Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #36

[Barry]

So are people in agreement? The evidence LE has at this point, including what was found on MG’s phone, isn’t enough to seal the deal? Or is there something else at play?

Something else is in play. MOO.

 

[Dave F.]

BBM:

No, we're not all in agreement with that.

I think LE does have enough to make an arrest, and I think LE believes they do, too.

I suspect that the current appointed DA is the one refusing to bring charges at this point, because she doesn't want to cut her prosecutorial teeth on a no-body case, especially not in an election year.

I think the DA's office is the reason we haven't seen an arrest made in this case yet.
I don't think it's for lack of evidence, either.
I think it's for lack of prosecutorial experience on the part of this DA.

That is purely my supposition, based on what I've read about the current appointed DA, the fact that this is an election year, and the fact that Sheriff Chaffee has not endorsed her.

As always and ever, the above is entirely JMO.

While the political situation is very interesting, I believe it was 4th District Prosecutor Dan May who noted that it takes about a year after the arrest on a charge of murder in the first degree in Colorado before a trial happens. By the time another year has passed, any political situation will have changed dramatically. IMO

 

[MassGuy]

While the political situation is very interesting, I believe it was 4th District Prosecutor Dan May who noted that it takes about a year after the arrest on a charge of murder in the first degree in Colorado before a trial happens. By the time another year has passed, any political situation will have changed dramatically. IMO

It should change dramatically in a few months, when (hopefully) a new DA is elected and sworn in.

The concern is the filing of charges, not when a trial occurs. First things first.

 

[10ofRods]

Why would BM need to pick her up, she must have her own transport.

What if she lived on his way between his house and the job? It would be common to offer a ride, discuss the job, etc.

Nice to see you back
It was said (and of course now I can't recall which interview it was, but it's been posted) that the activity described coming from SM's social media profile that was "out of character" was that around midnight Saturday, she sent out several friend requests to people AM knew, and/or went to school with in IN.

I do believe that it was not "friend requests" but possibly "friend suggestions" but I can't remember where we saw that information. Or both.

But the only person from high school that SM was friends with on FB was apparently the BFF she was chatting with that day. Other women had been befriended by BM. It was those women who saw friend suggestions (not requests) from SM that day (isn't that per LS?)

Agree.
Low risk for stranger violence.
High risk for domestic violence.
She was not low risk,

Exactly! In addition to the baseline risk of 70% of murdered women being murdered by their intimate partner, she had some additional risk factors: 1) empty nesters, more or less; 2) serious illness/cancer; 3) isolation from family and friends from hometown/Indiana.

 

[Feistyomi]

BBM:

It's been stated by both MG and JP that BM did not leave them the necessary tools to do the work.
You can't repair concrete walls with your bare hands.
So there's that.

The fact that BM didn't even equip them with the proper tools to do the last-minute, unscheduled, unplanned job doesn't make his employees look incompetent and unprepared.

It makes BM look incompetent and unprepared.

BM is the unsympathetic figure in this case, and by unsympathetic figure here, I mean, I don't have any sympathy for him whatsoever.

Not one iota.

JMO.

Respectfully, we have speculated on tools being bleached in shower, tools on hotel carts, have we established BM didn’t leave tools? Why were they waiting on bricks/ blocks, if they had no tools?
I’m not sure what was required for this job, but if I had been in similar work situation, I would have my own tools. I might be missing a few, but I’d figure out how to get it done.
I’m dependable, in this situation, I’d “bother”him, at least to get the info to complete the job, and reassure him it was getting done.
Not that BM would have been thinking about the job, but a simple text to let him know you were there and willing to help.
This isn’t bashing MG, personally, or JP, just a general observation, when a crisis happens, step up...some do, some dont...JMVHO

 

[MassGuy]

Respectfully, we have speculated on tools being bleached in shower, tools on hotel carts, have we established BM didn’t leave tools? Why were they waiting on bricks/ blocks, if they had no tools?
I’m not sure what was required for this job, but if I had been in similar work situation, I would have my own tools. I might be missing a few, but I’d figure out how to get it done.
I’m dependable, in this situation, I’d “bother”him, at least to get the info to complete the job, and reassure him it was getting done.
Not that BM would have been thinking about the job, but a simple text to let him know you were there and willing to help.
This isn’t bashing MG, personally, or JP, just a general observation, when a crisis happens, step up...some do, some dont...JMVHO

MG said he left the wrong tools, not no tools. She said it looked like he just emptied out his truck.

How would they manage to complete the job without the materials to do it? They weren’t building a wall made of mud here. It required specific materials that were never delivered.

Which fits perfectly with a job (alibi) thrown together last minute.

Barry had called Morgan crying, saying that his wife had been attacked, or kidnapped by a mountain lion.

She said she didn’t want to bother him, and that rings true to me.

 

[Boxer]

BBM:

No, we're not all in agreement with that.

I think LE does have enough to make an arrest, and I think LE believes they do, too.

I suspect that the current appointed DA is the one refusing to bring charges at this point, because she doesn't want to cut her prosecutorial teeth on a no-body case, especially not in an election year.

I think the DA's office is the reason we haven't seen an arrest made in this case yet.
I don't think it's for lack of evidence, either.
I think it's for lack of prosecutorial experience on the part of this DA.

That is purely my supposition, based on what I've read about the current appointed DA, the fact that this is an election year, and the fact that Sheriff Chaffee has not endorsed her.

As always and ever, the above is entirely JMO.

I read up on the DA incumbant Kaitlin Turner. The other three sheriffs do support her. Fewer plea deals, willingness to prosecute illegal marijauna charges, improved communication etc.
Spezze may have a different candidate choice but MOO I doubt there is any political reason for not filing charges if the evidence is there.
Two search warrants for the house were obtained, MOO that is a vote of confidence by the DA in the Sheriff.

 

[OldCop]

Thank you Old Cop! Do we know what happened to those Tools found in the hotel cart? Did LE check this hotel and gather evidence? I do not recall it being taped off?

Good questions, @debrat007! To my knowledge we have not heard anything further about the tools BM left at the hotel in Bloomfield. It is likely that MG and JP brought them back with them. Were they given back to BM? OR In the process of verifying BM’s alibi, and when questioning the workers, did LE take possession of the tools? According to MG, she was fired, by text, by BM for cooperating with LE and handing over her phone. Did she also hand over the tools? What about JP or the third worker?
As far as the hotel, LE would have verified BM’s story with HIE. After interviewing MG and JP, they may also have obtained a warrant to search the room. We did not even know about this hotel until recently so a search four months ago could have gone largely unnoticed or not connected to this case. We know that LE has likely obtained numerous search warrants that we don’t know about.

 

[Boxer]

What if she lived on his way between his house and the job? It would be common to offer a ride, discuss the job, etc.



I do believe that it was not "friend requests" but possibly "friend suggestions" but I can't remember where we saw that information. Or both.

But the only person from high school that SM was friends with on FB was apparently the BFF she was chatting with that day. Other women had been befriended by BM. It was those women who saw friend suggestions (not requests) from SM that day (isn't that per LS?)



Exactly! In addition to the baseline risk of 70% of murdered women being murdered by their intimate partner, she had some additional risk factors: 1) empty nesters, more or less; 2) serious illness/cancer; 3) isolation from family and friends from hometown/Indiana.

Yes very sad. Its motivating hundreds to go try and find her.

 

[EggSalad]

I think it all depends if Andy’s account is accurate, and if 12:30 on Saturday afternoon Suzanne suddenly stops texting.

If he’s got the time wrong, and it moves to the left, then it’s entirely possible Suzanne was already dead by the time Barry arrived at the job site in Salida.

Yes! I think SM’s best friend holds the info that would give us the best shot at speculating on the timeline and it doesn’t appear that info is going to come out before a trial.

I’m 50/50 on SM being murdered Friday night vs Saturday mid day.

 

[Dave F.]

What if she lived on his way between his house and the job? It would be common to offer a ride, discuss the job, etc.



I do believe that it was not "friend requests" but possibly "friend suggestions" but I can't remember where we saw that information. Or both.

But the only person from high school that SM was friends with on FB was apparently the BFF she was chatting with that day. Other women had been befriended by BM. It was those women who saw friend suggestions (not requests) from SM that day (isn't that per LS?)



Exactly! In addition to the baseline risk of 70% of murdered women being murdered by their intimate partner, she had some additional risk factors: 1) empty nesters, more or less; 2) serious illness/cancer; 3) isolation from family and friends from hometown/Indiana.

I'm no expert on FB, but I believe "Friend Suggestions" are directed solely at the user and do not appear to others viewing their page. If AM saw his high school friends when viewing his sister's page, that would mean that FB was matching listed HIS high school and graduation year to other people who had listed the same information as him, not his sister.
IMO

 

[MassGuy]

Yes! I think SM’s best friend holds the info that would give us the best shot at speculating on the timeline and it doesn’t appear that info is going to come out before a trial.

I’m 50/50 on SM being murdered Friday night vs Saturday mid day.

That information will almost certainly be included in the arrest affidavit, as it’s incredibly important to the timeline.

But yeah, the timing of that communication can change everything.

 

[10ofRods]

So are people in agreement? The evidence LE has at this point, including what was found on MG’s phone, isn’t enough to seal the deal? Or is there something else at play?

I think LE has way, way more than we do. Way more.

And it's complicated. I also believe that they are building a case that has way better information than what AM and MG/JP are able to provide. I think those three are tangential to the case and almost nothing they said needs to be stated by a witness - the facts will be shown by GPS data, phone data, hotel records/videos, etc. Those three are peripheral to the case.

But LE has other witnesses who may, even now, be more forthcoming than in the past. Once a few people start talking, main witnesses may feel pressured to say more (more questions asked of them) but they may also feel less anxious about talking.

For example, LE knows when BM left the house to go to Broomfield - we don't. LE knows whether or not the daughters spoke to Suzanne at any time that weekend. LE knows more about what her BFF knows (that the marriage wasn't hunky-dory).

LE also knows way, way more about BMs business practices and finances than we do. LE also knows whether there's a missing gun and whether a Bobcat or a truck was washed/cleaned during that weekend.

I think we may see some interesting next steps in terms of evidence gathering, before we see an arrest.

I read up on the DA incumbant Kaitlin Turner. The other three sheriffs do support her. Fewer plea deals, willingness to prosecute illegal marijauna charges, improved communication etc.
Spezze may have a different candidate choice but MOO I doubt there is any political reason for not filing charges if the evidence is there.
Two search warrants for the house were obtained, MOO that is a vote of confidence by the DA in the Sheriff.

The reasons for not filing may indeed not be political - but administrative. Each DA has their own way of dealing with things and when you get a new one, staff has to adjust. This can even be expensive. There are certain portions of case preparation that need attention from the actual DA. Discovery and evidence collecting will go forward, but actual creation of the arrest warrant? I think they'll wait until they don't have a lame duck (if they are going to have one).

I've twice worked (consulting) on cases that went through a transition in DA's position (one time rather unexpected) and it was not easy, especially if the new person was not part of the case all along. Teams who work on these investigations get a system of organization and a language for the case (just as we do here on WS) that makes sense to them. Newcomers have a steep learning curve.

A newcomer might also have fresh ideas about evidence collection, of course. At any rate, even if there were no election and merely an upcoming retirement, there are things that the County doesn't want to pay for twice (and which the new person will have to prove they're on top of, especially prior conversations with the judge on evidentiary matters).

It's way harder to pass off a case like this than it is, for example, to hire a substitute teacher for a class (which is still somewhat bumpy if a longterm teacher is taken out of the classroom and another substituted). Really awkward for a new DA if the judge in question knows more about the case than they do...

 

[OldCop]

That's what I thought. So in that case I wonder why he didn't (allegedly) tell MG until the next day if she was supposed to get a crew together.

ITA. I have wondered the same thing. I guess it’s possible that when he ran into JP in Salida on Saturday he might have asked him if he (JP) would be available to work in Broomfield on Sunday/Monday. When BM called MG on Sunday to get a crew together for the job, he might have told her JP was available.
I’m not totally sold on this theory yet. If he knew he wanted to work in Broomfield on Sunday by Saturday afternoon, what changed between when he saw MG on Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon when he saw JP?

 

[10ofRods]

I'm no expert on FB, but I believe "Friend Suggestions" are directed solely at the user and do not appear to others viewing their page. If AM saw his high school friends when viewing his sister's page, that would mean that FB was matching listed HIS high school and graduation year to other people who had listed the same information as him, not his sister.
IMO

Yes, that's true. However, AM said he got the word from some of his friends (males, IIRC). He wasn't sitting at their computer. I don't know your world, but in mine, people confuse friend suggestions with friend requests. But let's say that AM's friends were accurate.

There is still that other information about the women friends getting "suggestions" popping up that day. Now personally, I think they had probably gotten the suggestions over the months or maybe every week - a lot of us just ignore them and you can put them on hold for a month (I do). Since the women friends (of the BFF) saw "suggestions" (not requests) at around the same time, I don't think it's much of a limb to go out on...to at least question whether AM's friends actually saw friend requests or merely suggestions.

If someone sent out friend requests to AM's friends late on Saturday, that's very strange. If we posit that BM did it, then it's really ham-handed, but in keeping with his odd behavior that weekend (sudden job in Broomsfield, a job he failed to tell MG about the day before it started, a job he told JP about first, a job where he had no proper tools or supplies and on which he spent "30 minutes" out of a whole day on Sunday - when he supposedly was getting to Broomsfield by 8 am so that he could spend the day setting up the job).

Where did we learn that AM saw his sister's page? Did he? I must have missed that. How could he see his own high school friends while on his sister's page? FB has never done that to me. I can see my friends' friends if they allow it, that's all. I can't see any suggestions made to them nor can I see my own friends when I'm visiting a friend's page. That would make most people get off FB immediately.

Suzanne's FB is fairly locked down. Is the idea that if someone's page was completely public, FB would treat it differently?

For Suzanne to make actual friend requests of people who were her brother's friends, she'd simply go to his page (not the other way around) and click on them, hit the request button.

 

[BeckyF]

I disagree a little. There are many other factors besides evidence when it comes to pulling the trigger, especially during CoVid.

First, there's the sheer complexity of a no body case. And it's a small sheriff's department. Even with help from CBI/FBI, local DA and Sheriff have to plan (during CoVid) dozens of meetings and assign hundreds of tasks. The number of potential witnesses appears to be large in this case.

Second, there's a possible change of D.A. in November. Starting a case with a D.A. who goes out of office costs more money, because many meetings and strategies have to be redone and refocused. It's best to have one prosecutor see the whole thing through, especially in a complex no body case.

Third, we've been told there are budget problems in the CCSO, which may mean certain tasks are delayed or even that the DA has helped pay for certain investigative tasks. Both entities may be pacing themselves according to budget issues.

Fourth, the situation is still fluid, what with the upcoming search.
--------------

BM is not going anywhere. We have no idea whether he's been asked to stay in the County (I bet he has) or whether FBI has flagged his passport (if he has one) but I think they probably have.

It would be unethical, IMO, for the current DA to use this case in any way to influence the election. After it's over, if DA is re-elected, they can proceed full speed ahead if the case is already strong enough. If there's a new DA (which may be the default expectation), then that person will have their own ideas about how to organize such a big case. There's a lot to think over in any homicide case.

The sheer amount of possible digital evidence in this case probably leads to further action to get more digital evidence from a fairly broad circle of people who might have relevant digital information. The new DA will have some catching up and some thinking to do.

It really hasn't been that long...

Not filing charges due to COVID? I doubt that is a factor.

The new search was just setup in the last couple of weeks. What was ‘fluid’ before then?

I am not suggesting the DA bring charges to influence any election. I never considered that at all.

Budget issues? The sheriff’s office isn’t doing this on their own. The FBI and CBI have been involved in this investigation.

I agree that digital evidence takes a long time to decipher. That adds to my point; not enough evidence to date.

All jmo

 

[DizzyB]

I watch too much television, specifically, true crime docs. I’m starting to think that Barry may be out there living his life for a good long time before the hammer drops. I think they will eventually charge him, but only when they are sure that they have enough for a conviction. I hope the girls end up with some of their Mom’s money on the other side.

 

[10ofRods]

Not filing charges due to COVID? I doubt that is a factor.

The new search was just setup in the last couple of weeks. What was ‘fluid’ before then?

I am not suggesting the DA bring charges to influence any election. I never considered that at all.

Budget issues? The sheriff’s office isn’t doing this on their own. The FBI and CBI have been involved in this investigation.

I agree that digital evidence takes a long time to decipher. That adds to my point; not enough evidence to date.

All jmo

That wasn't my point. My point is that all court proceedings are taking longer, due to CoVid. From my personal understanding, that's true in Chaffee County as well. People are working rotating shifts, etc.

It's not "due to Covid." It's due to "changes in court hours and staffing." (Which are due to CoVid).

Further, people are meeting (a lot) by Zoom - yes, even in CO. But actual in person meetings are likely necessary, given Zoom's limited ability to handle viewing of physical evidence or complex charts and process boards. The FBI isn't flying into town regularly, IMO. Nor is CBI. They're using Zoom, it slows things down.

Where I live, it's taking an additional month just to get simple recordings done at the Superior Court. My cousins in CO waited 6 weeks to get a name change processed (not in Salida). Until I have other information, I'm going to say that there are good reasons why this case would move more slowly..

And the expense of issuing an arrest warrant too soon is vast. They've already said there are budget issues.

 

[Boxer]

Not filing charges due to COVID? I doubt that is a factor.

The new search was just setup in the last couple of weeks. What was ‘fluid’ before then?

I am not suggesting the DA bring charges to influence any election. I never considered that at all.

Budget issues? The sheriff’s office isn’t doing this on their own. The FBI and CBI have been involved in this investigation.

I agree that digital evidence takes a long time to decipher. That adds to my point; not enough evidence to date.

All jmo

Not enough evidence.
No other reason makes sense.
MOO

<modsnip: off topic>

MOO there is zero chance a sheriff would let a murderer walk around free, if they had the evidence for an arrest warrant.

 

[Dalgliesh]

“What they did do, is execute two search warrants on the home, and spend 3 days excavating Barry’s job site.

^^That was the turning point for me. The moment it went from a possible stranger abduction to a murder case. With one prime suspect.

They found no evidence related to SM's disappearance at the job site, though.

This is a cautionary tale: the fact that they showed a judge probable cause to believe evidence of a crime was present at the Salida job site does not mean there was, in fact, evidence of a crime at the site. Same with the other warrants, the results of which we don't know. Maybe they'll produce evidence, maybe not. We won't know until charges are filed, most likely.

The point is, evidence leading to reasonable suspicion/probable cause is not sufficient to prove a crime.

If you ask me, "Are the warrants evidence that LE is interested in BS and his activities in relation to SM's disappearance?" ITA. Proof of guilt? Not so much.