Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #62 *ARREST*

[jakat]

Adding to all your points- Melinda intimated IMO, that Suzanne may have made the decision to leave Barry. Melinda did not outright say it, but that was my takeaway of the message Suzanne sent on the last day of her life (JMO). Clearly whatever Suzanne told her in that text message is going to be very damaging to Barry IMO, it will be a difficult piece of evidence to controvert.

I agree. Also, I think Suzanne started standing up to Barry which probably angered him to no end.

I wonder how sick she was from the chemo this time and I wonder if he had to help her walk or carry her. Would he even have helped her this time?

JMO

 

[jakat]

Agree 100% I didn’t mean to imply BM made threats. I don’t think he did.... I know LS received threats per her words. From whom or by who, I do not know nor have I heard. MOO

LS never said who threatened her.

 

[MsBetsy]

The State is not required to provide or prove motive.

That's true but in this case I think it will be very helpful to show that BM had a motive for killing his wife. Witness testimony, text messages, and other means of communication can be used to point to motive. I think it's easier to convince a jury if the prosecution can prove no one other than the defendant had a reason for killing the victim, especially if the defense plans on pointing the finger at someone else. Imo

 

[SouthAussie]

That's true but in this case I think it will be very helpful to show that BM had a motive for killing his wife. Witness testimony, text messages, and other means of communication can be used to point to motive. I think it's easier to convince a jury if the prosecution can prove no one other than the defendant had a reason for killing the victim, especially if the defense plans on pointing the finger at someone else. Imo

Agreed. It would prevent the jury from sitting around in the deliberating room and saying "Yeah, but why would he murder his wife?" (reasonable doubt)

 

[kshultz06082]

I keep thinking about the "if one person could be saved, she would think it was worth it" comment from BM. "Something" put that notion in his head and it eventually came out his mouth.

Right?!?! What triggered this thought? Who has been saved? Who does BM believe is being saved? Who would SM feel needs saving so bad that she was willing to die so this person could be saved? Saved from what exactly?

This statement by him irritates me so much! Grrrrr!

Jmo

 

[kshultz06082]

I don't think there is a ton of forensic evidence such as blood or DNA. There just needs to be enough to prove Suzanne is deceased, which could be just one small sample. I think the case is largely built on witness testimony, the actions of the defendant, cell phone communication, and other circumstantial evidence.

If there was a huge amount of blood, as well as DNA evidence linking BM to the murder, I don't think it would have taken a year to arrest him.

IMO

GRAPHIC!!!!!!


There doesn't need to be a ton of blood... there are some parts of the body that if chunks of them were found outside the body, it would highly indicate that without medical treatment, there is no way the person could live. I'm sure there are other things that could point to this, but off the top of my head, brain matter or cerebrospinal fluid are high on my list of things that could be found to indicate the person is most probably deceased if nowhere can be found that treatment was received... jmo

 

[Diddian]

They looked for vehicles in and out of the area. Asked people to preserve their frontage footage 5/8-5/10.

According to the May 17, 2020 news release from the CCSO, residents and business owners were urged to preserve surveillance video from May 8 - May 12:
May 17 Search Press Release - Chaffee County Sheriff

 

[Boxer]

According to the May 17, 2020 news release from the CCSO, residents and business owners were urged to preserve surveillance video from May 8 - May 12:
May 17 Search Press Release - Chaffee County Sheriff

Thanks. That is better.
MOO on something like this the business camera footages were collected quickly.

 

[JosieMae]

That's true but in this case I think it will be very helpful to show that BM had a motive for killing his wife. Witness testimony, text messages, and other means of communication can be used to point to motive. I think it's easier to convince a jury if the prosecution can prove no one other than the defendant had a reason for killing the victim, especially if the defense plans on pointing the finger at someone else. Imo

Absolutely! Of course, motive is helpful for the jury to understand. I was responding to another poster who stated that the motive must be "proven".

 

[Hoss569]

Adding to all your points- Melinda intimated IMO, that Suzanne may have made the decision to leave Barry. Melinda did not outright say it, but that was my takeaway of the message Suzanne sent on the last day of her life (JMO). Clearly whatever Suzanne told her in that text message is going to be very damaging to Barry IMO, it will be a difficult piece of evidence to controvert.

Well it could have been Suzanne who set up the camping trip with the girls and confided with them that she was contemplating leaving or having a sit down with BM. An interview with the girls would have very quickly set BM's motive. Might explain the Sunday calls a little as well, they could have been nervous to contact BM.

 

[jondaba]

I'm going to swim against the tide here. While somewhat "iffy", I think he may go with Assisted Suicide. Claim that SM's quality of life was poor, she asked him to help her go out on her own terms, they sent the kids away so they would not see the end, she told him to tell everyone she was missing so he would not have to explain helping with the suicide and he disposed of the remains and concocted the Bike/Mountain Lion/Abduction theories and staged the bike scene so he would not have to go to jail for helping. Plead down to manslaughter 18-3-04 1.b.

Yes, I said this some threads ago. BM told the girls that Mom did not want to struggle anymore against the brutal pain that cancer was racking her body with - and that she asked BM to help her end her life in this world and go upstairs.
At great personal risk, so he told them, he heroically, thru copious tears, brought the only wonan he ever loved into the bosom of Abraham where Mom is now settled in peacefully with Jesus - another rose in the Master’s bouquet.

Anything he did after that was for love of Mom and you kids and to protect you.

 

[Knox]

Yes, I said this some threads ago. BM told the girls that Mom did not want to struggle anymore against the brutal pain that cancer was racking her body with - and that she asked BM to help her end her life in this world and go upstairs.
At great personal risk, so he told them, he heroically, thru copious tears, brought the only wonan he ever loved into the bosom of Abraham where Mom is now settled in peacefully with Jesus - another rose in the Master’s bouquet.
Anything he did after that was for love of Mom and you kids and to protect you.

What you describe is the only way I think he would confess. He narcissistically becomes both the hero/victim of the story.

 

[Deleted member 222031]

Well it could have been Suzanne who set up the camping trip with the girls and confided with them that she was contemplating leaving or having a sit down with BM. An interview with the girls would have very quickly set BM's motive. Might explain the Sunday calls a little as well, they could have been nervous to contact BM.

I really don't think SM would do anything to drive a wedge between her daughters & BM. He, on the other hand, was probably always looking for such an opportunity. Gaslighting & manipulating things in his favor. If the daughters turn on their father, he is in big trouble. It is just not normal that they never attended any vigil or made any public statement about their loss. Their father is probably the reason for that. Isolating people seems to be his forte. I don't believe SM really wanted to be isolated in that big house & am not convinced by her sister's story that SM picked that house. Barry is the one referred to as standoffish, whereas Suzanne came across as warm & open. Melinda's statements about the text are so vague on content but strong on emotion, I think we will be surprised by what SM communicated. All our speculation is just that. IMHO

 

[Ninja Bunny]

I don't believe SM really wanted to be isolated in that big house & am not convinced by her sister's story that SM picked that house.

I’m not convinced either. I can’t imagine Suzanne picking a house that is so far beyond their budget they have to borrow $100,000+ from friends and family to buy it, especially a family member that is elderly and sick. She seems the practical one, it just doesn’t ring true. Recklessly going beyond their means is Barry’s MO.

 

[jondaba]

To All Worriers: Don’t worry!
Barry is going down!!!! Period.

The reason Les Gals Legals seek to suppress the AA is simple: it shows that Barry is a psychopathic killer who murdered a loving wife. Imagine the tremendous pro-Barry propaganda Les Gals Legal will have to generate and disseminate to de-fang that perception! So they don’t want the AA released at all and the more the delay, the better for them.

So dont worry - LE has all the ammo needed to bring down Bear-Bear and lock him up forever.

Barry’s guilt is acknowledged by the Judge. If the AA did not credibly describe how Dad psychotically murdered poor Mom and desecrated her mortal remains, you would not see the Judge repeating over and over how important it is protect the daughters against a public that wants to throw the gore in their faces.
Finally, the sealed AA is a club over Barry’s head: “Barry, you’re going down. If you cop a plea, we can keep your worst acts hushed up. The prison time will be about the same, but you will spare your daughters, your own family and your friends the pain of finding from the AA what a total, psychotic piece of crap you really are. so think about it.”

But you Sleuthers - don't worry! Bare-Bear ain’t goin’ no where but prison!

 

[Scootie98]

I'm going to swim against the tide here. While somewhat "iffy", I think he may go with Assisted Suicide. Claim that SM's quality of life was poor, she asked him to help her go out on her own terms, they sent the kids away so they would not see the end, she told him to tell everyone she was missing so he would not have to explain helping with the suicide and he disposed of the remains and concocted the Bike/Mountain Lion/Abduction theories and staged the bike scene so he would not have to go to jail for helping. Plead down to manslaughter 18-3-04 1.b.

Interesting angle, and entirely possible. However, Suzanne was supposedly looking for male companionship on Saturday night...via "friending".....when would suicide figure into the dating scene?

 

[Scootie98]

I agree. Assuming that the judge finds probable cause in August, I think the defense will then argue aggressively for the exclusion of evidence. Once the judge decides what will be admitted and what will not, the team will assess the best way to defend. They may simply rely on the presumption of innocence, and argue that the People have not proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Good post, and good line of discussion!

I agree with those who have said that both the character defense ("I'm a good Christian guy who loves Suzanne and she loves me, and it's inconceivable that I would do this.") and the alibi defense ("I was in Broomfield working when the alleged murder allegedly occurred.") could blow up in BM's face if they are offered. In fact, any defense that depends on BM's testimony would be a two-edged sword IMO.

It seems unlikely that SM was involved in an extramarital affair with another dangerous man, but who knows? If the police failed to inquire about this possibility or to follow up leads, the defense will argue that the CCSO developed tunnel vision at the beginning and railroaded BM. Same, IMO, if they failed to inquire as to who was in the nearby RV park (Monarch Spur?) during the period leading up to SM's disappearance, to determine whether any danger was apparent from that direction. Same for BM's disgruntled former employee. Anything and everything will be argued to characterize the investigation as unfair, incomplete, or incompetent whether it results in the suppression or not.

All MOO.

I am quite certain any and all individuals who were contacted from SM facebook account were interviewed by the FBI. After all, these were all friends of AM....and they would corroborate Andy's version of events....that those contacts were out of the blue and not sent by SM. More bad news for BM. He totally had access to her facebook account...and likely monitored it on a regular basis. He likely had a tracker on her cell phone as well.

 

[Scootie98]

I am quite certain any and all individuals who were contacted from SM facebook account were interviewed by the FBI. After all, these were all friends of AM....and they would corroborate Andy's version of events....that those contacts were out of the blue and not sent by SM. More bad news for BM. He totally had access to her facebook account...and likely monitored it on a regular basis. He likely had a tracker on her cell phone as well.

I will add to this that I believe the toothpaste is out of the tube by this stunt. Barry, I think, pulled the friending scam in haste...to create a diversion. Now...he is committed to that angle...which is why it will be necessary for the defense to discredit SM. While they might push the abduction angle....it is more likely that they build on the friending scam than went awry. Problem is...since all of the people she "sought to friend" were "coincidentally" known to Barry....that too ties the facebook scam to him. That piece of the puzzle was a huge mistake by BM, IMO. An overt attempt at cover up which is traceable.

 

[Trackergd]

And yet, in early media reports, it was said that they were celebrating that she was cancer free. Also, she had taken her bike in (on Thursday) to see about repairs, so it sure seems like she felt like riding. She had updated her LinkedIn profile not long before she disappeared and seemed to be thinking about a new career path.

So she was cancer free (again), and about to start maintenance chemo (much less debilitating, it's often only once a month, has way fewer side effects).

If he does try this one, then he needs to spell out exactly how she died and where her body was placed. If it was left for animals to discover, I think it's likely some long bones or skull could be found if only the vicinity were known.

Odd that she was busy texting/FBing with friends, excited about the wedding on Sunday, and had accepted a role in the wedding...

Didn't say it was true, just that an assisted suicide plea deal may turn out to be his best option based on the evidence LE has, short of admitting to 1st degree homicide. I don't think he could pull off a mental illness defense. I honestly think he is stuck between "I did not do it" and "She asked me to do it".

Body? There are a few scenarios he could use to explain the lack of a body in his attempt to make it look like an abduction. Will probably pick one that is the least objectionable to a jury that fits with the evidence.

Really depends on what the defense thinks the DA can prove.

 

[Scootie98]

Didn't say it was true, just that an assisted suicide plea deal may turn out to be his best option based on the evidence LE has, short of admitting to 1st degree homicide. I don't think he could pull off a mental illness defense. I honestly think he is stuck between "I did not do it" and "She asked me to do it".

Body? There are a few scenarios he could use to explain the lack of a body in his attempt to make it look like an abduction. Will probably pick one that is the least objectionable to a jury that fits with the evidence.

Really depends on what the defense thinks the DA can prove.

The investigation is ongoing. As pieces continue to fit together....the possibility remains that SM's body or part of it, can be found. I know it seems impossible....but she is out there somewhere...and it could happen....Barry's steps are being traced from A to Z.