ALAMOSA, Colo. (Court TV) — A man charged with murdering his wife has been ordered to stay under strict house arrest “without exception” after he was accused of a hit-and-run.
A side-by-side comparison shows the driver seen in video from the hit-and-run and Barry Morphew’s booking photo. (KCNC)
Barry Morphew, 58, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, who disappeared on Mother’s Day in 2020; her remains were found on Sept. 22, 2023.
Morphew was released on a $3 million bond months after his indictment in 2025, over the objections of prosecutors who raised concerns about the defendant’s ability to flee from prosecution. In their motion seeking pretrial detention, prosecutors pointed to the defendant’s pattern of using two different vehicles with the same Indiana license plate across multiple states and argued he had “significant means to finance an absconding plan.”
On Wednesday, Judge Amanda Hopkins did not revoke Morphew’s bond, but revoked all his privileges to leave his home after learning about a hit-and-run crash in Denver on Aug. 26, 2026.
“It was reported by a driver involved in the incident that the Defendant was observed driving aggressively prior to striking two vehicles,” Hopkins wrote in her order that requires the defendant to stay off the roads. “During the interaction, a person who is very clearly the Defendant refused to provide his name or identification and indicated [that] he does not have insurance. The Defendant offered the other driver $300 for the damage to her vehicle, which she refused, and he is seen buffing the scratches on the other driver’s vehicle with his hand and T-shirt.”
Hopkins noted in her order that the license plate visible on the defendant’s vehicle in the video is the same Indiana plate prosecutors had accused him of swapping between cars. When the driver in the video refused the $300 offer and said she was going to call the police, “the Defendant leaves the scene, almost striking another individual and driving over a curb to do so,” Hopkins wrote.
Barry Morphew appears in court July 2025. (Court TV)
Morphew’s bond conditions require him to be home at all times except for medical appointments, emergencies, meetings with his legal team, court appearances or work; Hopkins assigned a GPS monitoring company to ensure compliance. Hopkins said that while the previous monthly reports showed no violations, the company had not complied with her request to hand over the most current data.
Hopkins said Colorado law does not allow her to withdraw Morphew’s bond; state law also does not allow him to be held without bond. “However, until further order of the Court, the Defendant shall remain in his home at all times, no exceptions,” Hopkins wrote. “If the Defendant has a medical emergency during that time, he can call 911 and be transported by ambulance.” She also required Morphew to submit proof that the vehicle he was driving was properly registered with the license plate he was using.
Under Colorado law, prosecutors must file a petition to revoke bond before Hopkins can consider the issue. “Even if the prosecution does not apply for a revocation of the Defendant’s bond,” she wrote, “a hearing shall be set next week to discuss the matter.”
