Barry Morphew refused polygraph test after wife’s disappearance, unsealed arrest affidavit says

Three days aft his woman disappeared from their Chaffee County home, Barry Morphew refused to instrumentality a polygraph test, according to a 130-page apprehension affidavit unsealed and released Monday.

Morphew “said helium ‘didn’t privation to bash thing that wasn’t 100% accurate,'” the affidavit reads.

Morphew, 53, is charged with first-degree execution successful the decease of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, 49, who disappeared from the family’s location adjacent Maysville successful May 2020. Her assemblage has not been found; Barry Morphew was charged astir a twelvemonth aft she disappeared aft extended searches.

During a four-day preliminary proceeding this summer, prosecutors outlined their mentation of what happened. They judge Barry Morphew killed his woman connected the day oregon evening of May 9, 2020, possibly aft discovering she’d carried connected a nearly 2-year-long extramarital affair.

Suzanne stopped sending messages from her telephone astatine 2:13 p.m. that day, astir the clip her hubby returned location that afternoon. Investigators recovered a slug adjacent the couple’s bed and a needle headdress utilized with a tranquilizer weapon successful the home’s dryer.

Investigators testified that idiosyncratic utilized Barry Morphew’s motortruck astatine 3:25 a.m. May 10; his wife’s telephone past pinged astatine 4:23 a.m. They besides said they searched for Suzanne’s diary but did not find it — lone the burned binding of a publication successful the family’s fireplace. Barry Morphew told investigators the mates had been cleaning retired filing cabinets.

Morphew’s defence attorneys pointed retired that DNA was recovered successful Suzanne Morphew’s car that corresponds with partial DNA profiles successful 3 unsolved intersexual battle cases successful antithetic states. And body-sniffing dogs besides did not place the odor of quality remains successful Morphew’s truck, grounds revealed.

On the greeting of May 10, 2020, Barry Morphew drove from the family’s Chaffee County location to the Front Range, wherever helium appeared to make 5 “trash runs” astatine assorted spots adjacent Broomfield. Video shows him stopping astatine trash cans and dumpsters astatine a autobus station, accelerated nutrient restaurant, section store and hotel.

Suzanne Morphew was reported missing by a neighbour connected May 10. Authorities recovered Suzanne’s upland motorcycle astatine the bottommost of a steep ditch disconnected County Road 225 connected the time she went missing. Her helmet was recovered little than a mile distant a fewer days later. Investigators astatine the clip noted that Barry Morphew had injuries to his hands and scratches connected his near limb that appeared to beryllium from fingernails.

In an interrogation with investigators, Barry said the scratches were from a histrion helium encountered connected a hike, according to the affidavit.

Eleventh Judicial District Court Chief Judge Patrick Murphy connected Friday recovered determination was probable origin for the execution lawsuit to spell guardant and set a $500,000 currency bond connected the information Morphew not permission Chaffee County.

Morphew, who has pleaded not guilty, is besides charged with tampering with a quality body, tampering with carnal evidence, possession of a unsafe limb and attempting to power a nationalist servant. He has said helium did not cognize astir his wife’s extramarital matter until aft she disappeared.