ALAMOSA, Colo. (Court TV) — A man charged with murdering his wife is back behind bars after prosecutors say he violated the conditions of his release.
Barry Morphew (Boulder County Sheriff’s Office)
Barry Morphew, 58, had been out of jail on bond after pleading not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew. Suzanne Morphew disappeared on Mother’s Day 2020 after going out for a bike ride. Her husband was arrested nearly a year later for her murder, but those charges were dropped two weeks before his trial was scheduled to begin in 2022. In 2025, a grand jury indicted Barry Morphew for his wife’s death.
Prosecutors initially opposed the defendant’s release on bond, telling a judge that he was a flight risk, in part because he had a pattern of using the same license plate across multiple vehicles. The judge granted the defendant a $3 million bond, but he had to abide by strict conditions, including leaving home only for doctor’s appointments, medical emergencies, work and meetings with his legal team.
Judge Amanda Hopkins said she was not legally allowed to revoke the defendant’s bond without a request from prosecutors, but ordered Barry Morphew not to leave his home after a woman contacted the judge saying the defendant had struck her vehicle and fled.
The driver reported that Barry Morphew was “observed driving aggressively prior to striking two vehicles,” Hopkins said. The driver who reported the incident said that the defendant offered her $300 for the damage to her vehicle, refused to provide his name or information and drove off when she said she would call the police.
After learning of the alleged hit-and-run, prosecutors obtained data from the company that monitors Barry Morphew’s GPS bracelet. In a motion asking for his bond to be revoked entirely, prosecutors said that Barry Morphew “drove to Denver International Airport while given permission only for a ‘work’ exception from his bond condition not to leave his home” on the date of the alleged hit-and-run. The GPS data showed the defendant going from his home to the airport on Aug. 28, 2026, then leaving the airport almost immediately. Prosecutors said Barry Morphew’s attorney “indicated he is not working at DIA, but that it is possible he was picking up his daughter.” After leaving the airport property, prosecutors said the defendant was “in the area of hotels and a mall at various points in the day” before the alleged crash.
Deputies with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office arrested Morphew after the judge signed the order revoking his bond. In a news release announcing the arrest, deputies said they arrested him on an outstanding warrant and took him into custody without incident.
Barry Morphew is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, where prosecutors will argue their motion to keep him behind bars.
