Barry Morphew, a man charged with the murder of his wife Suzanne Morphew, allegedly used a fake name while living in Arizona before his arrest, according to a newly released arrest report.
The report states that Morphew was using the alias "Lee Moore" while living in Arizona, and that he moved in with a woman for a month before his arrest. The woman, who has not been charged with a crime, told troopers that she had only known Morphew as "Lee Moore" and that he began living with her on May 1, 2025.
The arrest report also states that Morphew revealed his true identity to the woman on June 15, 2025, claiming that his wife Suzanne Morphew had been "abducted" in Colorado. Authorities found an AR-15-style rifle and a silencer inside Morphew's safe, which was located at the house he was living in.
Morphew was indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder in the first degree on June 20, 2025, in relation to the death of his wife, who disappeared on Mother's Day in 2020 in Colorado. He is due in court on Wednesday afternoon for a status conference before his trial in October.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation had been monitoring Morphew's movements since February, and a warrant was obtained to place a GPS tracking device on his truck. Morphew had also paid property taxes for a property in Arizona and was self-employed.
Charlie Loots, the bar manager at Harold's Cave Creek Corral, said he was shocked by the news of Morphew's arrest and had been unaware of his true identity until the charges were announced. Loots said he had seen Morphew at the bar on several occasions and that he had a go-to drink of beer, often switching between Miller Lite and Coors Light.
Prosecutors have alleged that Morphew used a deer tranquilizer to sedate and transport deer on his farm when he lived in Indiana, and that the chemicals butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine were found in Suzanne Morphew's bone marrow. Morphew has pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder.
Morphew's attorney, David Beller, has maintained that his client maintains his innocence and that the government's predetermined conclusion has led their search for evidence.
