Morphew Affidavit Unsealed: New Images Of Life After Suzanne's Disappearance Released
SALIDA, Colo (CBS4) - Barry Morphew, charged with the murder of his wife, is now free on bond. Morphew, 53, was flanked by his daughters as he left the Chaffee County Detention facility on Monday. While they declined to comment, Morphew and his daughters were all smiles.
On Friday, Judge Patrick Murphy set bond for Morphew at $500,000, all cash, which he was not allowed post until noon on Monday.
Morphew's defense requested he be allowed to reside in Gunnison County closer to one of his two daughters, but the judge declined stating he wanted Morphew to stay close by in Chaffee County where the case was centered.
He is also required to wear an ankle monitor which alerts authorities if he leaves.
Along with Morphew's release came the release of his arrest affidavit. The 129-page document covered much of what was discussed in the four-day preliminary hearing, but also had attached photos; many of which were seen in court, but not previously made available to the public.
The images included still frames of surveillance video from one of Morphew's five trash runs the day Suzanne was reported missing, images from the hundreds of hours he spent interviewing with investigators, and the photos Suzanne took of herself and sent to the man she was having an affair with, including the photo investigators say is her last proof of life.
Morphew's defense team told the judge they did not want the affidavit released. They believed the way the district attorney's office chose to write it in a way that would sway the media and taint a jury. They argued it would decimate Morphew's right to a fair trial and read more like a tabloid than an affidavit.
Details within the document that hadn't been discussed in trial included an information about a woman named Shoshona Darke. In December of 2020, an anonymous tip led authorities to Darke. The tipster said Morphew was in a relationship with Darke, a tip later verified by numerous Salida residents. The relationship reportedly dated back to July of 2020, after Suzanne's disappearance.
On Valentine's Day of 2021, surveillance images showed the pair them checking into a hotel in Colorado Springs.
The affidavit also revealed that despite desperate pleas and attempts to find his wife alive, Morphew began to liquidate their assets. On June 1, 2020, he petitioned to act as Suzanne's guardian which allowed him to sign documents on her behalf and sell their residences in Indiana and Colorado.
To this day, there is no forensic evidence linking Morphew to the murder of his wife, no witnesses and no body. On Friday, he entered a plea of "not guilty."
The trial is set to begin May 3 through June 1, 2022.
