Global Courant 2023-05-06 18:00:29
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 that Morphew killed his wife after she decided to leave him, but later asked a judge to drop and dismiss the April 2022 murder charge without prejudice. .
“Barry endured the humiliation of being wrongly arrested, imprisoned 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 presumed dead after she disappeared during a 2020 Mother’s Day bike ride.
COLORADO DA ACCUSED OF ‘ETHICAL VIOLATIONS’ IN MISSING SUZANNE MORPHEW CASE
Colorado prosecutors asked in April 2022 for the murder charges against Barry Morphew to be dropped over 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 “violated” after he was charged with murder, adding that “he and his daughters have suffered great damage”.
MISSING COLORADO MOTHER SUZANNE MORPHEW: WHERE THE CASE STATE 2 YEARS LATER
Prosecutors said in their April 2022 motion to dismiss that if they found Suzanne’s body, “further forensics could potentially incriminate or exonerate the defendant.”
“Given the need to conduct further investigations to resolve these issues, this provides a sound basis for dismissing the current charges,” they wrote.
Suzanne Morphew, 49, went missing in May 2020 after leaving her home in Colorado to go cycling, 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 alleging “a pattern of ethical violations that undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system and disregard the rights of Mr. Morphew and his daughters.”
MISSING COLORADO MOTHER SUZANNE MORPHEW’S DAUGHTERS ASSIST FOR THEIR FATHER AFTER DISCLAIMER OF MURDER CHARGE
“The District Attorney’s office was so wrongly convinced that Mr. Morphew was the sole suspect in Mrs. Suzanne Morphew’s disappearance that they excused any evidence of innocence, concealed favorable evidence, fabricated evidence and opinions, and testified allowed to testify falsely,” the complaint reads.
Prosecutors said in April 2022 that if they found Suzanne’s body, “further forensics could potentially incriminate or exonerate the defendant.” (WISTZ)
said Stanley FOX 31 Denver in a statement that “possible filing of a complaint against an attorney does not constitute attorney misconduct” and “anyone may file a complaint against an attorney with the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel.”
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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 rollercoaster, but we feel like we can finally take our first steps in healing, which is a blessing,” said Macy. “We just know our father better than anyone else, and we know he was not involved in our mother’s disappearance.”
Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.
Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.