Suzanne Morphew
The brother and sister of Colorado woman who prosecutors believe was murdered by her own husband are speaking out about the family dynamics at play within the relationship. Though prosecutors have not found the body of presumed victim Suzanne Morphew, 49, they have charged her husband, Barry Morphew, 53, with murder, evidence tampering, and attempting to influence a public servant. Suzanne Morphew disappeared on Mother’s Day 2020.
David S. Moorman, Suzanne’s brother, released a statement to mark the one-year anniversary of the disappearance and presumed killing.
“While my silence has been interpreted as not caring, within hours of being told of Suzanne’s disappearance nothing seemed to add up,” David said. “My suspicion of foul play quickly grew, especially knowing my brother-in-law’s personality.”
He continued, in part:
I am constantly hounded by the question, “how did we get here?” How does a man take the life of his wife and the mother of his daughters? How do character flaws turn you into a murderer? Is it nature or nurture? Nothing I say here will change minds and I will leave it to the experts of FBI to outline at the trial the cunning personality traits of Barry Morphew. As we look toward the prosecution and a trial, we can only hope for full confession and learn the whereabouts of Suzanne. I doubt that will happen and we all will be left with hearing horrific details that were perpetrated by pure evil.
David said his family felt “blessed to have a such a dedicated and professional group working on Suzanne’s case” in the law enforcement community. He wished to give them credit at a time when, as he sees it, “law enforcement is under attack.”
“I would ask one final thing,” he concluded. “If you are so moved, please make a generous contribution to your local shelter or program for domestic abuse because no one, regardless of status or money, is immune.”
Melinda Moorman, Suzanne Morphew’s sister, spoke to Denver CBS affiliate KCNC-TV.
“I felt great sadness,” Melinda said. “Great sadness and also a relief that maybe, now, we are moving forward to seek justice for my sister.”
She then hinted at what she believed led to her sister’s suspected murder.
“I think life happens,” Melinda continued. “I think pressures and stresses in life — I think financial pressure bears in on people very heavily. It creates an atmosphere of discontent and strife and sometimes living beyond your means is a very hard thing to do . . . Learning to be content with what you have is a very powerful thing in this life, and it brings great peace, and I don’t think Barry and Suzanne had gotten there yet, and that’s what I think kinda happened — and I can’t really say more than that.”
Barry Morphew
Melinda said she would “always speak to Barry Morphew” and said she believes in “great forgiveness” due to her religious faith.
“Barry has a faith, a very fundamental faith — but I don’t believe my brother-in-law has ever experienced the grace and the mercy and the gentleness of Jesus Christ, and I pray that he will be afforded that beauty in his life and find redemption and forgiveness.”
To get by, Melinda said she’s choosing to recall other moments where her now-accused brother-in-law exhibited “tenderness” toward others.
“My sister had a strong faith in Christ,” Melinda concluded. “She loved God, and she loved people. So, my sister — for me — is safe in the arms of God, and that’s how I choose to think of her today . . . she had a beautiful exterior, but what people always need to remember is my sister had a beautiful heart — and that’s the honor I want to give her.”
Watch the interview with Melinda below:
Watch a reading of David’s statement below:
[images via the Chaffee County, Colo. Sheriff’s Office]
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