NewsCrime

Actions

The 12th Judicial DA announces an indictment charging Barry Morphew for the murder of Suzanne Morphew

Timeline and background of Suzanne Morphew's death
Man indicted in connection to the death of Suzanne Morphew
barry suzanne morphew.png
Posted
and last updated

ALAMOSA, Colo. (KOAA) — The 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office has announced an indictment against a man accused of killing his wife in 2020.

In a press release Friday, 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly announced that a 12th Judicial District Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Barry Morphew with First Degree Murder for his alleged role in the murder of Suzanne Morphew.

Watch our timeline of Suzanne Morphew's disappearance when her body was found in 2023

Suzanne Morphew went missing from the Maysville area of Chaffee County on May 10, 2020. At the time of her disappearance, her husband, Barry Morphew, posted a video to a Facebook page set up to search for Suzanne Morphew, pleading for her safe return.

Almost a year following that video, in 2021, Barry Morphew was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after deliberation, tampering with physical evidence, and an attempt to influence a public servant, according to court documents. The investigation and prosecution attempt would continue for years and was eventually dismissed for a time in 2022.

The case would go cold until 2023, when agents with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation began searching for her body in an area of Moffat, Colorado, in the San Luis Valley.

“Federal, State, and local law enforcement have never stopped working toward justice for Suzanne.” said Twelfth Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly. “The Twelfth Judicial District Attorney’s Office stands in solidarity with Suzanne’s family and the citizens of Chaffee and Saguache Counties in pursuing the Grand Jury’s indictment.”

In the release, the district attorney's office announced that Barry Morphew had been taken into custody on June 20 in Arizona, and the 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office is exercising an extradition order to get Morphew back to Colorado.

The 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office will be hosted a press conference on Friday in Alamosa. You can view the press conference in its entirety below:

You can read the indictment for yourself below. Mobile users click here.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

___

Backlash in Colorado as National Park Signs Urge Visitors to Report 'Negative' Views About America

The signage went up at National Parks sites nationwide per executive order, but Amache and Sand Creek descendants want history preserved. Just days after the new signs, a small act of defiance surfaced at Amache National Historic Site.

Backlash in Colorado as National Park Signs Urge Visitors to Report 'Negative' Views About America

News Tips
What should KOAA5 cover? Is there a story, topic, or issue we should revisit? Have a story you believe should make the light of day? Let our newsroom know with the contact form below.

____

Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.