or did they just text that day. What I also find interesting is that on the list of 50 things is apparently BM having an affair I find that really hypocritical. I also find the Spy Pen really odd why would SM be so bothered if she herself were having an affair it just doesn't make sense. I realise SM and JL are not on trial but I do find it interesting.

Well, the obvious reason was to ease her conscience and to justify her own behavior. If Barry had stopped initiating sex with her (let's say he was having affairs, starting back in Indiana), she'd be almost certain he was having an affair. I suspect that Barry was caught having affairs much earlier and made the usual promises not to do so again and they moved to CO in part because of that situation (they both seem to be attached to romances based ultimately in Indiana, IMO).

Maybe they were both having affairs and both of them had incorporated spying on each other.

So it makes sense to me that Barry would choose an isolated place to park Suzanne (especially if he suspected her of having affairs. Once a marriage starts to truly disintegrate (especially sexually), partners often get suspicious of each other. She might have believed the isolated place would enable her to keep better tabs on him and prevent more affairs. Since Barry is a suspect, we can sleuth him, and I found at least one SM post tagging Barry and mentioning that he had a Tinder account (I can't recall the name he used).

I can't quite wrap my head around how Barry could have altered the digital information embedded in a picture taken on Suzanne's cell phone but...he is looking much smarter to me than I had thought he was. He could have had a keystroke recorder on her laptop (and also on her phone), he could have been tracking the LinkedIn affair in real time, he could have written down extensive notes or printed out conversations for his Big Binder, so he could imitate Suzanne if he needed to.

But surely the FBI can tell if that information has been overwritten or messed with? Maybe not. But changing the GPS location of where the photo is taken is apparently the hardest thing to do (GPS is never turned off completely when the phone is turned on). However, if the photo were taken on an earlier day, that could be manipulated. But surely the FBI can tell?

The last part of the article below describes how someone can hide their metadata (including location), at least from casual viewers of the photo on the internet.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, Including Your Location

From what I'm reading, there are apps to facilitate this. If the metadata settings are altered in advance, then all photos originating after that app is used will appear to be from a different date.

Which would mean for Barry to pull it off, he'd have had to set the phone to the future - knowing exactly when he'd need to send it, so that the photo appears to be taken around the time of its sending. Then obviously he'd have to get rid of that app and change the settings back to normal. If he used an app to alter the metadata after the photo was taken, the original information would still be there, just not visible but in theory, recoverable.

Why would Barry do this? Only an obsessed, crazed madman would do that, IMO.

He could have imitated Suzanne without sending a picture much more easily.

 

[303gmf]

Evidence more likely for divorce " $ettlement".

It does not matter who did or did not in a Colorado divorce.
No judge is going to consider sordid details other women/men, or combo of all the above
Be as sleazy as you want but no fault means no fault
Financial wrongdoing and loss of $$$ is where he probably was shaking in his boots

 

[Diddian]

They have said the Bobcat not involved though.
MOO he just forgot the bobcat, and why it was unhooked from truck at all with a job for it the next day is important.

They also haven't found her despite extensive efforts to do so.

 

[Herat]

I sure hope the AA will have a lot more on the Broomfield job.

It makes no sense at all.

How did he get this job in Denver when he works in the Salida area?

When did he get this job?

What was the scope of this job? It sounds small and very limited.

Did he go back and do more work there after Mother's Day?

 

[waldojabba]

I think the defense would do well to remember that mud slings both ways. I imagine there are many new things that will become known between now and when this case goes to trial

We had two days of the defense “tsk tsk ing about SM’s affair” while the daughters fawned over Barry and clung to each other inside the court weeping. The girls are being used as pawns by the defense. If Barry and his family loved these girls, they would shield them from the courtroom drama and media. The girls would be better served watching the proceeding at home by webex where they can process their emotions privately and safely. But they are there in service to BM.

BM’s mother and sister sit in the court as though they are the aggrieved parties. The sister lashes out at Lauren for ruining their family? No logical reason for that but a distinct need to blame others and not take ownership

Just another moment for Shirley the matriarch, where her boy needs her. She has always run at a moments notice to the rescue. So unhealthy the whole dynamic. So hard to untangle the levels of denial and hoops of justification they jump through.

In a week we will have the final two days of the four day hearing.

For those two days we will have some of SM ‘s family there in the court room as well
( As per Lauren on the most recent youtube postedup thread where she and Chris are interviewed)

Their presence will be powerful and will help level the optics in the court room

I have heard enough at this point to believe that Barry will be held without bond and that he will go to trial
For others who are not so sure this should go to trial, let’s see what two remaining days bring

ALL the above totally IMO only

 

[waldojabba]

They also haven't found her despite extensive efforts to do so.

Agree Diddian. To date they have not found her. If BM pre dug a hole with the bobcat that BM later buried her in, the bobcat would indeed be involved. If they have not found her - how do they know this did not happen ? We will have to wait and see. The fact that he replaced that part on the bcat feels significant to me. IMO

 

[oviedo]

Well, the obvious reason was to ease her conscience and to justify her own behavior. If Barry had stopped initiating sex with her (let's say he was having affairs, starting back in Indiana), she'd be almost certain he was having an affair. I suspect that Barry was caught having affairs much earlier and made the usual promises not to do so again and they moved to CO in part because of that situation (they both seem to be attached to romances based ultimately in Indiana, IMO).

Maybe they were both having affairs and both of them had incorporated spying on each other.

So it makes sense to me that Barry would choose an isolated place to park Suzanne (especially if he suspected her of having affairs. Once a marriage starts to truly disintegrate (especially sexually), partners often get suspicious of each other. She might have believed the isolated place would enable her to keep better tabs on him and prevent more affairs. Since Barry is a suspect, we can sleuth him, and I found at least one SM post tagging Barry and mentioning that he had a Tinder account (I can't recall the name he used).

I can't quite wrap my head around how Barry could have altered the digital information embedded in a picture taken on Suzanne's cell phone but...he is looking much smarter to me than I had thought he was. He could have had a keystroke recorder on her laptop (and also on her phone), he could have been tracking the LinkedIn affair in real time, he could have written down extensive notes or printed out conversations for his Big Binder, so he could imitate Suzanne if he needed to.

But surely the FBI can tell if that information has been overwritten or messed with? Maybe not. But changing the GPS location of where the photo is taken is apparently the hardest thing to do (GPS is never turned off completely when the phone is turned on). However, if the photo were taken on an earlier day, that could be manipulated. But surely the FBI can tell?

The last part of the article below describes how someone can hide their metadata (including location), at least from casual viewers of the photo on the internet.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, Including Your Location

From what I'm reading, there are apps to facilitate this. If the metadata settings are altered in advance, then all photos originating after that app is used will appear to be from a different date.

Which would mean for Barry to pull it off, he'd have had to set the phone to the future - knowing exactly when he'd need to send it, so that the photo appears to be taken around the time of its sending. Then obviously he'd have to get rid of that app and change the settings back to normal. If he used an app to alter the metadata after the photo was taken, the original information would still be there, just not visible but in theory, recoverable.

Why would Barry do this? Only an obsessed, crazed madman would do that, IMO.

He could have imitated Suzanne without sending a picture much more easily.

I think his internet searches are going to be quite interesting …
Imo