Barry Morphew was indicted on Friday with a first-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew.
While Suzanne Morphew went missing in May 2020, her body wasn’t found by investigators in Colorado until September 2023. Over two years later, Barry Morphew was charged in her death. The new effort to convict him comes after similar charges were dropped in 2022, following prosecutorial misconduct.
Here’s a timeline of Suzanne Morphew’s disappearance and Barry Morphew’s alleged involvement:
BARRY MORPHEW SEEN FOR FIRST TIME AFTER JAIL BOOKING, MAINTAINS INNOCENCE IN WIFE’S DEATH
Suzanne Morphew texts Barry Morphew: “I’m done. I could care less what you’re up to and have been for years. We just need to figure this out civilly.”
Suzanne Morphew was last seen on May 10, 2020. Court documents indicate that Barry Morphew told detectives that the last time he saw his wife was at 5 a.m. that morning when he got up to leave for Denver, Colorado for a landscaping job. Suzanne Morphew’s neighbor reported her missing to police after she disappeared during a bike ride on Mother’s Day.
Law enforcement officials found Suzanne Morphew’s blue mountain bike, adding that there was no blood around it. One of the deputies investigating the case said he “started to question if something criminal had occurred as it looked like the bike was purposely thrown in this location.”
A massive search effort to find Suzanne Morphew also began, with involvement from the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators found Suzanne Morphew’s bicycle helmet about .84 miles from where her bicycle was located.
According to 9 News, Barry Morphew posted a video to Facebook on May 14, 2020, pleading for his wife’s return home.
“Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there that can hear this, that has you, please we’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back,” Barry Morphew said. “We love you. We miss you. Your girls need you.”
“No questions asked, however much they want. I will do whatever it takes to get you back,” he added. “Honey I love you. I want you back so bad.”
Barry Morphew was arrested on charges of murder after deliberation, attempting to influence a public servant and tampering with physical evidence. He pleaded not guilty.
A Colorado judge granted motion to dismiss the case due to prosecutorial misconduct. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning he could be re-charged later on.
Barry Morphew and his two daughters participate in an interview with Good Morning America. During the interview, Barry Morphew said “I just love my girls.”
“And I love my wife. And I just want her to be found,” Barry Morphew said.
BARRY MORPHEW INDICTED BY GRAND JURY FOR ALLEGEDLY KILLING WIFE WHO DISAPPEARED ON MOTHER’S DAY
When Barry Morphew was asked during a Good Morning America interview if he was involved in his wife’s disappearance, he said: “Absolutely not.”
“They’ve got tunnel vision and they looked at one person and they’ve got too much pride to say they’re wrong and look somewhere else,” Barry Morphew added. “I don’t have anything to worry about. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Despite a mountain of evidence from prosecutors that there were allegedly issues with their marriage, Barry Morphew said nothing was wrong.
“We had a wonderful life, a wonderful marriage,” Barry Morphew said. “She was just so loving and giving, and such a good mother.”
Macy Morphew, his daughter, said she has “never had a shred of doubt” about her father.
REMAINS OF COLORADO MISSING MOM SUZANNE MORPHEW FOUND THREE YEARS AFTER DISAPPEARANCE
The remains of Suzanne Morphew were found on Sept. 22, 2023 by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Her remains were found in Moffat, Colorado.
An autopsy ruled Suzanne Morphew’s death a homicide with butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication in her body, according to CBI.
Barry Morphew was indicted by a grand jury charging him with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew. He was arrested in the Phoenix, Arizona area.
The chemicals that comprise butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine (BAM) were found inside Suzanne Morphew’s body, prosecutors said. According to the indictment, Barry Morphew used “BAM” as a tranquilizer to sedate and transport deer on his deer farm.
According to investigators, Morphew was the only person in any surrounding counties who had purchased a BAM prescription between 2017-2020.
Morphew’s attorney, David Beller, told Fox News Digital Morphew “maintains his innocence.”
“Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence,” Beller said. “The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either.”
