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Suzanne Morphew's Daughters Stand By Father Barry Following Dismissal Of Murder Charges
Barry Morphew walked away from the courthouse just nine days before the high-profile trial for his missing wife Suzanne Morphew's presumed murder was slated to begin.
The daughters of Barry Morphew are standing by his side after murder charges were dismissed in the case of their missing mother.
Macy and Mallory Morphew walked hand-in-hand with their father following Tuesday’s decision to dismiss the case, in which Barry Morphew had been charged with the presumed murder of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, as reported by The Gazette. The Morphew daughters, who initially sounded the alarm when they couldn’t get ahold of their mother on Mother's Day 2020, joined their father as he walked from the Fremont County, Colorado courthouse a free man.
Barry Morphew’s freedom, however, is not guaranteed since the murder charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the state could refile charges at a later time.
“We fully support the dismissal,” Mallory told Denver NBC affiliate KUSA. “We miss our mom dearly and know our dad didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“We want to move on with our lives and take time to heal,” Macy added. “We hope to find out what happened to our mom.”
The prosecution’s motion to dismiss charges largely revolved around the fact that investigators had yet to find the body of Suzanne Morphew. The then-49-year-old mother vanished after going for a bicycle ride on May 10, 2020.
“As an offer of proof, the People and law enforcement believe we are close to discovering the victim’s body,” the prosecution wrote in their filing. “The People were hopeful that the search for, and the discovery of, the victim’s body would be concluded well before trial, but weather complicated efforts.”
Investigators continue to aim their sights on a mountainous area of Chaffee County not far from the Morphew home. Current weather conditions - including five feet of snow on the ground - have prevented law enforcement’s search efforts.
“In typical homicide cases, the fact of the victim’s death is rarely at issue,” prosecutors continued. “But in a case such as this, the most influential fact of consequence is whether or not Ms. Morphew is deceased.”
According to The Gazette, prosecutors filed the motion just 15 minutes before Tuesday’s scheduled hearing, but weeks after the defense tried and failed to have Morphew’s murder charges dismissed before District Court Judge Ramsey Lama. Although Judge Lama previously ruled that the trial should continue, he criticized the prosecution for their “continuing pattern” of not sharing all discovery materials with the defense, as previously reported.
Morphew’s defense attorney, Iris Eytan, slammed the prosecution’s decision to have charges dismissed just nine days before the murder trial was set to begin, according to Fox 21 News.
“We’ve lost the ability to present the truth,” said Eytan. “That’s what the courtroom is for: the truth. Now the community is wrongfully going to believe that Barry just got away with murder.”
Eytan accused the prosecution - namely, District Attorney Linda Stanley - of “manufacturing a murder case,” crying prosecutorial abuse.
“These prosecutors have committed so much misconduct, and they’re trying to escape it with a motion to dismiss,” Eytan continued.
“No body, no evidence, and they locked Mr. Morphew up in a jail cell for five months. They absolutely dismissed the charges in this case because they knew they were going to lose this trial.”
Suzanne Morphew’s family also spoke out about the dismissal of charges against Morphew, which included first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased human body, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a dangerous weapon, and attempt to influence a public servant.
“We’re looking forward to finding our sister and bringing her home for a proper burial,” said Suzanne Morphew’s brother, David Moorman, according to KUSA. “I look forward to being back in this court.”
