Barry Morphew is expected to be released from the Alamosa County jail soon while he awaits trial for the murder of his wife, Suzanne, after raising enough money to hire a bondsman to post his $3 million bond.
His attorney, David Beller, said that supporters of Morphew pulled together the bond fee, about 10 percent of the $3 million bond set by the court. Beller declined to identify the supporters.
“They have asked to remain anonymous,” said Beller. “And that frankly is for their own safety, with all the vitriol that the case has brought and all the doxing.”
Beller said there have been threats and bullying of Morphew’s family, including his two daughters, who have steadfastly stood by his side since Suzanne first went missing on Mother’s Day 2020.
The case, involving a well-to-do family living in a beautiful Colorado mountain town, has garnered intense national media interest from traditional news outlets and podcasters.
Earlier this month, Morphew’s attorneys asked the court to modify his $3 million cash-only bond to a $500,000 cash-only bond. That request was denied, but Judge Amanda Hopkins changed the bond to allow Morphew to use a surety, a bail bonds company, that can post the bond for a fee. That fee is not refundable at the end of the trial.
The court said it was moved to modify the bond in part because of the support of his daughters.
Posting a $3 million bond in a first-degree murder case is unusual, but not unheard of. The Alamosa Citizen was first to report that Morphew had secured a bond.
Morphew is expected to be released on Friday or Saturday, once he is fitted with a GPS monitor and finds a place in Colorado to live. He’ll be confined to his home, but can attend legal and medical appointments. And, if he can find employment, Morphew would be allowed to leave the home for work, after getting permission from the court.
Beller said that Morphew “remains hopeful, very hopeful. He is discouraged by his inability to be able to publicly address the allegation against him. He’s concerned about the welfare of his family, specifically his girls.”
Once Morphew is released from jail, will begin paying for his own defense, said Beller. To this point, Morphew’s attorneys have been paid by the state, because a defendant is deemed indigent if they are in custody, Beller said.
“In Mr. Morphew’s case, between what little bit of assets he has as well as some supporters, he is going to be paying for his defense moving forward for as long as he and they are able to do so,” said Beller.
Morphew was originally arrested for the murder of Suzanne in 2021, but her body had not yet been found and the prosecution struggled to meet deadlines for producing evidence to his defense attorneys. The charges were eventually dropped before trial began, allowing for them to be refiled if new evidence emerged.
Suzanne’s body was then found in 2023 in Alamosa County, about an hour south of the Morphews’ home. An autopsy in 2024 found the presence of a unique mixture of animal tranquilizer chemicals that Barry Morphew was known to possess, according to the new charges filed in the case. A grand jury indicted Morphew on murder charges this year, and he was arrested in Arizona, living under the alias Lee Moore.
