Justice for Suzanne Morphew? | Crime Alert Recap Saturday 06.21.25

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert

Here's some of our top stories this week:

Barry Morphew indicted again in the death of his wife Suzanne. 

Andrew Wiley, who faced charges for the alleged murder of his 12-year-old daughter and the subsequent disposal of her body in a remote area of Georgia, has died in the Leon County jail, as reported by the Sheriff's Office

A 4-year-old girl is dead and three of her siblings are injured after a man opens fire on his girlfriend and her five children during a trip from Iowa to Tennessee.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Art hourly update, breaking crime news Now.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm Jackie Howard. Husband and father Barry Morphew is back
behind bars, indicted again for the murder of his wife, Suzanne,
who went missing Mother's Day weekend. Our Dave mac has
the details.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Barry Morphew was arrested in Arizona after a grand jury
handed down an indictment for the first degree murder of
his wife. He is suspected of killing Suzanne Morphew four
years ago. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said the case
continue to be investigated, and this past year saw major
developments in the case when results of a long awaited
toxicology report. A test found that Morphew had chemicals in

(00:42):
her bones that do not appear naturally in humans, beutrophenol,
as a perone and metatomidine. The chemicals found in Morpheu's
femur are used by biologists, wildlife officers, and hunters to
anesthetize large sized animals such as deer, bear, moose, and horses.
The autopsy report was performed by the El Paso County

(01:05):
Coroner's Office, found Morphew's cause of death to be undetermined
and the manner of death to be homicide. Results from
morphus autopsy took a long time to be released, seven
months as investigators waited for the test results. Beutrphenal as
a perone, and metatomidine are the same substances that Suzanne's husband,
Barry Morphew, told investigators he routinely used to immobilize deer

(01:29):
before he removed their antlers. The initial investigation into Suzanne's
death centered significantly on her husband, Barry, whose one hundred
and thirty page arrest affidavit shed light on his involvement
with the same tranquilizers found in Suzanne's system.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
War Crime and Justice News after this.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
I'm Nicole Parton. Andrew Wiley, who faced charges for the
alleged murder of his twelve year old daughter and the
subsequent disposal of her body in a remote area of Georgia,
has passed away in a Leon County jail. This as
reported by the Sheriff's office. At thirty six years old.
Wiley was the father of Lori Page, who had been

(02:12):
missing from Tallahassee for two years. On June nineteen, Sheriff's
spokesperson Jovanni Hampton released a statement indicating that Wiley had
quote experienced a medical emergency while in state's custody. He
was promptly transported to the medical unit for treatment. LCSO
Detention staff initiated life saving measures and were assisted by

(02:35):
emergency responders upon their arrival. Hampton stated Wiley was declared
dead at five point thirty six PM. According to the
news release, Wiley had been in custody since April twenty
twenty five, and his next of ken has been informed.
The Sheriff's office is adhering to standard procedures concerning an
in custody death, and an autopsy by the Medical Examiner's

(02:57):
Office is scheduled to determine the cause of death. Additional details,
including whether his death was a suicide, have not been disclosed.
Wiley's death marks the eighth fatality among the inmates at
the Leon County Jail in the past two years. This
year alone, Wiley is the third inmate to die at
that County detention center. In February, a twenty six year

(03:19):
old woman also died following a medical emergency. Her name
was not made public, but it was reported that she
was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
At that time, authorities stated that foul play was not involved.
Prior to that. In January, Nicholas Shoemaker, a thirty six
year old man, was found unresponsive in the same jail,

(03:40):
and also police said no indications of foul play. In
twenty twenty four, the death toll included at least five
inmates who died either in jail or being transported to
the hospital from the jail. Young Glory Page had been
the focus of an extensive missing child investigation for nearly
two years when hurry means were discovered following a controlled

(04:02):
burn in a secluded area of Thomas County, Georgia. She
had vanished in June twenty twenty three at the age
of twelve. Law enforcement, the FBI, volunteers, and her family
had been engaged in searching for her during that time. Wiley,
who had initially reported Laurie missing, was facing a second
degree murder charge in relation to her disappearance. Investigators followed

(04:26):
numerous leads across various states, undertaking what was described as
a comprehensive investigation, including a grid search at Saint Louis
Mission Park, the last known location of the girl. Laurie's
community became actively involved in the search for the missing girl,
particularly one of her school teachers who initiated letting police

(04:48):
know she had been missing.

Speaker 4 (04:50):
I actually met him and talk with him three different times,
and I hugged him each time and just told him,
don't worry. You know, we're gonna speak up for her,
We're gonna look for her, and we'll never give up.
And I thought I was giving him comforting words, and
now I'm only imagining what he was thinking.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
Detectives noted that Laurie's case presented unique challenges compared to
typical missing child cases, largely due to her absence of
a digital footprint. She did not possess a phone or
engage in social media. Additionally, her family situation was complex,
with relatives residing in three different states, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia.

(05:31):
Laurie had previously been in the care of the States
Department of Children and Family Services during her early years,
as there was no one to adequately care for her.
She had run away from home about a month prior
to her disappearance, reportedly taking refuge at an apartment complex
pool where friends and neighbors would bring her food.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
Jim Keys then deserved it.

Speaker 3 (05:54):
No key deserves it.

Speaker 5 (05:56):
No Key no key, I'm Drew Nelson. A four year
old girl dead and three of her siblings are injured
after a man opens fire on his girlfriend and her
five children during a trip from Ewe to Tennessee. The
shooting happened late Saturday night as the family traveled through
the Belcher area of North Nashville. Please said the man,
a twenty six year old from Davenport, Iowa, got into

(06:18):
an argument with his girlfriend, a forty one year old
woman from Illinois. She was driving them to visit relatives.
He threw her phone out the window, then tried to
grab the steering wheel of the mini van. She managed
to stop the van. That's when the man pulled out
a pistol and shot her several times. The woman got
out and ran for help. Police said the man then
fired into the van at her five children. Four of

(06:41):
them were hit. A four year old girl was shot
in the neck and back and later died. A one
year old boy was shot three times in the stomach.
A seven year old girl was shot seven times, once
in the stomach and six times in the legs. A
thirteen year old girl was shot twice in the stomach.
The one year old and seven year old are still
in critical condition, while the thirteen year old is stable. Miraculously,

(07:03):
a three year old boy in the van was not shot.
The woman pleaded for neighbors to call nine one one
while the man chased her with the gun. Officers from
the Madison Precinct arrived quickly and arrested him. He was
booked into the Downtown Detention Center around four am Sunday,
as bond was set at two point six million dollars.
He faces one count of criminal homicide, five counts of

(07:24):
attempted homicide, three counts of aggravated assault, one count of
aggravated battery.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
It's tragy. This is the tragedy.

Speaker 5 (07:31):
A baby's baby boo?

Speaker 1 (07:33):
Is this someone to do that to some babies, to
anyone for that madam.

Speaker 5 (07:37):
Local residents say they are shaken by what happened, like Tasha,
who lives nearby. She tells the WTVF she started a
small memorial.

Speaker 2 (07:45):
I just went in and got some artificial flowers and
could he write there?

Speaker 4 (07:49):
And I came out.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
Someone put another set of flowers.

Speaker 1 (07:53):
Came out this morning. It's a balloon with a little
baby doll on it.

Speaker 5 (07:57):
The victims and the shooter have not been named mother
told investigators their relationship had begun in January and the
argument was about possibly ending things. The investigation is ongoing.

Speaker 6 (08:09):
I'm Jennifer Gould. Yeah, this roundup was really wild. A
Washington State deputy just proved he is the best in
the West, perfectly roping a chainsaw wielding maniac with the
skill of a rodeo champ. Pierce County deputies found a
thirty two year old in a mental health crisis chasing

(08:30):
his own dad with a roaring chainsaw. Scary right well.
After corralling the defiant suspect into a pond, an hour
of tense negotiations went absolutely nowhere. But then a rural
Mountain detachment deputy had a stroke of genius. Pierce County
Deputy Carly Capeto spoke to King five Seattle. This deputy

(08:52):
totally thought outside of the box and was like, Hey,
I've got a lasso in my card, please.

Speaker 3 (08:57):
Let's go right here.

Speaker 5 (08:58):
Rop the chainsaw, get out of the water.

Speaker 6 (09:01):
He pulled out his trustee lasso, usually for wrangling livestock,
and with a flick bament, landed perfectly around these suspects
Torso he was literally tied to his fate screaming as
he was dragged from the water. No one got cut
and this jaw dropping showdown proving some problems. You just
got a rope into submission. For the latest crime and

(09:22):
justice news, follow the Crime Alert hourly update on your
favorite podcast app with this Prime Alert. I'm Jennifer Gould.