CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — On the second day of Barry Morphew’s preliminary hearing, investigators detailed data from his phone and truck to pinpoint his location on the day before and the day his wife Suzanne Morphew first went missing.
Suzanne went missing on Mother’s Day in 2020. Her body has yet to be found. Morphew has been charged with killing her.
Truck, phone data detail Barry’s actions
Johnny Grusing worked in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s office in Denver since September 1996. He retired two weeks ago and has a background in terrorism, violent crime, behavioral analysis and body-less homicide cases.
Grusing was tasked with interviewing Morphew and finding out where he was on May 9-10.
Investigators had data through Morphew’s truck, including knowledge of when the door would open and close, when brake lights were on and more.
The data on Morphew’s phone matched his truck’s records on May 9. He went to a property at Tailwinds around 11 a.m. and was back home to eat lunch with Suzanne at 11:30 a.m.
After leaving to check on a project, Morphew returned home and found Suzanne sunbathing. During that time, Suzanne was sending pictures of herself to Jeff Libler, a man with whom investigators say she was having an affair. She sent him a message that said “Guess who is alone again??” at 2:03 p.m.
As Suzanne’s selfie was shown in open court, reporters noticed the Morphew daughters were crying. Investigators say this was the last proof of life of Suzanne. Investigators say Morphew looked at the photo and told investigators “she looked drunk.”
Morphew was moving around the home for the next couple of hours, according to cell phone data. According to Grusing, he was shooting chipmunks in the back yard.
According to Grusing, this is roughly the time Morphew may have done something to Suzanne.
Grusing mentioned there was a tranquilizer dart cap found in Morphew’s dryer.
At 4:44 p.m., Morphew’s truck door opened and closed. At 5:25 p.m., the gear shift went from park to reverse and moved backward in the driveway 95 feet.
Morphew’s defense says he visited the Salida Stove and Spa between 4 and 5:30 p.m. that day, and he spoke with two employees at the store.
At 10:17 p.m. on May 9, Morphew’s phone was taken off airplane mode and it was home.
At 2:53 a.m. May 10, there is an outgoing call on Suzanne’s phone.
At 3:25 a.m. May 10, Morphew’s truck doors were opened and closed. The phone moved toward the location where the bike was found, according to Grusing.
At 4:31 a.m. May 10, Morphew’s phone went back into airplane mode. His phone came back online and he traveled toward Broomfield. Grusing pointed out that GPS can still be tracked when a phone is on airplane mode.
Around 5:37 a.m., Morphew was heading towards Buena Vista, driving through Johnson Village.
Morphew texted his mother “Happy Mother’s Day,” before texting Suzanne at 6:10 a.m. “You up? Happy Mother’s Day. I love you.”
Trash runs documented
At 8:10 a.m. he stopped at an RTD bus stop in Broomfield off Highway 36. His passenger door opened, and according to data, it took him about two minutes to throw something away that was a few feet from his truck.
Morphew then went to the Holiday Inn Express in Broomfield, where he made another trash run. At 8:25 a.m. Morphew walked into the hotel and went to his room at 8:38 a.m. He carried multiple items into the room, including hiking boots, a teal-covered piece of clothing, a darker piece of clothing and a light blue bag.
Morphew texted Suzanne at 8:41 a.m. to tell her he arrived in Broomfield.
Morphew left the hotel at 9:21 a.m. and traveled to a worksite but didn’t park. He went to a McDonald’s nearby and threw away more items. Surveillance video showed Morphew pushing trash down a trash can with both hands.
According to reporters in the courtroom, Morphew did not visibly react when prosecutors showed surveillance photos of him putting items into multiple trash bins in the Broomfield area on the morning of May 10.
Morphew got his car washed, and went to a Men’s Warehouse parking lot for another trash run that lasts 40 minutes.
The FBI has video of a fifth trash run, where Morphew said he threw away tranquilizer material. Morphew returned to the hotel room, changed shirts and then left for a construction site to do work on a retaining wall for up to 15 minutes.
Morphew called Suzanne at 11:20 a.m. and got no answer.
He called his daughter Mallory at 12:06 p.m. and texted Suzanne to call him at 3:30 p.m.
At 12:27 p.m. Morphew was seen throwing away two bags into a dumpster on hotel surveillance. He walked away from the dumpster with his head down and hands in his pockets.
Morphew didn’t leave his hotel room in Broomfield until 5:55 p.m. He initially told investigators in early May that he had been working on the retaining wall. Grusing mentioned Morphew’s story changed when accounting for what he was doing during that time on May 10.
At 5:55 p.m. Morphew changed his shirt again, and left the room. He took multiple trips in and out of the hotel entrance to bring in hand tools.
Court has wrapped up for Tuesday. This story will be updated with more details when they become available.
