Suzane Morphew missing: Barry Morphew “hunted and controlled” his wife, investigators say

Investigators allege that a Colorado man accused of killing his missing wife decided to “hunt and control her” like an animal after she insisted on leaving him and then changed his statements as they went. as the evidence in the case grew, according to a court document released on Monday.

A judge allowed release of the arrest affidavit setting out investigators’ case against Barry Morphew after ruling last week that there was enough evidence to stand trial on murder charges in the alleged death of Suzanne Morphew. Barry Morphew pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on Monday after posting a $ 500,000 cash bond. Television footage captured by CBS Denver showed him emerging from prison with his two daughters with Suzanne Morphew.

Details of the couple’s troubled marriage have already been discussed in court during an evidence hearing in the case.

In the affidavit, investigators said that after Barry Morphew realized he could not control Suzanne Morphew’s insistence on leaving him “he resorted to something he did his best to life – to hunt and control Suzanne as he had hunted and controlled animals “.

Barry Morphew refused to take a polygraph test in the days following his wife’s disappearance on May 10, 2020, Mother’s Day, according to the affidavit.

Barry Morphew, an avid hunter and outdoor enthusiast, did not initially tell investigators that he went out of his way as he left for work that morning, heading to where the helmet of his wife’s bike was eventually found. He later said he went in that direction because he saw a moose cross the road, according to the affidavit.

Suzanne Morphew’s body has not been found.

Barry Morphew is also charged with tampering with a human body, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a dangerous weapon and attempting to influence an official.

Morphew’s defense team told the judge they didn’t want the affidavit released because they believed the district attorney’s office chose to write it in a way that would influence the media and would taint a jury, CBS Denver reported. They argued it would decimate Morphew’s right to a fair trial.

CBD Denver reports that Morphew’s defense requested that he be allowed to reside in Gunnison County closer to one of his two daughters, but the judge refused, saying he wanted Morphew to stay nearby in Chaffee County where the case was centered.

He is also required to wear an ankle monitor that alerts authorities if he leaves.