Colorado judge denies reduction of Barry Morphew's bail, modifies bond terms for alleged murder of wife Suzanne

Barry Morphew appeared in a southern Colorado courtroom for a hearing on Tuesday and the judge opted against reducing his bail but did modify the terms of his bond. Earlier this summer, Morphew was arrested a second time on suspicion of murdering his wife, Suzanne Morphew. She was reported missing on Mother's Day 2020 from Chafee County, more than three years before her remains were discovered approximately 45 miles away in Saguache County.

Barry Morphew appeared in an Alamosa County Court courtroom on Tuesday afternoon, wearing street clothes including a flannel shirt and blue jeans, instead of his jail uniform, even though he remained in custody of the Alamosa County Sheriff's Office. He was arrested on June 20 in Arizona and extradited to Colorado after a grand jury indictment. 

The hearing centered around a motion from the defense to reduce the bond for Barry Morphew. His bail was set at $3 million after his arrest. The defense requested in court that it be reduced to $500,000.

His defense attorney maintained that Barry Morphew's past conduct should be considered for a bond reduction, as well as family connections in Colorado, including his daughters and his mother. 

Prosecutors argued against changes to the bail amount, stating that Barry Morphew had been operating his business under a different name and that he didn't have any direct ties to the San Luis Valley community in Alamosa County. 

The judge said that she wouldn't reduce the bail amount but did modify the terms of the bond. The bond was changed to a cash surety or property bond. That means that a bail bond company posts the bail on the defendant's behalf for a non-refundable fee, typically 10-15% of the total bail amount, which means that he could pay $300,000 for the bond. 

The judge also added additional conditions to the bond terms for Barry Morphew:

• He must surrender his passport
• He may not leave Colorado for any reason
• He will wear a GPS monitor
• He cannot leave his home for any reason except to appear in court, meet with his attorneys, attend a doctor's appointment, or for a medical emergency. 
• He must use only his name of Barry Morphew 
• He must only drive vehicles registered to him 
• He may not possess or control any firearm. 

Suzanne Morphew's remains were discovered accidentally in 2023 near the town of Moffat as authorities were searching for another missing woman, a year after prosecutors dropped their initial prosecution of Morphew. That case was dismissed in 2022 without prejudice, meaning the prosecutors could refile those same charges in the future.  

The most recent charges of first-degree murder are being prosecuted by Colorado's 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office after the initial case against him was dropped because of prosecutorial issues with evidence, and former 11th Judicial District DA Linda Stanley was disbarred.

A 2024 autopsy report stated Suzanne Morphew died of "unspecified means" but ruled her death a homicide. While her remains showed no signs of trauma, investigators found in her bone marrow a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife that her husband had a prescription for, according to the indictment.

Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared. He remained in custody and was escorted out of the courtroom by Alamosa County Sheriff's deputies. 

It was unclear when, if ever, Barry Morphew would be able to post bond under the new terms outlined by the judge in Tuesday's hearing.