Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #74 *ARREST*

[steeltowngirl]

That was just a part of her answer to this question:

Q. Fremont County has a number of cold cases that haven’t been prosecuted. Working with law enforcement, what steps do you think can be taken to further these cases?


SM case is not a cold case. JMO

Correct. SM’s case was not a cold case. But it is a case where folks were becoming anxious to see an arrest. The premise is the same. With one bite at the apple, the DA is bringing this case to trial, and as of now, evidence of murder hasn’t been shown that ties it up in a neat bow for us. Many on here are concerned they haven’t seen enough evidence, and are concerned about a jury and reasonable doubt. Yet we still have two more days of the PH, and have not seen the AA. I have faith in this case, in this DA, and in justice for Suzanne.

Stanley also said this in the Q&A.

Ultimately, once we reasonably believe we can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, charges will be filed.

Linking the entire Q&A article again, in case there are concerns of quoting out of context.
Q&A with District Attorney candidates Linda Stanley, Kaitlin Turner – Canon City Daily Record

 

[Deleted member 222031]

The best I can come up with is he thought it would be too conspicuous to haul that around while dumping trash.

He may have thought that law enforcement would buy the bike ride story, so he didn’t have to be perfect with his alibi.

In reality though, his alibi could not possibly have been any worse:

Claiming he set his alarm for 4:30, but his truck and phone showing that he was up over an hour before.

Dumping trash in multiple locations and suffering Alzheimer’s in regard to what he dumped.

Not bringing the Bobcat for a job that required it.

Working on the wall when it was illegal to do so.

Spending only 11 minutes working the job that he left super early for, and spending hours in his hotel room.

Lying about his movements, and where he was when he got the call from the neighbor.

Multiple clothing changes, and throwing away footwear and tranquilizer materials.

@MassGuy - I love it when you pile on. What yard line are we at?

 

[Melsworld]

Mine is VERY smart.....I can be at work and can tell if hubby (yes, he does laundry on occasion) has wash in the machine. Sometimes I will text him when I get a message to my cellphone telling me to place clothes in dryer because wash cycle is complete.

This made me laugh so because mine weren't so smart years ago and I had this note from my husband on the washer when I got home. sorry for being off subject but hopefully it will make y'all laugh too.

 

[sunshine4040]

Fitst words arriving home "Wheres the bike? Was there a crash?"

Most would say "have you found er?

And did it flip?

He knew the front brake was locked, if not commercial option, highly unusual. IMO

 

[Seattle1]

@NoSI, another word of thanks for your Prelim synopsis.
As you know, @oviedo and myself are trying to firm up the timeline for the days around SM’s disappearance. As I have been poring over your Part 2 morning summary, I have a couple of questions, if you don’t mind, from May 9th around 1:30 pm.
Allegedly, BM was down by the river from about 11:50 am to 12:50 pm. Then you said he made some phone calls to SM, Tim Barrow, and Justin Cribari. Then he called someone named Jim about a new job.
We had learned, from earlier tweets from some of the journalists at the hearing, that he then left to go into town about 1:38 pm.
This would seem to indicate he was back at the house from about 12:50 until 1:38. If so, I wonder why he would call SM at that time if he was at the house with her.
As far as the other calls, Justin Cribari likely works at DSI as that was the person who changed his blade on the Bobcat. That would indicate that the appointment for that “mechanical thingy” was not made a long time before as the defense team would have us believe.
Tim Barrow’s name has not come up before as far as I know, and we cannot sleuth him, but he may be the person BM called about buying a new car.
The other call was made to someone you identified as “Jim”. Do you think it may have been “Kim’s Gym”? BM was allegedly checking out a job there.

The other question I have is about the 4:22-4:23 am signal from SM’s phone on 5/10. You indicated it was far away from the home, at a park, and it was not connecting to a cell tower.
Our timeline had a ping from a cell tower near Poncha Springs at about 4:30, but we had not heard this other information before.
Do you recall the testimony about these two different cell phone hits? Did they mention the name of the park?
Sorry for these questions! I know you’ve been really busy.

@OldCop - another reporter framed the same calls/text to SM as if they were made while he was having the blade changed at DSi and/or on his way home -- arriving PP at 2:44 pm. Since alleged contact with SM was not timestamped by the witness, I think it's difficult to confirm.

Regarding SM's phone ping with a cell tower near Poncha Springs at about 4:30 AM -- Linda Stanley opening statement on the first day of the preliminary referenced SM's last ping:

4:23 AM: Last activity of SMs cell phone, it pinged off the Poncha Springs tower, which is not unusual for the area. (See @NoSI recap #1).

I believe that this tower is a distance from PP, but it's also the closest tower serving the Salida area.

I've read other interpretations about the last ping and tower distance to mean that the phone was far from PP. I believe the location of SM's phone rests with wherever BM was tracked at 4:23 AM.

MOO

 

[Seattle1]

This made me laugh so because mine weren't so smart years ago and I had this note from my husband on the washer when I got home. sorry for being off subject but hopefully it will make y'all laugh too.

Brilliant.

 

[OldCop]

@OldCop - another reporter framed the same calls/text to SM as if they were made while he was having the blade changed at DSi and/or on his way home -- arriving PP at 2:44 pm. Since alleged contact with SM was not timestamped by the witness, I think it's difficult to confirm.

Regarding SM's phone ping with a cell tower near Poncha Springs at about 4:30 AM -- Linda Stanley opening statement on the first day of the preliminary referenced SM's last ping:

4:23 AM: Last activity of SMs cell phone, it pinged off the Poncha Springs tower, which is not unusual for the area. (See @NoSI recap #1).

I believe that this tower is a distance from PP, but it's also the closest tower serving the Salida area.

I've read other interpretations about the last ping and distance to mean that the phone was far from PP. I believe the location of SM's phone rests with wherever BM was tracked at 4:23 AM.

MOO

Thanks, @Seattle1. I tend to agree with you. Trying to nail it down is frustrating with so many bits missing.
The defense was trying to poo poo that 4:23 ping from the tower insisting that tower was the one that would be pinged from PP and the cell phone was probably home. What we haven’t found out is if all the othe instances we have where the phone is supposed to be home, did those ping off the Poncha tower, too?

 

[MassGuy]

Thanks, @Seattle1. I tend to agree with you. Trying to nail it down is frustrating with so many bits missing.
The defense was trying to poo poo that 4:23 ping from the tower insisting that tower was the one that would be pinged from PP and the cell phone was probably home. What we haven’t found out is if all the othe instances we have where the phone is supposed to be home, did those ping off the Poncha tower, too?

That’s a great point. Investigators would have been able to go back in time, and see what was normal and what was not.

Her phone ceasing activity at that time is crucial regardless, but it may or may not get worse for Barry based on what normal tower activity is.

 

[jakat]

Jumping in before totally catching up.

A couple of hotels I stayed at last year offered brown bag breakfast—a breakfast sandwich you could warm up in the room microwave, and fruit, yogurt, that kind of thing. No hot or continental breakfast available.

This doesn't answer the question of a free breakfast, and I agree with you about hotels offering a brown bag, so maybe he was able to eat at the hotel.

This article does say when he checked in and went to his room.

SUZANNE MORPHEW: Where was Barry Morphew on May 9 and 10? | FOX31 Denver.

"Morphew then went to the Holiday Inn Express in Broomfield, where he made another trash run. At 8:25 a.m. Morphew walked into the hotel and went to his room at 8:38 a.m. He carried multiple items into the room, including hiking boots, a teal-covered piece of clothing, a darker piece of clothing and a light blue bag."

 

[Cindizzi]

Sheila and Holly, friends of #SuzanneMorphew had recorded secret interviews with #BarryMorphew for the FBI at one point. @KKTV11News
https://twitter.com/ashleykktv/status/1424837352212471808?s=21

When Holly Wilson asked #BarryMorphew about what the last thing he had said to #SuzanneMorphew before she went missing and Holly remembers him stumbling and hesitating.
This conversation was on November 6, 2020.
https://twitter.com/laurenscharftv/status/1425129890781741065?s=21


FBI Agent Ken Harris is back on the stand. He said they told #BarryMorphew about Suzanne's affair in January of 2021, and Barry asked who the person was. Agent Harris also said Suzanne would use "Find My Phone" to track Barry, he would use airplane mode to stay hidden form her.
https://twitter.com/sydneestelle/status/1425130532392812545?s=21


Agent Grusing helped write the 129-page arrest affidavit. #BarryMorphew spoke with LE 23 times. Barry didn't LE until Feb. 28, 2021, about the chipmunks 9 months after #SuzanneMorphew went missing. (reference about phone pinging outside the home)

https://twitter.com/laurenscharftv/status/1425190942135435269?s=21

On March 5, Agent Grusing showed #BarryMorphew a list of the times when he used Airplane Mode. Neilsen is asking if GPS can still be tracked. He replied it can.
https://twitter.com/laurenscharftv/status/1425221309647233031?s=21

Investigators' last interviews with #BarryMorphew were April 5 and April 22.
https://twitter.com/laurenscharftv/status/1425187462519918602?s=21

 

[jakat]

Even if he wanted to say that he skirted the rules just a little bit by doing a few minutes of Sunday work on the wall in preparation, how did he expect to complete the job? What made him think he didn’t need to bring the bobcat to make his alibi plausible?

He didn't even bring any tools for MG or JP to use to build the wall. He thought everybody would buy his fake alibi.

 

[DellaC]

This has been discussed, but I'm still puzzled. The bike's front brake was locked; the police were able to "release" the brake.

How was it locked? Was it locked for storage or for transport?

Is this proof that the bike couldn't have been ridden before landing in the ravine?

Assuming this was a mountain bike of recent vintage, I believe it would have either disc brakes or V brakes. You can use devices to lock wheels in place, but that would be a pretty difficult thing to overlook, says me. When moving a bicycle, at some point both wheels usually hit the ground. A locked wheel would be obvious. (NB. You can carry a bike or roll it on just the rear wheel, but I think this is unusual.) But given that BM asked if the bike "flipped", he may know that if the front wheel locks when you're moving fast, the physics of the situation result in the rear of the bike flipping over the front. Thus, someone trying to stage a scene may have adjusted a caliper or brake cable so that the wheel would lock up. Or it may have happened on impact from being thrown. It can be really simple to move brake pads to allow free spinning of a wheel. Anyhow, we don't have enough information at this time to know how it was locked. Let's see what we find out in the next few days.........

 

[Seattle1]

Thanks, @Seattle1. I tend to agree with you. Trying to nail it down is frustrating with so many bits missing.
The defense was trying to poo poo that 4:23 ping from the tower insisting that tower was the one that would be pinged from PP and the cell phone was probably home. What we haven’t found out is if all the othe instances we have where the phone is supposed to be home, did those ping off the Poncha tower, too?

I believe that we're going to learn that SM's phone was "roaming" when it attempted to make connection with the Poncha Springs Tower because it's the strongest (Verizon) signal tower serving the Chaffee County area.

I believe that PP is a known dead zone and they all keep their phones on wifi and/or airplane mode when home to keep their phone batteries from being depleted quickly with the phone trying to connect unsuccessfully to that distant Poncha Springs tower.

I recall there was a "leased" tower on Monarch for AT&T which would most likely serve travelers/tourists stopping at the summit. MOO

 

[CGray123]

The best I can come up with is he thought it would be too conspicuous to haul that around while dumping trash.

He may have thought that law enforcement would buy the bike ride story, so he didn’t have to be perfect with his alibi.

In reality though, his alibi could not possibly have been any worse:

Claiming he set his alarm for 4:30, but his truck and phone showing that he was up over an hour before.

Dumping trash in multiple locations and suffering Alzheimer’s in regard to what he dumped.

Not bringing the Bobcat for a job that required it.

Working on the wall when it was illegal to do so.

Spending only 11 minutes working the job that he left super early for, and spending hours in his hotel room.

Lying about his movements, and where he was when he got the call from the neighbor.

Multiple clothing changes, and throwing away footwear and tranquilizer materials.

What a dilemma for E&N!

If they use the alibi defense, it will be turned against BM.

If they don't use the alibi, BM's attempt to set it up will be used against him.

They are in a deep hole. But the DA must anticipate the problems associated with technical evidence - potential jury confusion, losing the jury in the technical details, putting the jury to sleep - and overcome them with witness preparation and exhibits that cut through the defense's efforts to sow confusion and doubt. With relatable experts and clear exhibits, the prosecution can easily plug the "holes" the defense will try to poke in the forensic evidence. Lindsay's experience will be invaluable in presenting this very compelling evidence. MOO

 

[Warwick7]

Why would you “presume” she did the wash? I know plenty of men who do laundry, including myself.
Sounds a little sexist to me.
ETA I’ve also known men, who don’t normally do the laundry, run a wash in an attempt to remove evidence of a homicide.

Couldn't help myself...

BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[10ofRods]

It was her frequent use of quotation marks around the word combos searched, which a kid would not use, that made it obvious.

LS also had some consistent grammatical and spelling errors that followed her across various platforms (and still appear in her long letters to the court).

 

[Warwick7]

Sure, but they may have been asset rich and cash poor, which wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Nor would learning that BM was involved in shady financial business dealings considering he appears to think laws and rules don’t apply to him, voter fraud etc.
So yeah, I’m especially interested to hopefully eventually learn what the financial forensics show.

Also, considering they borrowed the $100k from Gene Moorman for down payment on PP home, and MBM stated she was aware that BM also borrowed significant amounts of money from some of his friends too before the move to Colorado (link below to MBM TIR interview @ approx 1:13 mark), besides BM obvious greed, I think alot had to do with appearances and keeping up with a certain lifestyle that they were likely living above their means.
I wonder who these friends are that loaned BM significant amounts of money to go toward purchasing the PP home? How much did he ask for/did his friends give him? (I agree with MBM- who does that, asks their friends to borrow significant amounts of money to put down on a house?! If you can’t afford it and/or get a bank loan, you don’t buy it!!). Was the plan that BM would pay these friends back too after the Arcadia, IN home sold/closed? On just a wink, smile and a handshake, or? Did he pay his friends back last June when the IN house sold?
I realize these are rhetorical questions that may never have answers to.

I’m glad I listened to this very informative interview again. Another thing that stood out was when MBM was describing that she spoke with her Dad GM about requesting a promissory note for the 100k @ 1:04.12: paraphrased “Barry turned the tables and said Gene I thought you trusted me, he shamed my Dad and in next breath said get the note from Suzanne, she’s the one who borrowed the money. So he completely extricated himself out of that responsibility, shamed my Dad, and threw Suzanne under the bus all at the same time.”
Gee, what a guy! (insert sarcasm and gag emoji).

Justice is coming dear Suzanne.

IMHOO

#FindSuzanne
#BringSuzanneHome
#JusticeForSuzanne

ETA-clarity

Wow!
We are really seeing BM's personality...

 

[Warwick7]

If one of Suzanne's objections is that Barry stopped wearing his wedding ring, he sure put it back on in a hurry.

Wanted to look the part, I suppose

Just my observation and opinion

I'm putting this in my timeline.

 

[10ofRods]

We’ll hear more about this next week, especially if Suzanne’s phone was not shut off while located in the house.

This is really exciting, as it would be beyond damning if the data shows it could not have been at home when this occurred.

Barry may have made a colossal blunder.

That's what I think. I spent yesterday going over all the excellent timeline material here, as well as looking again at whatever tweets I could find about this phone pinging thing.

It sure does appear that Mr. Stupid Head took Suzanne's phone with him when he left. He probably thought he'd turned it off. It was, after all, at 3-4 am'ish as he's running around making final preparations to go on to his next stage (of concealing evidence).

Suzanne's phone was a problem. If he had left it on her nightstand all night, it should not be moving now. But maybe he forgot and moved it. What then? If he totally forgot his game plan for a bit, he might have grabbed it on a final pass through the house and tossed it in the truck, to get rid of it.

If he left her phone on the night stand, it would be obvious that she had not gotten up and done her normal morning routine.

Whatever it is he's doing with Suzanne's phone and his own phone...he's getting flustered and confused. He needed to turn it off completely to keep it from using its own GPS - but that would look suspicious at 4 am. Apparently he not only took her phone somewhere, but also destroyed/turned it off (because she was "sleeping" back at PP throughout all this, according to him).

It sure does appear that Suzanne's phone went on a ride in Barry's truck - and then disappeared somewhere with little signal.

There's a lot more to this angle, and I can't wait to hear what experts have to say. What exactly would Barry do with the phone?

 

[jondaba]

Guys, I earlier characterized E$N as attempting to help BM "beat the rap".

Some sleuthers were offended by that characterization.

Now that we have gone thru half the PH, does the characterization that they are trying to help him "beat the rap" sound more or less appropriate?