A Colorado judge on Tuesday denied a request from accused wife killer Barry Morphew to lower his bond from $3 million to $500,000, but she did change the requirements of the bond to make it slightly easier for him to get out of jail until his trial.
District Court Judge Amanda Hopkins changed Morphew’s bond from cash to surety, meaning he just has to find a bond company willing to guarantee the money or find someone willing to put that value of property up to guarantee it, the Denver Gazette reported.
Hopkins said that Morphew’s multiple vehicles and recent addresses were “indicative of his ability to pick up and go where he wants to.”
“Mr. Morphew has the means and is quite capable at moving around and remaining under the radar,” she said.
Morphew, 57, was living in Arizona when he was arrested on June 20, following a grand jury indictment in the case in Colorado, as CrimeOnline previously reported. He was previously charged with Suzanne Morphew’s murder in 2021, but a Fremont County judge dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could file it again.
Suzanne Morphew, 49, disappeared on Mother’s Day in 2020 after her husband said she didn’t return from a bike ride. Her bicycle was later discovered down a steep ravine at Chaffee County Road 225. Investigators said the bike appeared undamaged with no signs of blood. After her disappearance, Barry Morphew claimed his wife was likely abducted.
Friends, however, told investigators that the Morphews had been arguing and that Suzanne Morphew may have had a boyfriend out of state.
Her remains were found in September 2023, scattered in a remote area in Saguache County. Reports indicated that she may have been buried in a shallow grave. Officials said dental records were used to identify the bones as Suzanne Morphew.
Last year, El Paso County coroners said testing of Suzanne Morphew’s femoral trabecular bone determined she died of “undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication” — drugs that are marketed as a compounded, injectable chemical immobilizer for wildlife providing pharmacologically reversible analgesia, sedation, and immobilization.”
Investigators found a needle cap used with a tranquilizer gun in Barry Morphew’s dryer during their investigation of his wife’s disappearance. Prosecutors say Morphew had access to the tranquilizer found in his wife’s system and was, in fact, the only person in Colorado with access to it, the Gazette reported.
In the bond hearing on Tuesday, Morphew’s attorney argued that he lacked the financial means to pay a bond of $3 million and was unlikely to flee anyway. But prosecutors noted his multiple stocks and rental income and said he had been transferring large sums of money and property to different family members.
Should Morphew post bond under the new conditions, he will be required to remain at home in Colorado, leaving only for medical needs or court appearances. He must also wear a GPS monitor and surrender his passport.
The next hearing in the case is set for November 3, but the trial itself is unlikely to begin until next summer at the earliest.
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[Featured image: Barry Morphew/Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office and Suzanne Morphew/handout]
