Barry Morphew, a Colorado man accused of killing his wife in 2020 before charges against him were dropped in 2022, is seeking $15 million from the government for allegedly violating his civil rights.
Prosecutors initially alleged Morphew murdered his wife after she decided to leave him but later asked a judge to drop and dismiss the murder charges without prejudice in April 2022. They said they believed they were close to finding Suzanne’s remains, though they have yet to be recovered.
“Barry suffered the indignity of being wrongfully arrested, jailed and prosecuted for a crime he did not commit,” Iris Eytan, Morphew’s attorney, said in a statement this week. “We will not rest until those responsible for this miscarriage of justice are held accountable.”
Barry Morphew’s wife, Suzanne Morphew, remains missing and is presumed dead after she disappeared from a bike ride on Mother’s Day in 2020.
COLORADO DA ACCUSED OF ‘ETHICAL VIOLATIONS’ IN MISSING SUZANNE MORPHEW CASE
Colorado prosecutors in April 2022 asked to drop murder charges against Barry Morphew in his wife’s disappearance. (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy of Suzanne Morphew’s Family)
Attorney Jane Byrialsen said in a statement that Morphew’s constitutional rights “were trampled on” after he was accused of murder, adding that “he and his daughters have suffered great harm.”
MISSING COLORADO MOM SUZANNE MORPHEW: WHERE THE CASE STANDS 2 YEARS LATER
Prosecutors said in their April 2022 motion to dismiss that if they found Suzanne’s body, “further forensic examination could potentially inculpate or exculpate the Defendant.”
“Given the need to conduct further investigation to resolve these issues, this is a good faith basis to dismiss the current indictment,” they wrote.
Suzanne Morphew, 49, went missing in May 2020 after leaving her Colorado home to go on a bike ride, her husband, Barry Morphew told authorities. (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office)
Last month, Eytan filed a complaint against 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley and six other prosecutors for “a pattern of ethical violations eviscerating public trust in the criminal legal system and disregarding the rights of Mr. Morphew and his daughters.”
“The DA’s office was so wrongly convinced that Mr. Morphew was the only suspect in the disappearance of Mrs. Suzanne Morphew that they excused any evidence of innocence, concealed favorable evidence, manufactured evidence and opinions, and allowed witnesses to testify falsely,” the complaint states.
Prosecutors said in April 2022 that if they found Suzanne’s body, “further forensic examination could potentially inculpate or exculpate the defendant.” (KNEWZ)
Stanley told FOX 31 Denver in a statement that the “potential filing of a complaint against an attorney is not equivalent to the attorney engaging in any misconduct” and “anyone can file a complaint against a lawyer with the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel.”
MISSING MOM SUZANNE MORPHEW: COLORADO JUDGE DISMISSES CASE AGAINST HUSBAND WEEKS BEFORE TRIAL
Morphew’s daughters, Macy and Mallory, stood by their father during a May 2022 interview with ABC.
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“It’s been an emotional roller coaster, but we feel like we can finally take our first steps in healing, which is a blessing,” Macy said. “We just know our dad better than anyone else, and we know he was not involved in our mom’s disappearance.”
Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.
