Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #63 *ARREST*

[JosieMae]

I wonder if BM adopted his cash only policy while feeding on true crime - to leave less of a criminal footprint.
I wonder how long this has been his mode of payment.
Wondering if the 129 pages include previous uncovered crimes which will shock the daughters, hence the sealed affidavit.

I haven't seen any evidence for a cash-only BM. According to SM'S sister, the couple lived far beyond their means. That's difficult to do with cash. In fact, impossible.

Yes, the PP home was purchased with cash, but perhaps that's because BM was unable to secure a reasonable mortgage due to a disastrous credit history.

 

[Scootie98]

I think that’s possible, but I’m bothered by Barry leaving for the Broomfield job as early as he did. There has to be a nefarious reason for that, and I believe that reason was to dispose of a Suzanne’s body.

That just makes the most sense to me.

There's a lot of "nefarious" about Broomfield.....why would BM leave tools on a luggage cart in the lobby of the hotel? Why not just leave them in the room since JP was coming there anyway? If he left them in the lobby, he surely spoke to the desk clerk or another employee...that is another witness. It would seem that he wanted to be on camera "leaving tools"...the interaction with the hotel employee(s) is an angle that I am interested in...and obviously, any supporting video of BM at and around the hotel. When the cleaning person came to the room after checkout...did they too smell chlorine? I think that would be material to backup JPs account of the hotel room events.

 

[Scootie98]

I think that’s possible, but I’m bothered by Barry leaving for the Broomfield job as early as he did. There has to be a nefarious reason for that, and I believe that reason was to dispose of a Suzanne’s body.

That just makes the most sense to me.

 

[Scootie98]

Broomfield was an alibi prop of course.....If, as BM said, he was there to get the job started, what was he doing there by himself? Video cameras should be available to show him going into the room and when he came out. It appears that he was in that room for hours...why? And if as JP said, it looked like someone had laid down on the bed...why? If BM was in Broomfield to do a job, then why is he taking a nap? And if he is there to work, why did he need a shower? Why wouldn't he have taken a shower at home before leaving? We know the answers of course...but the questions are necessary since so much is out of the ordinary.

 

[Boxer]

Agree, hustling to Broomfield early morning to take a nap and shower makes no work sense.
MOO if she was not disposed of south of the Salida work site along those empty old highways, I think on the way to Denver.

 

[MsBetsy]

There's a lot of "nefarious" about Broomfield.....why would BM leave tools on a luggage cart in the lobby of the hotel? Why not just leave them in the room since JP was coming there anyway? If he left them in the lobby, he surely spoke to the desk clerk or another employee...that is another witness. It would seem that he wanted to be on camera "leaving tools"...the interaction with the hotel employee(s) is an angle that I am interested in...and obviously, any supporting video of BM at and around the hotel. When the cleaning person came to the room after checkout...did they too smell chlorine? I think that would be material to backup JPs account of the hotel room events.

According to Barry he left the tools on the hotel cart and told the workers they'd have to figure it out themselves. I'm not sure he left them in the lobby, though. I think they were locked in the room.

And yes, it will be interesting to learn whether or not LE found any evidence in the hotel room or if any of the tools were used in the crime. It may have just been all been part of his ruse, pretending to rush off after hearing his wife was missing.

I'm interested in the time before that. What time did he arrive at the hotel? What did he do from 5:00 am until late afternoon if he hadn't done much work prepping the wall job? There are about eight hours that are unaccounted for if he was only in that room for an hour or two. I'm thinking he did not go to the hotel until late afternoon, in order to clean up before heading home.

 

[Megnut]

LE knows... but we don't. We think Broomfield was his alibi but actually it appears to have been a really good place to stash some potentional witnesses. For the first 48 hours.

Was Barry even there on Sunday day?

He may have been in Broomfield on Friday and/or Saturday. (We've heard nothing of his whereabouts during the DAY on Friday, just that he worked at the beachfront property that night.)

He may have slept there Friday night or Saturday night (or at least a portion of a night.

We just don't know at all where he was on Sunday.

We don't. But the AA will.

JMO

 

[OldCop]

Yeah, and that seems to fit with MG’s account. She said that he decided to finish early, and cut her loose around 11.

So Barry goes home, murders Suzanne, then appears to have gone shopping (she said he was in town all day). I imagine this is when he purchased chlorine, and began assembling his alibi.

I’m still hanging by a thread on SM being killed on Friday after midnight - 5/9.
I think the timeline is too tight for BM to go home around 11:30 Saturday, kill SM, get back in town to change the plate on the Bobcat early afternoon and spend the day shopping.
Of course, it could have been a fit of rage killing on midday Saturday. However,
we also have to remember that it would have taken BM about a half an hour to leave the job site on Saturday morning, drive MG home, and then drive to Puma Path. It would have taken another 15-20 minutes to drive back to Salida/DSI. We are talking 45 minutes to an hour of drive time. So now there is even less time to kill SM between leaving the job site and arriving back in Salida. If he killed her in a fit of rage, I don’t think he’d just leave her there, jump in his truck, and drive into town.
MOO

 

[OldCop]

I believe Suzanne indeed had a role in that wedding, and that the Zoom began well in advance of the actual "walk down the aisle" moment. Therefore, I think the friend tried to call Suzanne, and when she couldn't reach her, she called one of the daughters and, perhaps, Barry. So the daughters would have panicked, knowing that their mother would not miss this event.

Was Barry not answering his phone during this period? Did his texts not read as "delivered"? (If he turned his phone off or was in a remote area, they would not be marked delivered.

We still do not know if the daughters ever arrived at Puma Path that day. Did dad warn them off somehow? Were they that late. (i.e., after 10 pm?)

I wonder if the initial plan was for the daughters (and Barry) to attend the wedding as well?

I had mentioned in an earlier thread that the daughters may have inadvertently turned the LE spotlight on BM when they first spoke to them on Sunday night and that this may have been one of the reasons the judge was protecting them in his ruling to keep the AA sealed.
I don’t know if they physically arrived at PP on Sunday or when, but I’m sure LE contacted them to find out when they had last spoken to their mother. Did they tell also LE that they had heard from SM’s BFF and learned that that their mother had not “attended” the zoom wedding and that the BFF had also been trying to reach her?
LE may then have contacted the BFF or the BFF contacted LE after learning that SM’s daughters couldn’t reach her either.
Attention then turned to the 3 b’s; Barry, Broomfield, and the Bike. (Later, attention would be focused on the fourth b; the Bobcat.)

 

[Boxer]

I’m still hanging by a thread on SM being killed on Friday after midnight - 5/9.
I think the timeline is too tight for BM to go home around 11:30 Saturday, kill SM, get back in town to change the plate on the Bobcat early afternoon and spend the day shopping.
Of course, it could have been a fit of rage killing on midday Saturday. However,
we also have to remember that it would have taken BM about a half an hour to leave the job site on Saturday morning, drive MG home, and then drive to Puma Path. It would have taken another 15-20 minutes to drive back to Salida/DSI. We are talking 45 minutes to an hour of drive time. So now there is even less time to kill SM between leaving the job site and arriving back in Salida. If he killed her in a fit of rage, I don’t think he’d just leave her there, jump in his truck, and drive into town.
MOO

MOO since he is charged with first degree murder, must be evidence to show planning. With no witnesses what's the difference between rage ending in murder, or it being planned.

 

[OldCop]

MOO since he is charged with first degree murder, must be evidence to show planning. With no witnesses what's the difference between rage ending in murder, or it being planned.

I think LE has developed enough evidence to prove that there was deliberation.

First Degree Murder Laws in Colorado - 18-3-102 CRS

Under Colorado law, first-degree murder is defined as the deliberate and premeditated killing of another human being with malice aforethought. It differs from second-degree murder which requires extreme indifference to human life generally rather than the intent to take the life of a particular person.1
The term “after deliberation” means not only intentionally but also that the decision to commit the act has been made after the exercise of reflection and judgment concerning the act. An act committed after deliberation is never one which has been committed in a hasty or impulsive manner.

 

[Skigh]

I had mentioned in an earlier thread that the daughters may have inadvertently turned the LE spotlight on BM when they first spoke to them on Sunday night and that this may have been one of the reasons the judge was protecting them in his ruling to keep the AA sealed.
I don’t know if they physically arrived at PP on Sunday or when, but I’m sure LE contacted them to find out when they had last spoken to their mother. Did they tell also LE that they had heard from SM’s BFF and learned that that their mother had not “attended” the zoom wedding and that the BFF had also been trying to reach her?
LE may then have contacted the BFF or the BFF contacted LE after learning that SM’s daughters couldn’t reach her either.
Attention then turned to the 3 b’s; Barry, Broomfield, and the Bike. (Later, attention would be focused on the fourth b; the Bobcat.)

I am sure the best friend would have contacted the daughters when they received no response from BM. The daughters surely would then have contacted their father and asked what was going on and why was their mum not following the wedding or replying to best friend's frequent messages.

I wonder what reason BM gave them.

 

[OldCop]

Agree, hustling to Broomfield early morning to take a nap and shower makes no work sense.
MOO if she was not disposed of south of the Salida work site along those empty old highways, I think on the way to Denver.

I think there are enough security cameras between Puma Path and Broomfield that LE knows exactly how long it took him to reach the HIE. If he passed one camera and it took him 2 hours to pass another camera when it should only have taken him one, they knew exactly what area they should be searching for evidence.
I’ve always believed that BM probably took 50 east to 285 to Broomfield. The area between Johnson Village and Fairplay on 285 is the least populated with numerous county roads where BM could have pulled off unnoticed in the wee hours of Sunday morning. There are several businesses at each of these intersections and LE would know if he made a stop along the way.
I think BM may have quickly disposed of some evidence along the way to Broomfield, but I tend to think he disposed of SM’s body before he left for Broomfield. My thoughts are that he left his phone home with SM’s while he disposed of her body sometime early Sunday morning so he could tell LE he was home with her all night then left her sleeping at 5:00 a.m. We don’t know if LE has recovered her phone but it may have been found at the home.
BM wanted to get on the road to Broomfield very early because he knew SM would start getting “Happy Mother’s Day” calls on Sunday morning and he had to be gone. MOO

 

[10ofRods]

I haven't seen any evidence for a cash-only BM. According to SM'S sister, the couple lived far beyond their means. That's difficult to do with cash. In fact, impossible.

Yes, the PP home was purchased with cash, but perhaps that's because BM was unable to secure a reasonable mortgage due to a disastrous credit history.

I don't recall who said it (it may have been his step-brother?) but he was referring to day-to-day purchases, not buying Bobcats or houses.

At least that's how I took it. My point was that if he went to buy bleach, it's doubtful there's a credit card record for it.

I think there are other reasons why the PP home was purchased "with cash" (I think the transaction is more complicated than that).

 

[Murphy1950]

I’m still hanging by a thread on SM being killed on Friday after midnight - 5/9.
I think the timeline is too tight for BM to go home around 11:30 Saturday, kill SM, get back in town to change the plate on the Bobcat early afternoon and spend the day shopping.
Of course, it could have been a fit of rage killing on midday Saturday. However,
we also have to remember that it would have taken BM about a half an hour to leave the job site on Saturday morning, drive MG home, and then drive to Puma Path. It would have taken another 15-20 minutes to drive back to Salida/DSI. We are talking 45 minutes to an hour of drive time. So now there is even less time to kill SM between leaving the job site and arriving back in Salida. If he killed her in a fit of rage, I don’t think he’d just leave her there, jump in his truck, and drive into town.
MOO

Hope this makes sense. I am also hanging on that thread with you . It fits in with the emotional Barry MG described that Saturday morning and leaving the job early. As I recall the timeline, I am wondering if we are deliberately being somewhat deceived until more evidence could be developed. It could be that the BFF knew she wasn't communicating with Suzanne Saturday, it was someone else (Barry). LE not sharing that detail most likely protected the BFF from Barry.

 

[10ofRods]

Actually, it sounds like JP is telling LS that he did lay eyes on BM at JP’s workplace (DSI) around “ lunchtime or 1:00-2:00” getting the bucket fixed on his bobcat. Then he says that weeks later the owner of the Spa and Stove store told him that BM was in there buying some things “ Saturday evening.. 4:00 or 5:00 or 6:00”.

At 28:00

If you set the playback speed to 0.75x it’s easier to understand. JMO

Thank you. So, apparently instead of leaving the Salida job site and heading home "to make the wife happy," Barry went to DSI between 12 noon and 2 pm to fix something on his bobcat.

And JP did not see Barry at the spa store, but talked to the owner (but the owner is either very vague about when - or JP simply doesn't remember exactly what he was told).

If all of this is accurate, then Barry has maybe 3 hours open in the middle of Saturday. I wish we knew exactly when Suzanne's messaging with her friend ended. I thought we'd somehow settled on approximately 12:30 that afternoon.

Oh well, patience is a virtue. We'll find out some day.

 

[Scootie98]

I think there are enough security cameras between Puma Path and Broomfield that LE knows exactly how long it took him to reach the HIE. If he passed one camera and it took him 2 hours to pass another camera when it should only have taken him one, they knew exactly what area they should be searching for evidence.
I’ve always believed that BM probably took 50 east to 285 to Broomfield. The area between Johnson Village and Fairplay on 285 is the least populated with numerous county roads where BM could have pulled off unnoticed in the wee hours of Sunday morning. There are several businesses at each of these intersections and LE would know if he made a stop along the way.
I think BM may have quickly disposed of some evidence along the way to Broomfield, but I tend to think he disposed of SM’s body before he left for Broomfield. My thoughts are that he left his phone home with SM’s while he disposed of her body sometime early Sunday morning so he could tell LE he was home with her all night then left her sleeping at 5:00 a.m. We don’t know if LE has recovered her phone but it may have been found at the home.
BM wanted to get on the road to Broomfield very early because he knew SM would start getting “Happy Mother’s Day” calls on Sunday morning and he had to be gone. MOO

This makes sense...he also needed to be on the road before daylight. SM would not have gotten on a bike before daylight...and even though the neighbors didn't see her biking...they also didn't see BM leaving; so they couldn't ascertain exactly when he left. Didn't BM call the worker before 5am? If so, that means he would have called from home, since he last saw SM at 5am. Pinging his location at the time of that call will be interesting. Another thing...If BM drove the female employee to and from the Salida worksite...then why didn't he drive her to Broomfield?

 

[Scootie98]

I don't recall who said it (it may have been his step-brother?) but he was referring to day-to-day purchases, not buying Bobcats or houses.

At least that's how I took it. My point was that if he went to buy bleach, it's doubtful there's a credit card record for it.

I think there are other reasons why the PP home was purchased "with cash" (I think the transaction is more complicated than that).

Yet...reportedly, BM told AM that he paid his workers with a check?

 

[Scootie98]

Thank you. So, apparently instead of leaving the Salida job site and heading home "to make the wife happy," Barry went to DSI between 12 noon and 2 pm to fix something on his bobcat.

And JP did not see Barry at the spa store, but talked to the owner (but the owner is either very vague about when - or JP simply doesn't remember exactly what he was told).

If all of this is accurate, then Barry has maybe 3 hours open in the middle of Saturday. I wish we knew exactly when Suzanne's messaging with her friend ended. I thought we'd somehow settled on approximately 12:30 that afternoon.

Oh well, patience is a virtue. We'll find out some day.

I think what was fixed on the bobcat was pressure washed off of it. OTOH, if the mechanical thingy needed fixed....who fixed it? If BM can't even articulate what was being fixed, how could he actually do the fix?

 

[TKG]

I’m still hanging by a thread on SM being killed on Friday after midnight - 5/9.
I think the timeline is too tight for BM to go home around 11:30 Saturday, kill SM, get back in town to change the plate on the Bobcat early afternoon and spend the day shopping.
Of course, it could have been a fit of rage killing on midday Saturday. However,
we also have to remember that it would have taken BM about a half an hour to leave the job site on Saturday morning, drive MG home, and then drive to Puma Path. It would have taken another 15-20 minutes to drive back to Salida/DSI. We are talking 45 minutes to an hour of drive time. So now there is even less time to kill SM between leaving the job site and arriving back in Salida. If he killed her in a fit of rage, I don’t think he’d just leave her there, jump in his truck, and drive into town.
MOO

I agree with you. My timeline has always been after midnight Friday (early Saturday morning). This covers the date and also fits better with all of BM's little outings and shopping excursions. It also covers the possible nap at the HIE.

The only link that brings me to Saturday is the best friend from IN and that communication. I believe she is going to be a star witness and I look forward to hearing her version of this story.

All just MOO.