Image Credit: ABC News: Morphew Family

Image Credit:  (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office and Pool via KRDO)

Image Credit: (Denver7)

Image Credit: (Denver7)

Image Credit: KUSA via the Associated Press

Although Chief Judge Hopkins initially appointed the state public defender due to funding matters, Beller highlighted a conflict of interest within that office. He confirmed that he expects himself and Fisher‑Byrialsen to be formally appointed through the state’s private counsel fund.

Morphew’s bond remains set at $3 million cash, with an anticipated motion to modify it at the September hearing.

Timeline & Electronic Footprints

On May 10, 2020, Suzanne was reported missing by neighbors. Morphew claimed he left the home at 5 a.m. for a work trip to Broomfield, three hours away, leaving Suzanne asleep.

Barry Morphew told police that Suzanne had planned on biking that day. Her vehicle was in the garage, and her bike was missing. Her bike was later located down a hillside less than a mile from her home. Her helmet was found a few days later 10 meters from Hwy 50, and about 1.52 miles from her home.

Cellphone and truck telematics show Morphew’s phone was turned off from 2:47 p.m. May  9 to 10:17 p.m., and from 4:32 a.m. on May 10, 2020, and remained off until 5:37 a.m., at which point the device reconnected—coinciding with his presence on the road near Johnson Village, en route to Broomfield.

This roughly one‑hour gap is significant, as it overlaps with the timeframe when investigators say Suzanne’s phone went silent and when Barry claims he was preparing to leave for work.

Telematics data showed that on May 10th, Morphew was on the jobsite for less than 30 minutes. Instead, electronic evidence and business cameras show Morphew was driving around and discarding items in various trash cans. He was shown to be in his hotel from 12:34 p.m. to 5:55 p.m.

Marital Discord & Digital Trail

Suzanne confided feelings of unhappiness and a desire to divorce to friends. Her last known message (May 9, 2:11 p.m.) went to a person she had been in contact with daily.

A screenshot preserved on Barry’s phone, sent May 6, reads: “I’m done. I could care less what your up to and have been for years. We just need to figure this out civilly.”

This suggests that Suzanne thought Barry was chronically unfaithful. Evidence from Suzanne’s phone showed that she was also involved extramaritally with an old high school sweetheart.

Search of the Morphew Residence

Investigators executed a search warrant on the Morphew home on May 11, 2020, and conducted a thorough forensic sweep over several days. The search revealed no signs of forced entry, no broken windows, or damage to doors, and there was no evidence of a struggle inside the house.

Forensic teams collected numerous items, including Suzanne’s bedding, clothing, personal journals, and multiple electronic devices. These items were processed for DNA, fingerprints, and blood evidence.

According to the indictment, no foreign DNA profiles were detected on key surfaces, doors, or Suzanne’s personal belongings. Firearms stored in the home were accounted for, registered, and appeared to be undisturbed, with no signs that any had been recently fired or cleaned.

During the May 2020 search of the Morphew home in Salida, investigators recovered several key BAM-related items:

A tranquilizer rifle (dart gun) was located in a locked safe within Morphew’s garage.

Packages of Pneu-Dart brand tranquilizer darts were also found in the same storage area.

Crucially, in the clothes dryer, officials discovered shorts Barry Morphew reportedly wore on May 9, along with a needle cap from a tranquilizer dart.

Morphew had a history of using BAM (Butorphanol, Azaperone, Medetomidine) for deer sedation, even from his Colorado home in April 2020. He admitted to police that he illegally used the sedative to incapacitate deer to steal their antlers.

Despite this, investigators did not find any foreign DNA, blood, or other obvious signs of physical trauma or a break-in—either in the home or on Morphew’s clothing—reinforcing the theory that BAM was used surreptitiously rather than in a violent struggle.

Prosecutors noted the absence of blood, cleanup attempts, or intruder DNA as supporting their theory that Suzanne’s death did not involve a break-in or unknown assailant, but rather occurred within the context of her domestic environment.

Image Source: CBS News

Presence of BAM (Animal Tranquilizer)

Suzanne’s remains, found in September 2023 in Saguache County, provided the shocking incriminating evidence that led to Barry Morphew’s arrest. The remains were bleached and partially clothed—suggesting body relocation. Forensic anthropologists determined decomposition likely occurred at a different site, and then the body was moved to the location where it was found.

Bone marrow toxicology detected all three BAM compounds and a butorphanol metabolite—confirmed homicide via BAM intoxication by unexplained means.

Prescription records show Morphew was the only private individual in the entire area with access to BAM; governmental agencies had no missing doses.

This deeply fact-based indictment goes far beyond conjecture—mapping out a timeline of phone shutdowns, secretive vehicle movements, marital tension, and the striking presence of veterinary-grade sedatives in Suzanne’s remains.

Tranquilizer Tools Found in Colorado Residence

As the case moves forward, all eyes will turn to the September 2 status hearing, where the court is expected to address Barry Morphew’s bond and set the tone for pretrial proceedings.

The evidence outlined in the indictment—including cell phone gaps, vehicle telematics, and the presence of BAM-related materials—will likely form the backbone of the prosecution’s strategy.

For now, Morphew remains in custody, awaiting his chance to challenge the charges in court. Whether the second round of litigation avoids the missteps that plagued the first will be critical, as both sides prepare for what promises to be one of Colorado’s most closely watched trials in years.

Image Credit:  (Suzanne Morphew Facebook)

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