CO CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #53

[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

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*

Suzanne Morphew Case Archive (developed and maintained by WS member AmandaReckonwith)

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)

Thread #41 Thread #42 Thread #43 Thread #44 Thread #45 Thread #46 Thread #47 Thread #48 Thread #49 Thread #50 Thread #51 Thread #52

 

[Sillybilly]

Please continue discussion here in accordance with The Rules:

Quick rundown of reminders from prior threads:

Rumors are not allowed.

A thread specific decision has been made by Tricia to allow members to discuss Barry Morphew and to speculate about him based on how he is being publicly treated by LE, information from MSM and other WS approved sources (except rumors). Do NOT sleuth him or his business and do NOT trash him.

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

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).

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

 

[Sillybilly]

Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative (CTDC)

Indicates 5% of HT victims are over the age of 48. While that percentage is obviously very small, there are victims who do make up that small percentage.

As LNF says, most members believe Suzanne is a victim of DV. Given what we know in this case, I think we can safely say that Suzanne being a victim of HT, while possible is not probable.

 

[Sillybilly]

Members may discuss what is in MSM about the buyer of the property, but do not sleuth them or post their names and addresses on this public thread.

Thanks.

 

[Sillybilly]

Although CM has been approved as a source at WS, without knowing his source and what he is basing this allegation on, we're removing the info about BM having a girlfriend as rumor. If not true, it's just too inflammatory.

When I get a chance to talk with Tricia, I'll check with her. She may feel otherwise. In the meantime, if someone can find the info from a prior podcast where Chris maybe explains the basis/source for this particular allegation and PMs it to me or another Mod/Admin, that would be great.

Thanks.

 

[1&2&3]

It amazes me how on different occasions when people have conducted searches, there have been reports of “suspicious” people watching them. In fact, these “suspicious” people have scared/intimidated the searchers away from the area they were searching.

Who is behind conveniently having people in these areas? To me, it must be BM. But what is his reasoning to get people to go to specified areas? Who is helping BM in his pursuit of discouraging searches of certain areas? He had been a resident for such a short time when Suzanne disappeared, how did he build up a network of so many friends?

 

[LietKynes]

I don't think BM accused the acquaintance of anything. Other than saying he spent nine years in jail. I just thought Mr. multiple felony's public roasting of BM was a little over the top. It's the only reason I even considered looking at him at all. There is a correlation between repeat felons and violent crimes. Not saying he's guilty, just saying he is someone I would look at.
I don't think trusting a friend of her husband's makes Suzanne a bad person, whatsoever. These guys are really good at knowing what to say to gain a person's trust. And you can't always tell what a person is capable of by looking at them.
Which goes back to BM. Maybe he is more sophisticated than he seems. I don't know.
I'm convinced this crime was someone with experience committing crimes.

bbm
No, I didn't say Suzanne was a 'bad person', nor do I think she was naive.
I do find it implausible that she invited a strange man into her home and that such an action could've caused her demise.
If that were the case, I'd expect an arrest by now.
And I do think her own family would find it unlikely.

In fact she wasn't going to invite a known felon into her residence.
And from the few statements we have about her from her side of the family and her friends, I think she was loyal to her family.

As far as we know, LE did not tell BM nor his family to stop talking to the media.
I'd think LE would encourage her husband and family to raise awareness about her disappearance.
Press conferences, a detailed description of her last outfit and not just 'biking clothes', last known photos and not pics that were a year or even two old.
Etc.
We're coming up on nearly a year and nothing except a brief video plea.
Only her brother Andy has initiated a search, and I believe his motives are true.
Imo.

 

[303gmf]

It amazes me how on different occasions when people have conducted searches, there have been reports of “suspicious” people watching them. In fact, these “suspicious” people have scared/intimidated the searchers away from the area they were searching.

Who is behind conveniently having people in these areas? To me, it must be BM. But what is his reasoning to get people to go to specified areas? Who is helping BM in his pursuit of discouraging searches of certain areas? He had been a resident for such a short time when Suzanne disappeared, how did he build up a network of so many friends?

All excellent questions, I’d love to know some answers!

 

[DeDee]

Good post !
LE prob. have most of these questions answered except # 2 and 4.

I am confident in the justice process in this state and investigation; that they can prosecute successfully for a 'no body' case.

Imo there has to be a plethora of unrevealed evidence.
I also keep hope that when Suzanne's brother mentioned that LE just needed to 'seal the envelope' that all LE would want is Suzanne's remains.
They may have enough to proceed without Suzanne.

Imo, she IS deceased.
Justice is coming, Suzanne !!!!

Yes, sadly, I agree. Although, I may be in the minority here because I feel it was a well executed case of premeditated murder versus a sudden crime of passion.

Janeumayer wrote the historical facts in post # 1017

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...y-10-may-2020-52.557298/page-51#post-16686807

 

[LietKynes]

Yes, sadly, I agree. Although, I may be in the minority here because I feel it was a well executed case of premeditated murder versus a sudden crime of passion.

Janeumayer wrote the historical facts in post # 1017

CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #52

Thanks for linking the facts post.
I keep going back to where LE searched.
To obtain not one but two search warrants for Suzanne's home speaks volumes.
Something happened there; imo.

 

[Cindizzi]

Article from January 15, 2021 about the new DA for Chaffee County.

New District Attorney assembles team, gets right to work – Canon City Daily Record

A few snippets:

Linda Stanley was sworn in as the District Attorney for the 11th Judicial District at 8 a.m.Tuesday.

By 8:30 a.m., she was in the courtroom working on cases.

Stanley, a Republican, defeated Democratic incumbent Kaitlin Turner in the November election. She didn’t have access to cases until Tuesday when she and her team hit the ground running.

“It’s like drinking water out of a firehose,” she said after her third full day in office Thursday evening.

But she brings with her to the office several new faces with substantial experience.

“He’s also great for staffing homicides and other major cases because he has done several of them, as well as grand juries which haven’t been utilized in this district,” Stanley said. “We certainly need to look into doing that more often.”

The 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office encompasses Fremont, Chaffee, Custer and Park counties.

“The cold cases are really super important to me,” she said. “We are meeting to get a handle on what we need to get it moving again. That’s the No. 1 thing for me.”

 

[DeDee]

Saturday, May 9 - Sunday, 10, 2020
Salida Weather
Perfect Moon

It was a crisp 64 degrees Saturday when SM and BM purchase sandwiches at 4pm. At 5pm, there's 12 hours to have the worst night of his life.

Saturday evening temps drop to 36 degrees.
Sunday Morning is coming.

When BM departed PP home at 5am Sunday, May 10, 2020, Mother's Day morning, after kissing Suzanne goodbye, it was appx 24 degrees outdoors.

Did he?

How cold was it when Suzanne was supposed to be riding her bike on Mother's Day? Temps climbed to 70 degrees Sunday afternoon. In the shade down by the river, near where the bike was found, it may have been cooler.



Saturday evening, May 9th:
- Waning gibbous moon, occurs when the Moon appears to be more than one-half but not fully illuminated by direct sunlight.
Gunnison, CO Weather History | Weather Underground

Current Weather, Saturday, March 13, 2021
Denver Largest Snowfall Since 1885

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[PaulaDC]

Just the Facts Mam.

 

[al66pine]

Murder 1 case. Proof?

1) When was she murdered?
2) How... 3) Why ... 4) Where ... Is it essential for the prosecution to have definite answers to these questions?...

@Minordetails bbm sbm Good questions, but let's not ignore the initial, critical component of any homicide case: Death. How does prosecutor estab death?
When body is present, which is virtually always, prosecutor puts the med examiner on the witness stand to verify victim is dead & to testify about -
Cause of death: Victim died of gunshot wounds, stabbing, poison, or __, and
Method of death: homicide. Not natural causes, not accidental, not suicide, not undetermined.

In a no-body case starting as a MisPers case, proving death is a big, Big, BIG obstacle for prosecutor. Not saying it can't be done, as obviously it has been.
If no body (no remains) is recovered, how does prosecutor show death the jury the MisPers is dead? With no body, no remains, no autopsy, no autopsy report, no death cert, & no medical examiner on witness stand, who can testify victim is dead & about CoD & MoD?

Prosecutor can put series of ppl on stand who testify: person was reported as a MisPers, and since [date] has not w/drawn $ from bank acct, has not contacted these friends or relatives, etc., etc, and has not been seen since. But say def team calls as witness someone who testifies that s/he bumped into the MisPers, say on Mar 12, 2021 [in Denver, NY, LA, where ever] and they talked for two minutes. If that def witness is credible to jury, she's still just missing, not dead after all. No conviction.

Above post skimming past the death issue may have assumed that body/remains will be recovered & med examiner will testify as to CoD, & state MoD was a homicide. That's okay. Not criticizing you or the post, just pointing out an easily overlooked issue. Not saying you did and hope I'm not giving that impression.

Welcoming comment, clarification, & correction esp'ly from our legal professionals.
I'll post separately to respond to ^ questions, as they are interesting. my2ct.

 

[al66pine]

Proof in Murder 1 case? Requirements?

1) When was she murdered?
2) How was she murdered? 3) Why was she murdered? 4) Where was she murdered?
Is it essential for the prosecution to have definite answers to these questions? Is ok for the prosecution to be vague in the details when explaining what happened to Suzanne.

@Minordetails bbm Now responding to your questions in green about whether prosecutor must prove these points:
1) When was she murdered? Even if there is no statute of limitations on Murder 1, presumably the crime which may be charged, practically speaking yes imo, but not down to the hour or even exact day.
2) How was she murdered? Rewording question to 'How did she die' then this relates to MoD (homicide), then yes, prosecutor must prove.
If body (or remains) is recovered & Med Examiner determines CoD & MoD, ME testifies.
If no-body or remains, see my earlier post on this & establishing death.
3) Why was she murdered? "Why" is not an element of the crime of Murder 1,* so Prosecutor does not have to offer evidence of motive per se, but must show the def killed "after deliberation and with intent to kill."* In the course of trying to prove def's deliberation & intent to kill, prosecutors often do introduce motive evidence, like desire to inherit from deceased spouse or to collect life ins, or jealousy about deceased spouse's extramarital affair, or defendant having extramarital affair, but not wanting to divorce, etc. Not saying any of these motives applies to this case, just giving examples.
4) Where was she murdered? For a court to have jurisdiction to hear the case, gen'ly the Prosecutor must prove the def caused the victim's death, in this case within the 11th judicial district in state of CO (or committed one or more elements of the crime there?). Does prosecutor have to prove a specific room in a house, or a street address, or even a street? Again, maybe not, technically speaking imo.

On my 'technically/practically speaking,' points, if prosecutor does not offer a certain level of detail, how can jury have sufficient basis to reach a guilty verdict?

Requirements of CO Murder 1 statute* may seem simple, yet somehow murky, foggy, fuzzy, cloudy. Appellate court opinions parse various legal nuances lurking within the statute.

But without a lot of detailed, heavy duty forensic evidence on many points and some eyewitnesses' & earwitnesses' testimony on some other points (not saying eye/ear witnesses must testify to seeing or hearing def's actions directly causing death), I doubt if Prosecutor would bring a no-body case to trial.

As @LietKynes poster earlier today, LE has likely gathered a lot of evidence. And likely continues working the case like a pit bull. my2ct.

Welcoming comment, clarification, correction, esp'ly from our legal professionals.

______________________________________________
* CO. Statute. "'First Degree Murder. (a) After deliberation and with the intent to cause the death of a person other than himself, he causes the death of that person or of another person;..."
§ 18-3-102. Murder in the first degree. 2016 Colorado Revised Statutes :: Title 18 - :: Criminal Code :: Article 3 - :: Offenses Against the Person :: Part 1 - :: Homicide and Related Offenses :: § 18-3-102. Murder in the first degree

 

[ethereal*22]

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[Lyanna]

Its Mother's Day here in the UK, I know its a different day in the US, but the day means the same all over. Thinking of Suzanne's daughters and how incredibly hard this must be for them - I can't imagine my life without my Mum.

I hope they get answers soon.

 

[EggSalad]

We cannot disregard a murder-for-hire scenario. And knowing what we know of BM, he tends to hire uneducated people with troubled pasts.

I think we’re a lot more likely to see a darknet search history on BM’s devices for a murder for hire than we are that being the scenario that played out.

A hit man would have no need to come up with a half assed bike ride scenario. They could have just gone to the home while BM was working, shot SM dead, left her on the floor and drive off. They wouldn’t dispose of the body and plant a bike. Not to mention how horrible BM’s alibi is, given that he would have set all of this up way in advance.

 

[Rachelj1]

Maybe BM doesn't know, or he was told to keep quiet, or he was involved in some way.
The truth is likely a mixture of the theories. I'm leaning toward a possible conspiracy to commit murder on the husbands part. But I think a seasoned killer committed this crime. BM doesn't strike me as a pro. He is more like a heavy handed husband, or average *******. Maybe. But everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
I guess when I see a case like this, nine months later and still no person of interest, and the FBI involved I think that the plot to this crime is probably more complicated than we know.
And for the record, I'm not criticizing anyone's theories, the whole point of this thread is to share ideas, not publicly hang any certain person. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and anything I say is merely a theory based on the facts as I see them.




Maybe. But they are keeping things quiet on this case. Don't you think. They haven't said anything. They've asked the family to stop talking to the press. BM claims he spoke to investigators for thirty hours and they never asked him to take a polygraph. Did law enforcement ever come out and tell everyone they had asked? I'm not finding anything, only the claims by the brother that he refused.

And the polygraph again is just a tool like the dogs. Guilty people pass, and innocent people fail. Lawyers will advise clients not to take it sometimes. But it does make someone appear to have something to hide if they say no.
Sometimes releasing too much information can hinder an investigation, tip off the killer and make them destroy evidence, or disappear. So I get it.

What I'm having a problem with is why havent they arrested him. How the hell did he pull this off without leaving any evidence. I don't know. I guess you cant tell alot about someone in a twenty six second video but he doesn't seem that sophisticated. Or cool. I guess. Maybe he's the worlds greatest liar.
And the FBI involvement. There is more to this than we know.

See the thing is , I don’t think this is something the FBI is actively involved in right now. I think they came in, offered all their resources Bc the LE department is small for one . I think Barry is a good liar honestly . I think he’s a talker kind of like a used car salesman . He may of planned to harm Suzanne , and then that night was the night he just couldn’t deal with the thought of her leaving ? I don’t know either but I do know , that his behavior is not what you would normally expect from a grieving husband . He’s living his best life right now it seems like . It’s weird , and yes that lie detector information came from Suzannes brother who I believe .

moo

 

[EggSalad]

It amazes me how on different occasions when people have conducted searches, there have been reports of “suspicious” people watching them. In fact, these “suspicious” people have scared/intimidated the searchers away from the area they were searching.

Who is behind conveniently having people in these areas? To me, it must be BM. But what is his reasoning to get people to go to specified areas? Who is helping BM in his pursuit of discouraging searches of certain areas? He had been a resident for such a short time when Suzanne disappeared, how did he build up a network of so many friends?

And why would those people risk getting involved? To me it points to them having a vested interest in wanting LE to not find BM guilty and potentially unravel some type of illegal operation. Unless they have something to lose, I don’t see why they risk their freedom to spy on LE for just a friend.