May 10, 2024 • 38 mins
Suzanne Morphew's death has been ruled a homicide by undetermined means. The toxicology report shows several drugs found in her system at the time of her death: Butorphanol, a synthetic opioid pain-killer, Azaperone, a sedative commonly used as a tranquilizer for pigs and elephants, and medetomidine, a sedative that can decrease an animal's heart rate, commonly used by veterinarians.
According to a 2021 affidavit, Barry Morphew admitted to police that he frequently used BAM and other tranquilizers to sedate deer to remove antlers for his hunting business. However, BAM is the commonly used abbreviation for Butophanol, Azaperaone, and Medetomidine. Azaperone is used as a sedative for Elephants, Rhinoceros, and Giraffes, while Medetomidine facilitates immobilization of large carnivores and great apes.
Police say in the recovery of Susanne Morphew's body, her favorite tee-shirt was pulled from the location. And in the past few days, it's reported that husband Barry Morphew quietly slipped into an invite-only memorial for his murdered wife.
Joining Nancy Grace Today:
- Tisha Leewaye, Friend of Suzanne Morphew
- Dr. Grey Stafford - Host of the Podcast "Zoo Logic" - Wildlife Expert, Animal Trainer, Zoologist, Book: "Zoomility: Keeper Tales of Training with Positive Reinforcement"
- Mark Tate - Trial Lawyer / Legal Analyst - Tate Law Group- TateLawGroup.com
- Chris McDonough - Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective, Host of YouTube channel- ‘The Interview Room’, ColdCaseFoundation.org
- Joseph Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan", Twitter: @JoScottForensic
- Lauren Conlin - Investigative journalist, Host of The Outlier Podcast. Host of Corruption: What Happened to Grant Solomon, https://laurenconlin.com, X- @Conlin_Lauren, Instagram- @LaurenEmilyConlin, YouTube- @LaurenConlin4
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace breaking news tonight. Missing mom
Suzanne's remains found miles away from home, but the killer
thought that would never happen. Suzanne found shot full of
animal trank to bring down rhinos. You heard me right,
(00:23):
strong enough to bring down rhinos, an elephant, a giraffe,
a bear shot into the body of one hundred and
twenty pounds woman. This as Suzanne's hubby reportedly sneaks into
her invite only memorial. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories.
(00:44):
Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there you can hear
this that has you. Please, We'll do whatever it takes
to bring you back. We love you when you miss you.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Your girl's eView, No questions asked, however much they want.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I will do whatever it takes to get you back
from me. I love you and I'll.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Let you back.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
So Bay, really, will you really do everything it takes
to bring her home? Well, how come you didn't tell
police that her number one favorite sweatshirt was missing? And
that's what your wife was probably wearing when she disappeared.
Aka WI was the Murder Guys with Me an all
(01:29):
star panel to make sense of what we know right now.
We know that Suzanne shot full and I mean full
of animal trank. Trank I have now learned, thanks to
my friend, the zoologist Grace Stafford, is strong enough to
bring down a rhinocerous. Okay, but let me just set
(01:53):
the table before I go to doctor Gray Stafford. Joining
me also is renowned forensic professor Joseph Scott Morgan, author
of Blood Beneath My Feet and host of a wildly
popular podcast, Bodybags That Joe Scott Morgan Joe Scott for
Gray's understanding, he deals with animals that don't typically murder
(02:16):
each other. Could you explain how we know Suzanne is
shot with so much animal TRNK that was still in
her system years later.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
This is the fascinating part about this case and that
very abbreviated autopsy report that we had Nancy, and that
is this concentration of BAM. This animal TRNK was actually
located in the head of her femur, which is a
long bone in our leg, at the top where it
joins in to.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
The hip socket.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
They actually cut the top of that off of these
skeletal remains, and they were able to render it down
to the point where they could extract this chemical compound
contained therein. That was probably for me, one of the
Biggas reveals. But the problem is is that right now
we only have a qualitative suggestion that it is there.
We know nothing about the quantitative level.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Well, I know this, Joe Scott Morgan. I know that
as when you shoot a rhino, a rhinoceros. I'm going
to go to Gray on this, you know, Gray Stafford.
I'm just a trial lawyer, all right. Joe Scott Morgan,
he's a death investigator. Joining me right now is a
renowned expert in his field. Great Stafford, host of podcasts
(03:30):
Zoo Logic, Wildlife Expert, Animal Trainer. He's a zoologist. He's
written a book, Zuomility Keeper, Tales of Training with Positive Reinforcement.
Grace Stafford. I'm very confused about why a sedative, a
tranquilizer powerful enough to literally bring down an elephant or
(03:56):
a charging rhinoceros or a bear, would be used on
one hundred and twenty pound woman who was just recovering
from cancer. The reason I believe she was shot with
a tankful of this stuff is because, just like with animals,
(04:16):
it wears off and a pretty short period of time,
so it wears off and dissipates out of the system.
She had so much in her system they had to
cut off saw and half the top of her leg
bone to get out DNA, and that is where they
found the TRNK. What is b brother M mother A alpha?
(04:43):
What is it?
Speaker 5 (04:44):
Well, Nancy, it's a three drug cocktail. There are a
lot of different sedatives and tranquilidders that veterinarians and wildlife
managers use, but some of them are more safe than others,
Some are more effective than others, some are quicker acting
than others in some work in certain species and don't
work in other species. All that well, So BAM is
(05:06):
a safer opioid, but it is an opioid and it
can cause all sorts of side effects that can be
dangerous in the hands of someone who doesn't know what
they're doing.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Okay, let me just ask you a couple of street
vernacular questions, doctor Gray, Stafford Gray, isn't true. Civilians aren't
supposed to have BAM. And here is my attempt at
pronouncing beutrophenol, metadamidine, metadamidine and a zaprn. Regular people are
(05:37):
not supposed to be walking with this in their dart gun.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
You're absolutely right. These are controlled substances, and they are
opioid derivatives or analogs or synthetics. And we know what
happens with opioids, right, We've got a pend a crisis
with fetanol and so forth. So yes, these don't belong
in the hands of lay people like you and me.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
I mean, think about it. I'm not going to take
the trends for a walk down Fifth Avenue or B
Street Street. If somebody can walk by with a TRNK
gun over their shoulder full of BAM, B brother A
Alpha M mother, no, I'm not, because it's strong enough
to take down literally a wild animal. Imagine a rhino
(06:17):
charging straight at you, and that's what Suzanne is shot
full of.
Speaker 6 (06:21):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
And some of these drugs are very potent, so you
don't need a lot of volume. I mean you imagine
a rhinoceros is two pounds or more. Certain drugs you
would need large volumes of sedative to subdue them. But
some of these, like BAM, are more concentrated, more potent,
so you need less volume, which is important if you're
darting an animal. Because you can't sit there with a
(06:43):
large plunger and a large volume and hope that you're
going to get it all on board.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
How quickly does it leave an animal, say a rhino system.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
Well, some of these.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
Drugs can be reversed, so they can be reversed rather quickly,
but if they wear off, it could take minutes to
hours or longer.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
You mean, like with narcan correct.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
Yes, yeah, there are. There are different drugs that can
reverse the effects of the individual drugs within this cocktail,
and that's often the case when it's applied by a veterinarian.
Once we're done treating an animal, we reverse it, but
still the animal has some lingering effects for several minutes.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I remember something about you, doctor Stafford. When I first
met you, we were showing the twins a baby, I
mean baby white tiger, just as small as an actual
human baby. And at first I wouldn't let the twins
get near it because I didn't know what was going
to happen. And he said, it's fine, they can get
(07:35):
near it, and so we got close to it. And
I remember that in that facility there was a trank gun.
I looked at it and I recognized it wasn't a
regular gun, and I figured out what it was. How
do you get your hands on this powerful tranquilizer? How
would a civilian get their hands on this kind of trunk.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
A prescription by a licensed veterinarian or medical doctor in
the case of human use, So I'm not exactly sure
how an average person would get this through legal means.
The guns themselves are harmless, and we keep those in position,
but the drugs themselves are under lock and key until needed.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Guys, take a listen to this.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
According to a twenty twenty one affidavit, Barry Morphew admitted
to police that he frequently used BAM and other tranquilizers
to sedate deer to remove antlers for his hunting business.
BAM is the commonly used abbreviation for beutrophenol as zepperone
and metadomitting as zepperone is used as a sedative for elephants, rhinos,
and giraffes, while medetomitting facilitates a mobilization of large carnivores
(08:44):
and great apes. These same three drugs found in the
bones of Suzanne Morphew. The autopsy report says Suzanne died
by homicide by undetermined means in the setting of beutrophenol
as zepperone and medeto midting BAM intoxication.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
So we know that Harry Morphew admits that he uses BAM,
betrophinal a, zapron and meta my dean he has them. Wow,
what a co inky dink. He has the very same
thing that turns up in Susanne Morphew's system. We are
(09:22):
analyzing the autopsy report and bringing in experts to make
sense of what we're learning. Wow, that's a coincidence, isn't it.
But I'm not asking you to pass judgment or make
a legal or evidentiary conclusion, doctor Gray Stafford. But it
would be like me walking up to my grandma and saying, hey,
(09:43):
can you can you score some myth for me? She
would have no idea how to get her hands on
a head of myth than the man in the moon.
So how just like you, Gray, you're saying, I don't
know how a person would get their hands on rhino tranquilizers,
but somebody did crime stories with Nancy Grace Guys joining
(10:17):
me a renowned expert and author, Doctor Gray Stafford, I'm
going to open it up to the rest of our panel,
our All Star panel, as we try to decipher what
we are learning. It's not just that the husband, Barry Morphew,
admitted that he had this very powerful rhino tranquilizer civilians
(10:43):
are not supposed to have their hands on. He also admits,
and I'm going to let Lauren Colin correct me if
I'm wrong. I want you to take a listen to this, Lauren,
that oh, he may have accidentally, on purpose, thrown away
the rhino tranquilizer and immediately after his wife goes missing. Listen.
Speaker 7 (11:04):
A search of Morphuse property turns up empty darts, a
dart package, and a dart needle. Morphuse questioned about a
dart needle cap found in the laundry room dryer with
wash sheets, Morphew says he has no idea how it
got there, claiming the last time he used band tranquilizers
in April, he shot from a window near the breezeway,
the same breezeway near the spot Suzanne with sunbathing the
(11:24):
day she died. A one hundred and thirty page arrest
affidavit details Morphuse involvement with the same tranquilizers found in
Suzanne's body. He admits to frequently handling these drugs and
says it makes him look bad. When asked about the
tranquilizer cap and the dryer, Morphew admits it looks suspicious.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Lauren Conlin is joining me, investigative journalist, host of The
Outlier podcast. Lauren, thank you for being with us. Let
me understand this. So Suzanne morphus remains, their skeletonized remains.
I want to talk to you about that sweatshirt you
and Joe Scott morgan skeletal remains are found miles and
(12:02):
miles away from the home beat the killer thought that
would never happen. And when someone put Barrie's alleged location
we're referring to the husband, Barry Morphew. We see where
her remains were found, we see their residents miles and
miles away, We see where her bike and helmet were
found in two separate locations, and we see Morphew's alleged location. Okay,
(12:27):
hold it, hold everything. Is this right? That Barry Morphew
admits number one, that he uses rhinoceros tranquilizers and that
he happened to be using the same tranquilizer that was
found in Susanne Morphew's kneecap in her body in her DNA,
(12:49):
and he admits in a one hundred and thirty plus
page Affidavid that yeah, I threw all away that animal
train right after Susanne went missing. Why why to do that?
If you need it for your business? Why did you
throw it away? I mean, I'm no way throw away
this microphone right here or the cell phone right here,
(13:09):
because I nade them, I named them to work. So
why did he suddenly the day his wife goes missing
or honor about throw away all his animal trunk which
he's not supposed to have anyway? Explain that, Timmy, Lauren Cotlin.
Speaker 8 (13:21):
You're exactly right, Nancy, and you you nailed it.
Speaker 9 (13:25):
I know he is not considered a suspect right now.
Speaker 8 (13:27):
But the empty trnk right found in the dryer, and
then you have the trank gun he threw away which
he needs for work, very suspicious.
Speaker 9 (13:35):
And then the fact that the trunk was actually.
Speaker 8 (13:37):
Found tangled up in his sheets, in his daughter sheets,
who's a weight at college, in the dryer. I mean,
I don't know about you, but washing sheets are a
big pain in the butt.
Speaker 9 (13:46):
I don't really wash sheets that I don't have.
Speaker 8 (13:49):
To, so that in a flag for me, and then
something else about so.
Speaker 9 (13:54):
Watch where she was found.
Speaker 8 (13:56):
That the bones that were found that were obviously Suzanne's.
Speaker 9 (13:59):
I mean, this is a very secluded area. This is
called the bone yard.
Speaker 8 (14:04):
So whoever did this, they most likely thought that these
remains would never be found.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Lauren Colin, You're absolutely correct. Listen.
Speaker 10 (14:14):
Morphew says he has no idea how the needle cap
got in the dryer. He said the last time he
used BAM tranquilizers and shot from the window near the
breezeway was in late April. Investigators asked more few whether
he might have thrown those tranquilizers away in one of
his five trash runs he made immediately after his wife disappeared.
After hearing, investigators tracked down surveillance video for McDonald's, a
(14:34):
bus stop, and a men's warehouse and actually saw morep
you throwing items into multiple trash receptacles. Morphew then says
he may have thrown some tranquilizer materials away.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Why did Barry Morphew, the husband, who is not a suspect,
has not been named a person of interest again. He
was charged earlier in Suzanne's death and then those charges
were dropped. Why is it when your wife goes missing
you turned into a neat Nick? He was so hell
bent on throwing away the trash he went to five
(15:04):
trash cans at McDonald's, a bus stop, at a men's warehouse.
Chris mcdunn ad joining me, Director Cold Case Foundation, former
homicide detective, and hosts of a YouTube channel, The Interview Room.
That's where I found him during the Moscow, Idaho Quadruple
Slagh case. Chris mcdona, you think you've seen it all right,
(15:27):
Well you haven't. I bet you never had a case
with rhinoceros tranquilizer, did you. I didn't till now.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
No, Nancy, I've never had a case where tranquilizer was utilized,
and that is a very creative way of, obviously to
incapacitating somebody. And the fact that he had experience with
it is just at the top of suspicion.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Can I just ask you a question on a personal note,
Chris mcdunna, I know you live with your wife aka
honey as you call her, but you may have to
take the trash out sometimes, you know, when I or
my husband take the trash out. We just walk to
the end of the driveway where we have the trash
cans hidden, and we put we don't go to McDonald's
(16:10):
or the bus stop. Oh please, let me see those
photos again. There's the bus stop, then there's a McDonald's,
then there's a men's warehouse. Oh my goodness. He was
certainly a neat neck. Check it out. All the way
through this parking lot, he's throwing trashway and then he admits,
does he not, that he may have thrown away the
(16:32):
animal tranquilizer paraphernalia the very day's wife goes missing.
Speaker 11 (16:36):
Darn Yeah, go figure right, I mean here, you know,
he's got to make five trash runs. I mean how
many how many of us, just in normal everyday life
do we utilize, you know, five separate trash cans outside
of the trash cans that we have in our own garage,
potentially at our house. And and the fact that he's
(16:58):
thrown away boots, he's throwing away his mail because they
found some items in the hotel room and he mentions
it during their FBI interviews.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
This is all very very high, highly suspicious activity and
to the point where the FBI went back, and they
pulled the video and they confronted her with him.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Joining you right now is high profile lawyer from the
Tate Law Group joining us out of Savannah. Mark Tate
is joining us now. I became familiar with Tate not
only because of his trial record, but during the Alex
Murdog double murder trial near Savannah. Mark Tate, thank you
(17:41):
for being with us. Could you give us in a nutshell?
This is not an appellate argument to the Georgia Supreme Court. Nutshell, Okay,
ping pong, Not just what exactly is circumstantial evidence?
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Well, a circumstantial evidence is anything other than direct evidence.
And so if you are prying to that someone was
hiding something from being discovered by the police, then you
can argue that there's proof of that attempt to hide
by taking trash cans to multiple locations to get rid
of their contents. That would be circumstantial evidence. Direct evidence
(18:16):
would be someone's, for example, eyewitness testimony that I saw
this guy load his trash bags with tranquilizers and put
them directly in the McDonald's trash can. So you know,
there's a whole lot of language that's grafted on the
notion of circumstantial evidence. But really, everything except direct evidence
(18:37):
is circumstantial evidence. It doesn't necessarily mean it's weaker, it
doesn't necessarily mean it's stronger. It's just something that is
evidence from which a jury can draw conclusions, you know,
so long as they're reasonable. And it allows a prosecutor
to argue in closing argument why there should be a conviction.
And it also because of the weakness that is generally
(18:58):
perceived in circumstantial evidence, it allows for defense lawyers.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
To argue, Mark Tate, this is a yes, no lightning
around for you. Isn't it true that the black and
white letter of the law judges is struck the juries
before they go to deliberate, And one of those instructions
is circumstantial evidence can be as strong or probative as
(19:23):
direct evidence. Circumstantial evidence that's nothing to sneeze at. Everything
that's direct is either an eyewitness and by the way,
your example was circumstantial. Just because you see the husband
throwing away an animal tranquilizer and there's animal tranquilizer in
her body, that doesn't mean he killed her. It's circumstantial evidence.
Direct evidence would be an eyewitness to the crime. The
(19:44):
murder or DNA or maybe a fingerprint. All of that
would be direct evidence. But can I just throw a
hypothetical at you, Mark Tate, You deal with this every
single day in court where you earn all that money,
Mark te Bary Morphy, who is not a suspect in
this case. He has not been named to suspect a
(20:05):
person of interest this time. He admits to police. I've
read a one hundred and thirty page affidavit. He admits
he has bam amb torphenol, a zappron and meta demiding metademiding,
which is a rhinocerous tranquilizer. Civilians aren't supposed to have it.
(20:30):
He admits he has it. He admits he shot the
animal dark tranquilizer gun in the breezeway. We know that
Suzanne was sunbathing in that breezeway the day she went missing,
and we know that he admitted that he threw it
(20:50):
all away and that was on the day she went missing.
Would you call that circumstantial evidence because I would.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Well, yeah, it's circumstantial, Leven. It's very powerful evidence. Though
it links this man with all of the things that
were used apparently that were found on the remains that
had the hoodie that this young lady was wearing when
she was cooking dinner with her mother, you know, a
few months before she was dead or was killed or
(21:18):
went missing at that time. So this is really difficult
evidence I think for a lawyer to overcome for the defendant. However,
this guy does have apparently resources, and he has a
lot of money, and so that means he has the
ability to retain lawyers, retain experts, and really put the
(21:39):
state through everything they possibly can to prove guilt beyond
a reasonable doubt. And so it's not going to be
an unchallenging task for a prosecutor. There's no such thing
as a slam duck case. And if a defendant has resources,
they can mount a serious defense that will make the
state mount equally as serious as a prosecution. And remember,
(22:01):
he knows enough now not to talk to the police,
and police love it when suspects talk because they know
how to get them to confess, even when they're not
necessarily confessing.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
Suzanne that maybe SEUs you get that up to the
road and then take.
Speaker 9 (22:31):
The ceial over or call.
Speaker 11 (22:33):
The husband, see what kind of bikes he had.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
Slightly checking on it, can you try to call the
husband and see that type of bights she has.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Am I supposed to believe that Suzanne was riding her
bike along that stretch of highway. I was there and
it was so cold and the snow. We were looking
at that spot, and I supposed to believe that she
was riding along on her bike. Somebody shot her with
rhinoceros tranquilizer and she fell off. Then that person moved
(23:14):
her helmet miles away, and then her body's found miles
away from there. Wow, that looks staged. That looks stage,
the way that bike is placed there. That's for a
jury who would stage as scene. Let me remind everybody,
Barry Morphew, the husband, has not been named a suspect
or a person of interest. Just recently, after digging and
(23:37):
digging and digging through social media, we find posted on
Insta a shot of Suzanne Morpheu, the missing mom, and
she is wearing a gray Crista Butte hoodie that we
believe she was wearing at the time she was murdered
or she was placed in it. This photo is Suzanne
(24:00):
cooking breakfast with her mother in law. Surely in Suzanne's
slide up Colorado home in twenty eighteen. Tisha Leeway is
with me, very dear friend of Suzanne Morpheus, And I've
asked you in the past about how she would appear
(24:22):
when she came into your salon, and you always said, oh,
she would never wear like, you know, flip flops and
a sweatshirt, that she was always dressed up. Is that true?
Speaker 9 (24:33):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (24:34):
So you never saw her in this sweatshirt, did you?
Speaker 12 (24:38):
No?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
I didn't, Tisha Leeway. Let me ask you. Do you
have certain things you wear around the house that you
wouldn't be caught dead in at the grocery store? Yeah?
I do. I remember one night my son John David
had to asking a girl to Hoko homecoming and their
school they give the girl a poster in candies. We
had to go to Kroger at like midnight. I had
(25:00):
on my pajamas. I wore three pair of sunglasses the
whole time. Okay, that said Suzanne would never have gone
out in public in that sweatshirt. Would she know? Suzanne
didn't wear this out? And about what does that prove?
Just like you to she Lee Waite may not go
(25:21):
out in your pjs, she wouldn't go out and that
yet her body was found wearing that. Why? Why? Because
I would argue to a jury she was still home exactly,
that she was still home. And that's not all I
happen to know. This is one of her favorite sweatshirts.
(25:43):
What does this tell me? I'm going to go straight
out to Joseph Scott Morgan, Professor Forensics, Jacksonville State University
and author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon Star
Body Bags with Joe Scott Morgan. Joe Scott, you have
investigated well over one thousand death investigations. This is a
(26:04):
shirt she only woren't home that we know of. This
is a shirt that her body was found in. And
my husband, my boy, and girl would know if my
Fulton County Fire Department sweatshirt was gone. They would know.
(26:25):
I've had to call hotels across this country looking for
that sweatshirt. They would know if it was gone. But
I don't recall Barry Moore for you ever telling anybody
these clothes were missing.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
Yeah, it's a signature of home, isn't it. You know
it's something that you have there. Kim my wife, she's
got a jack State sweatshirt that she exclusively wears. Wears
at home, and woe into me if I ever put
my hands on it, because it's like a blanket for her.
You know that she enjoys it's soft, it's familiar. But no,
she's not going to go wear it to the grocery
(26:57):
store or wherever. And that goes to the intimacy of
the environment that you're in. You know, if you're going
out to go for a ride or this sort of thing,
you're going to leave the house, You're probably not going
to go in your favorite sweatshirt, particularly in the temperatures there.
You're going to want something that's more layered. Perhaps that
is meant for working out in this is meant for comfort,
(27:18):
for lounging. But you know, Nancy, here's the interesting thing.
That sweatshirt can really tell a tale about what happened,
perhaps in the moments leading up to her death. Now
you have to factor in the sweatshirt is going to
be greatly degraded because of the location that was found
in those circumstances, But there could potentially be evidence on
(27:41):
that sweatshirt any kind of hole or as we refer
to it as a defect, perhaps in that sweatshirt where
it's something other than the natural decomposition of that sweatshirt
could be telling a tale that's going to be interesting
for the criminalists back at the crime lab to do
their assessment on. We don't have that report yet.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Back to Tisha Leeway, a
very dear friend of Suzanne Morphew. Tish, you have been
very open about your feelings regarding this case. Were you
invited to the memorial? No?
Speaker 12 (28:26):
I have never even been talked to by Barry or
the girls.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Repeat, Very Morphew is not a suspect in the case, Tisha,
who was there? Barry Morphew's family was. Were Suzanne's family invited?
Did they come?
Speaker 12 (28:44):
I don't believe they were even invited to join them? Why,
which is to me is sad because it's not about
anybody else but Suzanne. So, I mean, we're having ours
this Saturday, and you know everybody's invited. Last year I
did reach out to Barry's attorney and invite them to
our last year's, but this year I just didn't because
(29:07):
every time I do invite them, they decline.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
So why this is news to me? Tisha Leeway, a
very dear friend of Susanne Morphew. Are you telling me
you invited the husband, Barry Moorephew to multiple memorials or
rallies and he never came. Yeah.
Speaker 12 (29:26):
I did invite through his attorney last year and I
got back that they are declining.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Do they say why? No, Well, why do you have
to go through a lawyer to invite a man to
his wife's memorial service?
Speaker 11 (29:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 12 (29:41):
Exactly, That's what I'm thinking. But I did it that
way just to protect myself, I guess why, just to
protect myself.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Because I don't want to be on that on that lawsuit.
You know, I hear you. I hear you on that,
which reminds me Barry Moore, for you has not been
named a suspect, a personer just in this case. So
you were not invited. Suzanne Morphew's family was not invited.
Can I ask you something, Tisha, When you think about
(30:11):
Suzanne's body decomposing out in that boneyard as they call it,
her in her little lounge shirt, what goes through your mind?
Speaker 9 (30:23):
Horrible? I mean, this whole thing is a it's horrible.
Speaker 12 (30:26):
Like obviously we know she was shot with tranquilizer, right,
Like that's a horrible death right in there.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
I mean, it's not just tranquilizer, Tish, it's rhino elephant
bear tranquilizer.
Speaker 12 (30:43):
She was what one hundred and ten pounds, probably soaked, wet,
like not even close to what a rhino and it
knocks down a rhino.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Can you imagine what it did to her, Joe Scott
Morgan can think about it. This woman, I think was
around one hundred and twenty pounds shot full of rhino
rank and even more poignant, she was still wearing her
leukemia her cancer port.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
Yeah, and that's recovered at the scene. Nancy, this is fascinating,
you know, it's fascinating as the contents of that bone are.
We have yet to hear anything about this port other
than it was found. This is a plastic port that's
in dwelling beneath the skin. And look, when we go
to the doctor, we get three types of shots. You
either get a SubQ fat shot think diabetic shot, an
(31:29):
IM which goes directly into the muscle, or an IV
which goes into the venus system. If this thing is
plugged into the venus system. When we begin to think
about this, this is a quick acting delivery. Who would know?
Who would know? What intimates in her circle would know
that she has this port available. And you know, people
(31:49):
keep talking about this dark that's flying through the air
presumably and lands in the body. Okay, that's an im
shot that goes into the muscle, but what what would happen?
Just think about this, if you had through a struggle,
you had access to that port and you could jam
one of these darts into it or a syringe. That
(32:10):
is a direct delivery that even works quicker than say,
for instance, being shot with a tranqueiser dart. Here's where
the tale is going to be told. The medical examiner
would have seen that thing, but guess who still has it.
The State Crime Lab has it. They will take that
thing apart, and what they're going to do is they're
going to look within that port. It's a plastic port,
(32:31):
so it's kind of protected, and see what residual chemicals
might be in that thing. That might be a big
piece of evidence here.
Speaker 10 (32:38):
Nancy Suzanne Morphew and her husband Barry Morphew moved to
Colorado from their hometown of Alexandria, Indiana, two years before
she vanished. But now Morphew has left Colorado to move
back to Indiana, where, according to reports, Morphew is living
with Shashawana Dark, who also lived near Suzanne and was
allegedly spotted leaving a hotel with Barry Morphew on Valentine's
Day twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
What a girlfriend leaving a hotel in twenty twenty one
on Valentine's Day. There's nothing good about that. Let me
go to Lauren Colin, joining US Investigative journalism and host
of the Outlier podcast and of corruption. What happened to
Grant Solomon? Lauren, thanks for being with us. Can I
just ask you very quickly? Why is it being reported
(33:24):
that Barry Morphy sneaked into the memorial? Why is that
being said?
Speaker 8 (33:29):
Well, in my opinion and all of the threads here
saying that he wants to keep a low profile. He
did not speak at that celebration of life for a reason.
Speaker 9 (33:38):
He showed up with his daughters, it was his.
Speaker 8 (33:40):
Family, and it was one of Suzanne's.
Speaker 9 (33:43):
Friends and a pastor that spoke.
Speaker 8 (33:45):
So yeah, in my opinion, he just wanted to sneak in,
sneak out.
Speaker 9 (33:49):
And call it a day and not be a spectacle.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Now, what is this I'm hearing about? Shoshana Dark.
Speaker 9 (33:56):
Who is that?
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Is that a girlfriend? I knew that there was a
ruck us about her going to the Morphew home and
taking a package. It was caught on somebody surveillance video
and she landed in a whole bunch of trouble for that.
But apparently she was house sitting. Well, I don't care
about the package. I'm curious about the title of girlfriend.
Who is this person?
Speaker 8 (34:18):
Yeah, so, as far as I know, she is a housekeeper.
And Barry and Shoshana denied being together and having a relationship,
but again, it was reported that they were seen leaving
a hotel on Valentine's Day in twenty twenty one, and
that obviously is very suspicious.
Speaker 9 (34:37):
When Barry is on Earth is under so much scrutiny.
Speaker 8 (34:40):
I'm just not sure why they wouldn't come out and
just be honest.
Speaker 9 (34:44):
Here.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Morphy was seen with the alleged girlfriend, Shoshannah Dark, during
a trip to a storage unit in Salida, Colorado. So
was that incapacity as a girlfriend or a housekeeper? Don't know,
But I don't know what your housekeeper's doing with you
at a hotel on Valentine's Day? You know again, Mark
(35:06):
Taite I guess that's what you would call circumstantial evidence.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Well, that would be circumstantial evidence. And again, these are
all things. And you talked a little bit about the
Murdock trial, and obviously this has some things that are similar,
but one glaring difference, and that is I would say
that in this instance, the fellow you know who allegedly
killed his wife, at least in the last case, that's
(35:31):
been dismissed, and he's not a suspect now at least
he's being quiet. He doesn't owe anyone an explanation about
why he went to his wife's funeral. This idea that
he sneaked in is something that we have and grafted
upon the circumstances and the story that we're seeing. He
doesn't know an explanation for that. He's not speaking to
the police. The whole issue about was that bicycle dumped.
(35:53):
The only way you're ever going to know that is
if the officers who are investigating this case get more
few to essentially say that he did it. And he's
not talking to them. And when you don't talk to
the police. And I know you don't like me saying this, Nancy,
but I know you agree because prosecuting these cases where
the defendant doesn't talk are multiple harder than it is, say,
(36:14):
prosecuting the Murdoch who wouldn't shut up talking. So it
is a good valuable example to people who want to
watch how to defend cases. And it's interesting to watch
how he acts while he is not a suspect. I
think the girlfriend, pardon me, I think the housekeeper at
a hotel room on Valentine's Day is damning circumstantial evidence,
(36:36):
but it's not a murder, and so there would have
to be some bridge built. I believe between having your
housekeeper at a hotel on Valentine's Day and perhaps that
provides some incentive to do someone harm or to have
harm done to them, depending upon you who's sneaking with
who I like.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
That, depending on who is sneaking with A Hey, you're right,
Mark Tita. I don't know that he's snuck in to
the memorial. I know that he didn't speak, and that
the majority of the people there were his friends and family,
or so I've been told. Believe me, I was not invited.
That said. Does that make him mkiller? No, it does not.
But he's got a lot of explaining to do. About
(37:17):
all of that rhino TRNK found in her body, that
he suddenly went on a cleaning tear and threw out
at five public dumps trash cans and was caught on camera.
There's a lot of explaining and letting me reiterate. That's
why I've got Mark Tate on with me today to
take a different side. Barry Morphew has not been charged
(37:39):
in the murder of Suzanne Morphew. Again, he was charged
and it was dropped. We wait as justice unfolds. Let's
stop and remember American hero Deputy US Marshal Thomas Weeks, Charlotte,
North Carolina, US Marshal Weeks, Gundawn, three others trying to
(38:02):
serve an a rest warrant. He leaves behind a grieving wife, Kelly,
and four beautiful children, Patrick, Abby, Mackenzie and Brady. American
hero Deputy US Marshall Thomas Weeks. Thank you to all
of our amazing guests that joined us tonight. Nancy Gray
(38:25):
signing off, good night friend,
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace breaking news tonight. Missing mom
Suzanne's remains found miles away from home, but the killer
thought that would never happen. Suzanne found shot full of
animal trank to bring down rhinos. You heard me right,
(00:23):
strong enough to bring down rhinos, an elephant, a giraffe,
a bear shot into the body of one hundred and
twenty pounds woman. This as Suzanne's hubby reportedly sneaks into
her invite only memorial. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories.
(00:44):
Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there you can hear
this that has you. Please, We'll do whatever it takes
to bring you back. We love you when you miss you.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Your girl's eView, No questions asked, however much they want.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I will do whatever it takes to get you back
from me. I love you and I'll.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Let you back.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
So Bay, really, will you really do everything it takes
to bring her home? Well, how come you didn't tell
police that her number one favorite sweatshirt was missing? And
that's what your wife was probably wearing when she disappeared.
Aka WI was the Murder Guys with Me an all
(01:29):
star panel to make sense of what we know right now.
We know that Suzanne shot full and I mean full
of animal trank. Trank I have now learned, thanks to
my friend, the zoologist Grace Stafford, is strong enough to
bring down a rhinocerous. Okay, but let me just set
(01:53):
the table before I go to doctor Gray Stafford. Joining
me also is renowned forensic professor Joseph Scott Morgan, author
of Blood Beneath My Feet and host of a wildly
popular podcast, Bodybags That Joe Scott Morgan Joe Scott for
Gray's understanding, he deals with animals that don't typically murder
(02:16):
each other. Could you explain how we know Suzanne is
shot with so much animal TRNK that was still in
her system years later.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
This is the fascinating part about this case and that
very abbreviated autopsy report that we had Nancy, and that
is this concentration of BAM. This animal TRNK was actually
located in the head of her femur, which is a
long bone in our leg, at the top where it
joins in to.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
The hip socket.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
They actually cut the top of that off of these
skeletal remains, and they were able to render it down
to the point where they could extract this chemical compound
contained therein. That was probably for me, one of the
Biggas reveals. But the problem is is that right now
we only have a qualitative suggestion that it is there.
We know nothing about the quantitative level.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Well, I know this, Joe Scott Morgan. I know that
as when you shoot a rhino, a rhinoceros. I'm going
to go to Gray on this, you know, Gray Stafford.
I'm just a trial lawyer, all right. Joe Scott Morgan,
he's a death investigator. Joining me right now is a
renowned expert in his field. Great Stafford, host of podcasts
(03:30):
Zoo Logic, Wildlife Expert, Animal Trainer. He's a zoologist. He's
written a book, Zuomility Keeper, Tales of Training with Positive Reinforcement.
Grace Stafford. I'm very confused about why a sedative, a
tranquilizer powerful enough to literally bring down an elephant or
(03:56):
a charging rhinoceros or a bear, would be used on
one hundred and twenty pound woman who was just recovering
from cancer. The reason I believe she was shot with
a tankful of this stuff is because, just like with animals,
(04:16):
it wears off and a pretty short period of time,
so it wears off and dissipates out of the system.
She had so much in her system they had to
cut off saw and half the top of her leg
bone to get out DNA, and that is where they
found the TRNK. What is b brother M mother A alpha?
(04:43):
What is it?
Speaker 5 (04:44):
Well, Nancy, it's a three drug cocktail. There are a
lot of different sedatives and tranquilidders that veterinarians and wildlife
managers use, but some of them are more safe than others,
Some are more effective than others, some are quicker acting
than others in some work in certain species and don't
work in other species. All that well, So BAM is
(05:06):
a safer opioid, but it is an opioid and it
can cause all sorts of side effects that can be
dangerous in the hands of someone who doesn't know what
they're doing.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Okay, let me just ask you a couple of street
vernacular questions, doctor Gray, Stafford Gray, isn't true. Civilians aren't
supposed to have BAM. And here is my attempt at
pronouncing beutrophenol, metadamidine, metadamidine and a zaprn. Regular people are
(05:37):
not supposed to be walking with this in their dart gun.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
You're absolutely right. These are controlled substances, and they are
opioid derivatives or analogs or synthetics. And we know what
happens with opioids, right, We've got a pend a crisis
with fetanol and so forth. So yes, these don't belong
in the hands of lay people like you and me.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
I mean, think about it. I'm not going to take
the trends for a walk down Fifth Avenue or B
Street Street. If somebody can walk by with a TRNK
gun over their shoulder full of BAM, B brother A
Alpha M mother, no, I'm not, because it's strong enough
to take down literally a wild animal. Imagine a rhino
(06:17):
charging straight at you, and that's what Suzanne is shot
full of.
Speaker 6 (06:21):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
And some of these drugs are very potent, so you
don't need a lot of volume. I mean you imagine
a rhinoceros is two pounds or more. Certain drugs you
would need large volumes of sedative to subdue them. But
some of these, like BAM, are more concentrated, more potent,
so you need less volume, which is important if you're
darting an animal. Because you can't sit there with a
(06:43):
large plunger and a large volume and hope that you're
going to get it all on board.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
How quickly does it leave an animal, say a rhino system.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
Well, some of these.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
Drugs can be reversed, so they can be reversed rather quickly,
but if they wear off, it could take minutes to
hours or longer.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
You mean, like with narcan correct.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
Yes, yeah, there are. There are different drugs that can
reverse the effects of the individual drugs within this cocktail,
and that's often the case when it's applied by a veterinarian.
Once we're done treating an animal, we reverse it, but
still the animal has some lingering effects for several minutes.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I remember something about you, doctor Stafford. When I first
met you, we were showing the twins a baby, I
mean baby white tiger, just as small as an actual
human baby. And at first I wouldn't let the twins
get near it because I didn't know what was going
to happen. And he said, it's fine, they can get
(07:35):
near it, and so we got close to it. And
I remember that in that facility there was a trank gun.
I looked at it and I recognized it wasn't a
regular gun, and I figured out what it was. How
do you get your hands on this powerful tranquilizer? How
would a civilian get their hands on this kind of trunk.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
A prescription by a licensed veterinarian or medical doctor in
the case of human use, So I'm not exactly sure
how an average person would get this through legal means.
The guns themselves are harmless, and we keep those in position,
but the drugs themselves are under lock and key until needed.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Guys, take a listen to this.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
According to a twenty twenty one affidavit, Barry Morphew admitted
to police that he frequently used BAM and other tranquilizers
to sedate deer to remove antlers for his hunting business.
BAM is the commonly used abbreviation for beutrophenol as zepperone
and metadomitting as zepperone is used as a sedative for elephants, rhinos,
and giraffes, while medetomitting facilitates a mobilization of large carnivores
(08:44):
and great apes. These same three drugs found in the
bones of Suzanne Morphew. The autopsy report says Suzanne died
by homicide by undetermined means in the setting of beutrophenol
as zepperone and medeto midting BAM intoxication.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
So we know that Harry Morphew admits that he uses BAM,
betrophinal a, zapron and meta my dean he has them. Wow,
what a co inky dink. He has the very same
thing that turns up in Susanne Morphew's system. We are
(09:22):
analyzing the autopsy report and bringing in experts to make
sense of what we're learning. Wow, that's a coincidence, isn't it.
But I'm not asking you to pass judgment or make
a legal or evidentiary conclusion, doctor Gray Stafford. But it
would be like me walking up to my grandma and saying, hey,
(09:43):
can you can you score some myth for me? She
would have no idea how to get her hands on
a head of myth than the man in the moon.
So how just like you, Gray, you're saying, I don't
know how a person would get their hands on rhino tranquilizers,
but somebody did crime stories with Nancy Grace Guys joining
(10:17):
me a renowned expert and author, Doctor Gray Stafford, I'm
going to open it up to the rest of our panel,
our All Star panel, as we try to decipher what
we are learning. It's not just that the husband, Barry Morphew,
admitted that he had this very powerful rhino tranquilizer civilians
(10:43):
are not supposed to have their hands on. He also admits,
and I'm going to let Lauren Colin correct me if
I'm wrong. I want you to take a listen to this, Lauren,
that oh, he may have accidentally, on purpose, thrown away
the rhino tranquilizer and immediately after his wife goes missing. Listen.
Speaker 7 (11:04):
A search of Morphuse property turns up empty darts, a
dart package, and a dart needle. Morphuse questioned about a
dart needle cap found in the laundry room dryer with
wash sheets, Morphew says he has no idea how it
got there, claiming the last time he used band tranquilizers
in April, he shot from a window near the breezeway,
the same breezeway near the spot Suzanne with sunbathing the
(11:24):
day she died. A one hundred and thirty page arrest
affidavit details Morphuse involvement with the same tranquilizers found in
Suzanne's body. He admits to frequently handling these drugs and
says it makes him look bad. When asked about the
tranquilizer cap and the dryer, Morphew admits it looks suspicious.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Lauren Conlin is joining me, investigative journalist, host of The
Outlier podcast. Lauren, thank you for being with us. Let
me understand this. So Suzanne morphus remains, their skeletonized remains.
I want to talk to you about that sweatshirt you
and Joe Scott morgan skeletal remains are found miles and
(12:02):
miles away from the home beat the killer thought that
would never happen. And when someone put Barrie's alleged location
we're referring to the husband, Barry Morphew. We see where
her remains were found, we see their residents miles and
miles away, We see where her bike and helmet were
found in two separate locations, and we see Morphew's alleged location. Okay,
(12:27):
hold it, hold everything. Is this right? That Barry Morphew
admits number one, that he uses rhinoceros tranquilizers and that
he happened to be using the same tranquilizer that was
found in Susanne Morphew's kneecap in her body in her DNA,
(12:49):
and he admits in a one hundred and thirty plus
page Affidavid that yeah, I threw all away that animal
train right after Susanne went missing. Why why to do that?
If you need it for your business? Why did you
throw it away? I mean, I'm no way throw away
this microphone right here or the cell phone right here,
(13:09):
because I nade them, I named them to work. So
why did he suddenly the day his wife goes missing
or honor about throw away all his animal trunk which
he's not supposed to have anyway? Explain that, Timmy, Lauren Cotlin.
Speaker 8 (13:21):
You're exactly right, Nancy, and you you nailed it.
Speaker 9 (13:25):
I know he is not considered a suspect right now.
Speaker 8 (13:27):
But the empty trnk right found in the dryer, and
then you have the trank gun he threw away which
he needs for work, very suspicious.
Speaker 9 (13:35):
And then the fact that the trunk was actually.
Speaker 8 (13:37):
Found tangled up in his sheets, in his daughter sheets,
who's a weight at college, in the dryer. I mean,
I don't know about you, but washing sheets are a
big pain in the butt.
Speaker 9 (13:46):
I don't really wash sheets that I don't have.
Speaker 8 (13:49):
To, so that in a flag for me, and then
something else about so.
Speaker 9 (13:54):
Watch where she was found.
Speaker 8 (13:56):
That the bones that were found that were obviously Suzanne's.
Speaker 9 (13:59):
I mean, this is a very secluded area. This is
called the bone yard.
Speaker 8 (14:04):
So whoever did this, they most likely thought that these
remains would never be found.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Lauren Colin, You're absolutely correct. Listen.
Speaker 10 (14:14):
Morphew says he has no idea how the needle cap
got in the dryer. He said the last time he
used BAM tranquilizers and shot from the window near the
breezeway was in late April. Investigators asked more few whether
he might have thrown those tranquilizers away in one of
his five trash runs he made immediately after his wife disappeared.
After hearing, investigators tracked down surveillance video for McDonald's, a
(14:34):
bus stop, and a men's warehouse and actually saw morep
you throwing items into multiple trash receptacles. Morphew then says
he may have thrown some tranquilizer materials away.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Why did Barry Morphew, the husband, who is not a suspect,
has not been named a person of interest again. He
was charged earlier in Suzanne's death and then those charges
were dropped. Why is it when your wife goes missing
you turned into a neat Nick? He was so hell
bent on throwing away the trash he went to five
(15:04):
trash cans at McDonald's, a bus stop, at a men's warehouse.
Chris mcdunn ad joining me, Director Cold Case Foundation, former
homicide detective, and hosts of a YouTube channel, The Interview Room.
That's where I found him during the Moscow, Idaho Quadruple
Slagh case. Chris mcdona, you think you've seen it all right,
(15:27):
Well you haven't. I bet you never had a case
with rhinoceros tranquilizer, did you. I didn't till now.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
No, Nancy, I've never had a case where tranquilizer was utilized,
and that is a very creative way of, obviously to
incapacitating somebody. And the fact that he had experience with
it is just at the top of suspicion.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Can I just ask you a question on a personal note,
Chris mcdunna, I know you live with your wife aka
honey as you call her, but you may have to
take the trash out sometimes, you know, when I or
my husband take the trash out. We just walk to
the end of the driveway where we have the trash
cans hidden, and we put we don't go to McDonald's
(16:10):
or the bus stop. Oh please, let me see those
photos again. There's the bus stop, then there's a McDonald's,
then there's a men's warehouse. Oh my goodness. He was
certainly a neat neck. Check it out. All the way
through this parking lot, he's throwing trashway and then he admits,
does he not, that he may have thrown away the
(16:32):
animal tranquilizer paraphernalia the very day's wife goes missing.
Speaker 11 (16:36):
Darn Yeah, go figure right, I mean here, you know,
he's got to make five trash runs. I mean how
many how many of us, just in normal everyday life
do we utilize, you know, five separate trash cans outside
of the trash cans that we have in our own garage,
potentially at our house. And and the fact that he's
(16:58):
thrown away boots, he's throwing away his mail because they
found some items in the hotel room and he mentions
it during their FBI interviews.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
This is all very very high, highly suspicious activity and
to the point where the FBI went back, and they
pulled the video and they confronted her with him.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Joining you right now is high profile lawyer from the
Tate Law Group joining us out of Savannah. Mark Tate
is joining us now. I became familiar with Tate not
only because of his trial record, but during the Alex
Murdog double murder trial near Savannah. Mark Tate, thank you
(17:41):
for being with us. Could you give us in a nutshell?
This is not an appellate argument to the Georgia Supreme Court. Nutshell, Okay,
ping pong, Not just what exactly is circumstantial evidence?
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Well, a circumstantial evidence is anything other than direct evidence.
And so if you are prying to that someone was
hiding something from being discovered by the police, then you
can argue that there's proof of that attempt to hide
by taking trash cans to multiple locations to get rid
of their contents. That would be circumstantial evidence. Direct evidence
(18:16):
would be someone's, for example, eyewitness testimony that I saw
this guy load his trash bags with tranquilizers and put
them directly in the McDonald's trash can. So you know,
there's a whole lot of language that's grafted on the
notion of circumstantial evidence. But really, everything except direct evidence
(18:37):
is circumstantial evidence. It doesn't necessarily mean it's weaker, it
doesn't necessarily mean it's stronger. It's just something that is
evidence from which a jury can draw conclusions, you know,
so long as they're reasonable. And it allows a prosecutor
to argue in closing argument why there should be a conviction.
And it also because of the weakness that is generally
(18:58):
perceived in circumstantial evidence, it allows for defense lawyers.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
To argue, Mark Tate, this is a yes, no lightning
around for you. Isn't it true that the black and
white letter of the law judges is struck the juries
before they go to deliberate, And one of those instructions
is circumstantial evidence can be as strong or probative as
(19:23):
direct evidence. Circumstantial evidence that's nothing to sneeze at. Everything
that's direct is either an eyewitness and by the way,
your example was circumstantial. Just because you see the husband
throwing away an animal tranquilizer and there's animal tranquilizer in
her body, that doesn't mean he killed her. It's circumstantial evidence.
Direct evidence would be an eyewitness to the crime. The
(19:44):
murder or DNA or maybe a fingerprint. All of that
would be direct evidence. But can I just throw a
hypothetical at you, Mark Tate, You deal with this every
single day in court where you earn all that money,
Mark te Bary Morphy, who is not a suspect in
this case. He has not been named to suspect a
(20:05):
person of interest this time. He admits to police. I've
read a one hundred and thirty page affidavit. He admits
he has bam amb torphenol, a zappron and meta demiding metademiding,
which is a rhinocerous tranquilizer. Civilians aren't supposed to have it.
(20:30):
He admits he has it. He admits he shot the
animal dark tranquilizer gun in the breezeway. We know that
Suzanne was sunbathing in that breezeway the day she went missing,
and we know that he admitted that he threw it
(20:50):
all away and that was on the day she went missing.
Would you call that circumstantial evidence because I would.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Well, yeah, it's circumstantial, Leven. It's very powerful evidence. Though
it links this man with all of the things that
were used apparently that were found on the remains that
had the hoodie that this young lady was wearing when
she was cooking dinner with her mother, you know, a
few months before she was dead or was killed or
(21:18):
went missing at that time. So this is really difficult
evidence I think for a lawyer to overcome for the defendant. However,
this guy does have apparently resources, and he has a
lot of money, and so that means he has the
ability to retain lawyers, retain experts, and really put the
(21:39):
state through everything they possibly can to prove guilt beyond
a reasonable doubt. And so it's not going to be
an unchallenging task for a prosecutor. There's no such thing
as a slam duck case. And if a defendant has resources,
they can mount a serious defense that will make the
state mount equally as serious as a prosecution. And remember,
(22:01):
he knows enough now not to talk to the police,
and police love it when suspects talk because they know
how to get them to confess, even when they're not
necessarily confessing.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
Suzanne that maybe SEUs you get that up to the
road and then take.
Speaker 9 (22:31):
The ceial over or call.
Speaker 11 (22:33):
The husband, see what kind of bikes he had.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
Slightly checking on it, can you try to call the
husband and see that type of bights she has.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Am I supposed to believe that Suzanne was riding her
bike along that stretch of highway. I was there and
it was so cold and the snow. We were looking
at that spot, and I supposed to believe that she
was riding along on her bike. Somebody shot her with
rhinoceros tranquilizer and she fell off. Then that person moved
(23:14):
her helmet miles away, and then her body's found miles
away from there. Wow, that looks staged. That looks stage,
the way that bike is placed there. That's for a
jury who would stage as scene. Let me remind everybody,
Barry Morphew, the husband, has not been named a suspect
or a person of interest. Just recently, after digging and
(23:37):
digging and digging through social media, we find posted on
Insta a shot of Suzanne Morpheu, the missing mom, and
she is wearing a gray Crista Butte hoodie that we
believe she was wearing at the time she was murdered
or she was placed in it. This photo is Suzanne
(24:00):
cooking breakfast with her mother in law. Surely in Suzanne's
slide up Colorado home in twenty eighteen. Tisha Leeway is
with me, very dear friend of Suzanne Morpheus, And I've
asked you in the past about how she would appear
(24:22):
when she came into your salon, and you always said, oh,
she would never wear like, you know, flip flops and
a sweatshirt, that she was always dressed up. Is that true?
Speaker 9 (24:33):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (24:34):
So you never saw her in this sweatshirt, did you?
Speaker 12 (24:38):
No?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
I didn't, Tisha Leeway. Let me ask you. Do you
have certain things you wear around the house that you
wouldn't be caught dead in at the grocery store? Yeah?
I do. I remember one night my son John David
had to asking a girl to Hoko homecoming and their
school they give the girl a poster in candies. We
had to go to Kroger at like midnight. I had
(25:00):
on my pajamas. I wore three pair of sunglasses the
whole time. Okay, that said Suzanne would never have gone
out in public in that sweatshirt. Would she know? Suzanne
didn't wear this out? And about what does that prove?
Just like you to she Lee Waite may not go
(25:21):
out in your pjs, she wouldn't go out and that
yet her body was found wearing that. Why? Why? Because
I would argue to a jury she was still home exactly,
that she was still home. And that's not all I
happen to know. This is one of her favorite sweatshirts.
(25:43):
What does this tell me? I'm going to go straight
out to Joseph Scott Morgan, Professor Forensics, Jacksonville State University
and author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon Star
Body Bags with Joe Scott Morgan. Joe Scott, you have
investigated well over one thousand death investigations. This is a
(26:04):
shirt she only woren't home that we know of. This
is a shirt that her body was found in. And
my husband, my boy, and girl would know if my
Fulton County Fire Department sweatshirt was gone. They would know.
(26:25):
I've had to call hotels across this country looking for
that sweatshirt. They would know if it was gone. But
I don't recall Barry Moore for you ever telling anybody
these clothes were missing.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
Yeah, it's a signature of home, isn't it. You know
it's something that you have there. Kim my wife, she's
got a jack State sweatshirt that she exclusively wears. Wears
at home, and woe into me if I ever put
my hands on it, because it's like a blanket for her.
You know that she enjoys it's soft, it's familiar. But no,
she's not going to go wear it to the grocery
(26:57):
store or wherever. And that goes to the intimacy of
the environment that you're in. You know, if you're going
out to go for a ride or this sort of thing,
you're going to leave the house, You're probably not going
to go in your favorite sweatshirt, particularly in the temperatures there.
You're going to want something that's more layered. Perhaps that
is meant for working out in this is meant for comfort,
(27:18):
for lounging. But you know, Nancy, here's the interesting thing.
That sweatshirt can really tell a tale about what happened,
perhaps in the moments leading up to her death. Now
you have to factor in the sweatshirt is going to
be greatly degraded because of the location that was found
in those circumstances, But there could potentially be evidence on
(27:41):
that sweatshirt any kind of hole or as we refer
to it as a defect, perhaps in that sweatshirt where
it's something other than the natural decomposition of that sweatshirt
could be telling a tale that's going to be interesting
for the criminalists back at the crime lab to do
their assessment on. We don't have that report yet.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Back to Tisha Leeway, a
very dear friend of Suzanne Morphew. Tish, you have been
very open about your feelings regarding this case. Were you
invited to the memorial? No?
Speaker 12 (28:26):
I have never even been talked to by Barry or
the girls.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Repeat, Very Morphew is not a suspect in the case, Tisha,
who was there? Barry Morphew's family was. Were Suzanne's family invited?
Did they come?
Speaker 12 (28:44):
I don't believe they were even invited to join them? Why,
which is to me is sad because it's not about
anybody else but Suzanne. So, I mean, we're having ours
this Saturday, and you know everybody's invited. Last year I
did reach out to Barry's attorney and invite them to
our last year's, but this year I just didn't because
(29:07):
every time I do invite them, they decline.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
So why this is news to me? Tisha Leeway, a
very dear friend of Susanne Morphew. Are you telling me
you invited the husband, Barry Moorephew to multiple memorials or
rallies and he never came. Yeah.
Speaker 12 (29:26):
I did invite through his attorney last year and I
got back that they are declining.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Do they say why? No, Well, why do you have
to go through a lawyer to invite a man to
his wife's memorial service?
Speaker 11 (29:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 12 (29:41):
Exactly, That's what I'm thinking. But I did it that
way just to protect myself, I guess why, just to
protect myself.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Because I don't want to be on that on that lawsuit.
You know, I hear you. I hear you on that,
which reminds me Barry Moore, for you has not been
named a suspect, a personer just in this case. So
you were not invited. Suzanne Morphew's family was not invited.
Can I ask you something, Tisha, When you think about
(30:11):
Suzanne's body decomposing out in that boneyard as they call it,
her in her little lounge shirt, what goes through your mind?
Speaker 9 (30:23):
Horrible? I mean, this whole thing is a it's horrible.
Speaker 12 (30:26):
Like obviously we know she was shot with tranquilizer, right,
Like that's a horrible death right in there.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
I mean, it's not just tranquilizer, Tish, it's rhino elephant
bear tranquilizer.
Speaker 12 (30:43):
She was what one hundred and ten pounds, probably soaked, wet,
like not even close to what a rhino and it
knocks down a rhino.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Can you imagine what it did to her, Joe Scott
Morgan can think about it. This woman, I think was
around one hundred and twenty pounds shot full of rhino
rank and even more poignant, she was still wearing her
leukemia her cancer port.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
Yeah, and that's recovered at the scene. Nancy, this is fascinating,
you know, it's fascinating as the contents of that bone are.
We have yet to hear anything about this port other
than it was found. This is a plastic port that's
in dwelling beneath the skin. And look, when we go
to the doctor, we get three types of shots. You
either get a SubQ fat shot think diabetic shot, an
(31:29):
IM which goes directly into the muscle, or an IV
which goes into the venus system. If this thing is
plugged into the venus system. When we begin to think
about this, this is a quick acting delivery. Who would know?
Who would know? What intimates in her circle would know
that she has this port available. And you know, people
(31:49):
keep talking about this dark that's flying through the air
presumably and lands in the body. Okay, that's an im
shot that goes into the muscle, but what what would happen?
Just think about this, if you had through a struggle,
you had access to that port and you could jam
one of these darts into it or a syringe. That
(32:10):
is a direct delivery that even works quicker than say,
for instance, being shot with a tranqueiser dart. Here's where
the tale is going to be told. The medical examiner
would have seen that thing, but guess who still has it.
The State Crime Lab has it. They will take that
thing apart, and what they're going to do is they're
going to look within that port. It's a plastic port,
(32:31):
so it's kind of protected, and see what residual chemicals
might be in that thing. That might be a big
piece of evidence here.
Speaker 10 (32:38):
Nancy Suzanne Morphew and her husband Barry Morphew moved to
Colorado from their hometown of Alexandria, Indiana, two years before
she vanished. But now Morphew has left Colorado to move
back to Indiana, where, according to reports, Morphew is living
with Shashawana Dark, who also lived near Suzanne and was
allegedly spotted leaving a hotel with Barry Morphew on Valentine's
Day twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
What a girlfriend leaving a hotel in twenty twenty one
on Valentine's Day. There's nothing good about that. Let me
go to Lauren Colin, joining US Investigative journalism and host
of the Outlier podcast and of corruption. What happened to
Grant Solomon? Lauren, thanks for being with us. Can I
just ask you very quickly? Why is it being reported
(33:24):
that Barry Morphy sneaked into the memorial? Why is that
being said?
Speaker 8 (33:29):
Well, in my opinion and all of the threads here
saying that he wants to keep a low profile. He
did not speak at that celebration of life for a reason.
Speaker 9 (33:38):
He showed up with his daughters, it was his.
Speaker 8 (33:40):
Family, and it was one of Suzanne's.
Speaker 9 (33:43):
Friends and a pastor that spoke.
Speaker 8 (33:45):
So yeah, in my opinion, he just wanted to sneak in,
sneak out.
Speaker 9 (33:49):
And call it a day and not be a spectacle.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Now, what is this I'm hearing about? Shoshana Dark.
Speaker 9 (33:56):
Who is that?
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Is that a girlfriend? I knew that there was a
ruck us about her going to the Morphew home and
taking a package. It was caught on somebody surveillance video
and she landed in a whole bunch of trouble for that.
But apparently she was house sitting. Well, I don't care
about the package. I'm curious about the title of girlfriend.
Who is this person?
Speaker 8 (34:18):
Yeah, so, as far as I know, she is a housekeeper.
And Barry and Shoshana denied being together and having a relationship,
but again, it was reported that they were seen leaving
a hotel on Valentine's Day in twenty twenty one, and
that obviously is very suspicious.
Speaker 9 (34:37):
When Barry is on Earth is under so much scrutiny.
Speaker 8 (34:40):
I'm just not sure why they wouldn't come out and
just be honest.
Speaker 9 (34:44):
Here.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Morphy was seen with the alleged girlfriend, Shoshannah Dark, during
a trip to a storage unit in Salida, Colorado. So
was that incapacity as a girlfriend or a housekeeper? Don't know,
But I don't know what your housekeeper's doing with you
at a hotel on Valentine's Day? You know again, Mark
(35:06):
Taite I guess that's what you would call circumstantial evidence.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Well, that would be circumstantial evidence. And again, these are
all things. And you talked a little bit about the
Murdock trial, and obviously this has some things that are similar,
but one glaring difference, and that is I would say
that in this instance, the fellow you know who allegedly
killed his wife, at least in the last case, that's
(35:31):
been dismissed, and he's not a suspect now at least
he's being quiet. He doesn't owe anyone an explanation about
why he went to his wife's funeral. This idea that
he sneaked in is something that we have and grafted
upon the circumstances and the story that we're seeing. He
doesn't know an explanation for that. He's not speaking to
the police. The whole issue about was that bicycle dumped.
(35:53):
The only way you're ever going to know that is
if the officers who are investigating this case get more
few to essentially say that he did it. And he's
not talking to them. And when you don't talk to
the police. And I know you don't like me saying this, Nancy,
but I know you agree because prosecuting these cases where
the defendant doesn't talk are multiple harder than it is, say,
(36:14):
prosecuting the Murdoch who wouldn't shut up talking. So it
is a good valuable example to people who want to
watch how to defend cases. And it's interesting to watch
how he acts while he is not a suspect. I
think the girlfriend, pardon me, I think the housekeeper at
a hotel room on Valentine's Day is damning circumstantial evidence,
(36:36):
but it's not a murder, and so there would have
to be some bridge built. I believe between having your
housekeeper at a hotel on Valentine's Day and perhaps that
provides some incentive to do someone harm or to have
harm done to them, depending upon you who's sneaking with
who I like.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
That, depending on who is sneaking with A Hey, you're right,
Mark Tita. I don't know that he's snuck in to
the memorial. I know that he didn't speak, and that
the majority of the people there were his friends and family,
or so I've been told. Believe me, I was not invited.
That said. Does that make him mkiller? No, it does not.
But he's got a lot of explaining to do. About
(37:17):
all of that rhino TRNK found in her body, that
he suddenly went on a cleaning tear and threw out
at five public dumps trash cans and was caught on camera.
There's a lot of explaining and letting me reiterate. That's
why I've got Mark Tate on with me today to
take a different side. Barry Morphew has not been charged
(37:39):
in the murder of Suzanne Morphew. Again, he was charged
and it was dropped. We wait as justice unfolds. Let's
stop and remember American hero Deputy US Marshal Thomas Weeks, Charlotte,
North Carolina, US Marshal Weeks, Gundawn, three others trying to
(38:02):
serve an a rest warrant. He leaves behind a grieving wife, Kelly,
and four beautiful children, Patrick, Abby, Mackenzie and Brady. American
hero Deputy US Marshall Thomas Weeks. Thank you to all
of our amazing guests that joined us tonight. Nancy Gray
(38:25):
signing off, good night friend,
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