The alleged mistress of Barry Morphew has been arrested for trespassing after she visited Morphew’s former residence and removed a package from the front door, cops said.
Morphew himself is out on bond after being charged with the murder of his wife Suzanne, whose body has never been found.
His gal pal, 51-year-old Shoshona Darke, was busted for allegedly returning to the accused murderer’s home.
Police said they received a call from the current residents on Monday who reported they had seen a woman drive up their long driveway onto their property and retrieve a package, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.
“Investigators reviewed several different home security recordings and verified the information provided by the homeowner,” police said.
Police obtained a warrant and arrested Darke on Tuesday in the Maysville area without incident Tuesday. She was taken to the Chaffee County Detention Center and charged with criminal trespass.
Morphew, 53, was charged in May with first-degree murder and other counts in the presumed death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, who was reported missing after she didn’t return to their Salida home following a Mother’s Day bike ride on May 10, 2020. Her body has yet to be found.
Morphew, who has pleaded not guilty, was released from jail on Sept. 20 after posting a bond of $500,000, according to KKTV. He left the Chaffee County lockup alongside his and Suzanne’s two daughters, the station reported.
A judge ordered Morphew to wear an ankle monitor and primarily remain in Chaffee County. His trial is expected to begin in May 2022.
Darke was interviewed by authorities in December after it was reported she was romantically involved with Morphew, which she denied. Investigators say she deleted items on her phone, including possibly a second phone number for Morphew, in front of them and was “evasive” in responding to questions, according to the affidavit. She told police that she did not know Suzanne.
Numerous Salida residents reported that Darke was in a relationship with Morphew between Dec. 2020 and April 2021, dating back to July 2020. However this has not been confirmed, the affidavit said.
The FBI observed Barry’s truck going back and forth between Darke’s home, typically between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., sometimes staying overnight, court documents state.
Law enforcement also confirmed that the two checked into a hotel in Colorado Springs together on Feb. 12 for a Valentine’s Day getaway. Surveillance footage shows Morphew carrying Darke’s luggage while she holds flowers.
The affidavit says that Suzanne Morphew had begun taking steps to divorce her husband in January 2020, which he did not want.
“She told her family and close friends about her intentions, secretly recorded her notes of abuse in her phone because Barry monitored it, confronted Barry in arguments that she secretly recorded with help from a friend and, finally, sent him a text four days before she disappeared saying that she was ‘done, let’s handle this civilly,’” investigators wrote in the 129-page affidavit.
Barry Morphew has insisted to investigators that the couple’s marriage was “perfect,” claiming she had no intention of leaving him. But the avid hunter’s statements about his actions before and after Suzanne’s disappearance have been “proven to be false and misleading,” investigators wrote.
