Still Missing CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 *arrest* #95

[Mysti88c]

A Chaffee County woman is missing after a neighbor said she went out for a bike ride Sunday and never returned
Chaffee County woman missing since Sunday after neighbor said she went out for bike ride

List of Case Players and Their Relationship to Discussion (Post #440)

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MEDIA, MAPS & TIMELINE *NO DISCUSSION*
Detailed timeline of events in the Morphew case:
CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 , MEDIA, MAPS &TIMELINE *NO DISCUSSION*
Arrest Affidavit
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Suzanne Morphew Case Archive (developed and maintained by WS member AmandaReckonwith)
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Hearing Notes (Compliments of @NoSI)
Preliminary:
Day 1


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Suzanne Morphew FB page
Suzanne Morphew Twitter page


Verified Experts/Professionals/Insiders posting in this thread:

10ofRods is a Verified Anthropologist
Angleterre is a Verified LE from England
riolove77 is a Verified Attorney (prosecutor)
Alethea is a Verified Attorney (defense)
otto is a Verified Expert
Chomsky is a Verified Attorney
angelainwi is a Certified Trauma Counselor
gitana1 is a Verified Attorney
Cassidy is a Verified Attorney
lamlawindy is a Verified Attorney (former Prosecutor, now Defence)
NatureLover (Verified friend of the Moorman family)

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[Sillybilly]

Please continue discussion here in accordance with The Rules:

Quick rundown of reminders from prior threads:

Rumors are not allowed.

Barry Morphew has been charged with Suzanne's murder and he and his businesses are open to sleuthing.

Do not sleuth or make accusations against anyone who is not an officially named POI/suspect.

If an approved source discusses rumors or family members, it is still NOT allowed to do so at Websleuths. WS has different standards.

Preview your posts to avoid broken quotes.

Lengthy personal anecdotes are off topic. Stay on topic.

Discuss the case and not each other; state your opinion and move one without arguing or bickering.

Random youtube videos or blogs are not allowed unless approval is given by Tricia or Admin.

Approved sources are MSM, LE, Profiling Evil podcast, Lauren Scharf podcast or social media, Investigation Discovery, Crimeonline, Tyson Draper (only the interview with Barry Morphew), public documents.

Do not discuss removed posts or question/challenge moderation on the thread. Doing so is subject to an automatic Time Out.

 

[Tiff23fr]

Mod Reminder - Plunder Court Transcript Episodes

The Transcripts from the Preliminary Hearing being shared by Plunder have been approved. This approval only applies to the Plunder episodes specific to the court transcripts. The transcripts shared across the episodes may not be copied and posted in entirety to WS as a single document or post replicating the documents that the content creator purchased.

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN REMINDER:

By Websleuths standards the Morphew daughters are victims. Posts trashing them or demeaning them will be removed and members who post in that regard are subject to a loss of posting privileges.

Read The Rules (TOS) and post accordingly.

Thanks.

 

[Sillybilly]

<modsnip: This post has been removed. It is a violation of the law to broadcast this recording.>

ADMIN NOTE:

Thanks to Seattle1, a reminder that Colorado Court has strict policy that court proceedings including WEBEX cannot be filmed/recorded/rebroadcast or face contempt charges.

 

[Tiff23fr]

Welcome to Thread #95
Please continue here….

 

[Seattle1]

It would be better if he lied than if it is the truth otherwise it plays right into defense’s argument that looked for no other possibilities.

Huh?!!

Absolutely not is it ever better to lie. That's like saying it's OK to perjure yourself to vote for a family member (for convenience or because everybody lies).

Drafting notes for the AA early means the evidence was so strong that it pointed directly to one individual with the motive, means, and questionable alibi to harm SM.

Other investigators were busy completing due diligence, eliminating other potential suspects while Walker continued to build on exactly where the evidence was leading them.

This wasn't an affidavit composed in a vacuum. If evidence surfaced dismissing BM as the primary suspect, pointing in a different location, that's when the AA would have shifted direction.

OP's statement reminds me of a broken heart mother who after a body was recovered from the river within a mile of his vehicle, his school identification, and his clothing, (later positively identified as her son), mom wants to sue investigators for not continuing to look for her son during the 19 days he was in the morgue, waiting for positive identification. (Facts are he was recovered within 10 days of being reported missing, and formal identification required 19 days because he didn't have a regular dentist and visited countless different clinics, and his dental records were fractured at best).

Investigators and the corner told the mother that the recovered body was very likely her son -- especially given no other young men were known to be missing.

So were investigators supposed to lie here too? Tell mother they recovered a female just to give her false hope? And the publicity equal to Gabby Petito?

Investigators don't invent a narrative. Please, they deserve more credit.

 

[FromGermany1]

O/T
Missing Colo. Woman's Ex Is Found with Her Car, Credit Card — After His Arrest, He's Charged with Murder

A Colorado woman who went missing earlier this month was found dead in a wooded ravine – and now her ex-boyfriend is accused of murdering her.

On Sunday night, Michele Scott's neighbors called the police to check on her because they hadn't seen the 55-year-old in a couple of days, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said.
-.-.-
Deputies had been to the home before for domestic violence calls involving Scott and Lutz, the Sheriff's Office said.

The most recent call came on Feb. 7, but no arrests were made.

 

[vls12345]

Re: last thread's mention of MG's comments about pigs eating a human.... It did seem an odd topic but I could see it being brought up if the discussion was around movies such as Guy Ritchie's 2000 film Snatch.

Here's a film clip of the discussion about disposing of a body by feeding it to pigs.

But since BM is a true crime buff, I think references to real cases might have been more likely (as has already been mentioned).

Not that it probably matters in the bigger scheme of things other than BM's following comment about being able to dispose of a body.

 

[MassGuy]

Page 62. Replace "God" with "Barry." He's saying that God (himself), took Suzanne away because she had an affair. He's projecting, and justifying what he did.

Barry said, "I appreciate it, but I want you to know that I've been a Christian my whole entire life. I accepted the Lord. I love the Lord ... And he knows why this happened and I gotta trust him. I have to trust that he did this for a reason." He added, "I'm telling ya, I had no idea of this until today. But, looking at everything right now, things are making a little bit more sense to me from God's point of view because I would never understand why God could take away my wife after I fought two battles of cancer with her, had two miracle babies that we shouldn't have had, and had a wonderful life together."

Then this, on page 64:

But, if I would have known this in the beginning, I, I wouldn't had to suffer for nine months, not knowing why God did what he did. I'm not saying he did it to punish Suzanne because of her affair, but it makes more sense than what I knew before you guys came today."

 

[Hoss569]

The spy pen just seems odd to me. IMO, that's a pretty good indicator she was scared or afraid of something. What was she hoping to record? Does the spy pen help in proving she was possibly wanting to record a repeat of an abusive event?

 

[MassGuy]

The spy pen just seems odd to me. IMO, that's a pretty good indicator she was scared or afraid of something. What was she hoping to record? Does the spy pen help in proving she was possibly wanting to record a repeat of an abusive event?

It's a bit unclear. This is what it says on page 11:

During the interview, Sheila also told Detective Burgess that she was so concerned with Barry's behavior that she purchased a "spy pen" for Suzanne, which she gave to her in January 2020 when she met up with Suzanne in Florida. This device was designed to record conversations covertly.

 

[mrjitty]

Page 62. Replace "God" with "Barry." He's saying that God (himself), took Suzanne away because she had an affair. He's projecting, and justifying what he did.

Barry said, "I appreciate it, but I want you to know that I've been a Christian my whole entire life. I accepted the Lord. I love the Lord ... And he knows why this happened and I gotta trust him. I have to trust that he did this for a reason." He added, "I'm telling ya, I had no idea of this until today. But, looking at everything right now, things are making a little bit more sense to me from God's point of view because I would never understand why God could take away my wife after I fought two battles of cancer with her, had two miracle babies that we shouldn't have had, and had a wonderful life together."

Then this, on page 64:

But, if I would have known this in the beginning, I, I wouldn't had to suffer for nine months, not knowing why God did what he did. I'm not saying he did it to punish Suzanne because of her affair, but it makes more sense than what I knew before you guys came today."

BIB

It's so crazy how he just confesses to the whole thing

 

[mrjitty]

It's a bit unclear. This is what it says on page 11:

During the interview, Sheila also told Detective Burgess that she was so concerned with Barry's behavior that she purchased a "spy pen" for Suzanne, which she gave to her in January 2020 when she met up with Suzanne in Florida. This device was designed to record conversations covertly.

I believe Sheila will be allowed to testify as to her own knowledge and motivations in acquiring and providing the pen, even where SM's hearsay statements cannot be used to prove abuse.

my 02c

 

[Hoss569]

It's a bit unclear. This is what it says on page 11:

During the interview, Sheila also told Detective Burgess that she was so concerned with Barry's behavior that she purchased a "spy pen" for Suzanne, which she gave to her in January 2020 when she met up with Suzanne in Florida. This device was designed to record conversations covertly.

Five months later and something happens. Wonder how far back the recordings go? Does it seem odd that there is not much talk regarding a computer or laptop being recovered, did they have a home office?

 

[mrjitty]

The spy pen just seems odd to me. IMO, that's a pretty good indicator she was scared or afraid of something. What was she hoping to record? Does the spy pen help in proving she was possibly wanting to record a repeat of an abusive event?

I am not an expert on Colorado law.

In terms of general evidential principles, SM's hearsay statements about abuse have been excluded, so those are out of bounds.

However, in my opinion, Shiela can testify about acquiring and providing the pen because she is the primary witness in that regard - it comes from her direct experience - so she could be asked "why did you do this"

Her testimony cannot be used to prove the truth of the content of the hearsay statements that have been excluded, or to do an end run around the exclusion.

The exact boundary in Evidence in chief (EIC) could get quite technical IMO.

In the McStay case recently, a witness had heard from a 3rd party that the killer was a thieving crook. The witness took steps to protect their property, due to that intelligence. Theft was the motive alleged for the murders.

In EIC, it was clearly hearsay and excluded as prejudicial, so the witness could not say "i was told the accused was a thief". However, as the witness had taken physical actions in reliance on the hearsay info, following objections, the witness was allowed to testify along the lines "we took steps to control the accused's access to the premises because of information we had received"

I suspect something similar may happen here.

 

[Niner]

Here's the court hearings -

Date Len Appearance Name Hearing Type Case # Location Division
2/24/22
9:00 AM 1D IN PERSON MORPHEW, BARRY Motions Hearing D222022CR47 Fremont County Division 1

3/4/22
9:30 AM 1D IN PERSON MORPHEW, BARRY Motions Hearing D222022CR47 Fremont County Division 1

4/7/22
8:00 AM 1Hr IN PERSON MORPHEW, BARRY Hearing D222022CR47 Fremont County Division 1

4/8/22
8:00 AM 1Hr IN PERSON MORPHEW, BARRY Pre-Trial Readiness Conference D222022CR47 Fremont County Division 1

4/29/22
8:00 AM 1D MORPHEW, BARRY Jury Trial D222022CR47 Fremont County Division 1
4/29/22
9:30 AM 1Hr IN PERSON MORPHEW, BARRY Motions Hearing D222022CR47 Fremont County Division 1

5/3/22
8:00 AM 1D IN PERSON MORPHEW, BARRY Jury Trial D222022CR47 Fremont County Division 1

thru

6/3/22
8:00 AM 1D IN PERSON MORPHEW, BARRY Jury Trial D222022CR47 Fremont County Division 1

link: Colorado Judicial Branch - Court Docket Search

 

[Scootie98]

Huh?!!

Absolutely not is it ever better to lie. That's like saying it's OK to perjure yourself to vote for a family member (for convenience or because everybody lies).

Drafting notes for the AA early means the evidence was so strong that it pointed directly to one individual with the motive, means, and questionable alibi to harm SM.

Other investigators were busy completing due diligence, eliminating other potential suspects while Walker continued to build on exactly where the evidence was leading them.

This wasn't an affidavit composed in a vacuum. If evidence surfaced dismissing BM as the primary suspect, pointing in a different location, that's when the AA would have shifted direction.

OP's statement reminds me of a broken heart mother who after a body was recovered from the river within a mile of his vehicle, his school identification, and his clothing, (later positively identified as her son), mom wants to sue investigators for not continuing to look for her son during the 19 days he was in the morgue, waiting for positive identification. (Facts are he was recovered within 10 days of being reported missing, and formal identification required 19 days because he didn't have a regular dentist and visited countless different clinics, and his dental records were fractured at best).

Investigators and the corner told the mother that the recovered body was very likely her son -- especially given no other young men were known to be missing.

So were investigators supposed to lie here too? Tell mother they recovered a female just to give her false hope? And the publicity equal to Gabby Petito?

Investigators don't invent a narrative. Please, they deserve more credit.

I think the jury will need to be reminded that Suzanne officially disappeared on May 10, 2020 (though we believe that was the second day). Barry was arrested on Cinco de Mayo....may 5, 2021. That is almost a year to the day after her disappearance. That fact alone demonstrates the LE was in no hurry to arrest Barry...not to mention the fact that they were concerned of his flight risk...and may in fact have expedited the arrest on that basis.

 

[DizzyB]

I believe Sheila will be allowed to testify as to her own knowledge and motivations in acquiring and providing the pen, even where SM's hearsay statements cannot be used to prove abuse.

my 02c

Even if IE goes after SO about Suzanne lying about her affair, I think an intelligent jury will understand and have the ability to separate untold truths and outright lies.

Five months later and something happens. Wonder how far back the recordings go? Does it seem odd that there is not much talk regarding a computer or laptop being recovered, did they have a home office?

There was some mention about a laptop with papers next to it during that first walkthrough after Suzanne went missing.

 

[NothingSurprisesAnymore]

The spy pen just seems odd to me. IMO, that's a pretty good indicator she was scared or afraid of something. What was she hoping to record? Does the spy pen help in proving she was possibly wanting to record a repeat of an abusive event?

Purposes of spy pen I can think of:

To be informed of what he is doing and the decisions he is making personally and financially

Audio to serve as record of their conversations so he can't misrepresent later to his advantage

As leverage to keep things civil as she took steps to leave marriage

I don't think she would have used spy pen against him in a public way or with the daughters

She would have used it to keep him accountable to his phony declarations

JMO