Husband of missing Colorado woman Suzanne Morphew will face trial, pleads not guilty to her murder
While the body of Suzanne Morphew, a Colorado woman who vanished on Mother’s Day last year, has not been found, a judge on Friday ruled there is till enough evidence to take her husband to trial for her murder.
The 49-year-old mother-of-two was last seen alive leaving her home in Chaffee County for a bike ride the afternoon of May 20, 2020. Her disappearance sparked a massive search effort and investigation, ultimately culminating in the arrest of her husband, Barry Morphew. He was charged earlier this year with her murder as well as tampering with physical evidence and an attempt to influence a public servant.
After listening to more than 20 hours of witness testimony, Judge Patrick Murphy on Friday ruled there is probable cause for the charges raised against Morphew, who entered a not guilty plea on both counts. His trial was set for May 3 and he was granted a cash-only bond for $500,000.
Prosecutors have argued that Morphew uncovered his wife’s affair with a man identified as Jeff Libler, flew into a rage and then murdered her.
Morphew however, has repeatedly denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance, alleging instead that she’d been abducted. He initially told law enforcement that he left for work Mother’s Day morning last year around 5 a.m., but according to an arrest affidavit based on Morphew’s Telematics report on his truck, officers believe “from 2:47 p.m. May 9 until 5:37 a.m. May 10, he took steps to dispose of evidence of Suzanne’s disappearance and death,” the Denver Post reported.
What’s more, data from his phone revealed Morphew left his home the following morning at 5:37 a.m. for a construction landscape project in Broomfield. After he arrived, surveillance video and Google Map photos revealed that he made five different stops to toss some trash — first at his worksite, then near the Holiday Inn where he checked in and changed shirts, at a Men’s Wearhouse, at a McDonald’s restaurant and then at another dump.
With News Wire Services
