A man once charged in the 2020 disappearance and presumed death of his wife said he’s innocent and accused Colorado authorities of having “tunnel vision” in only suspecting him.
“They’re wrong. They got tunnel vision and they looked at one person and they’ve got too much pride to say they’re wrong and look somewhere else,” Barry Morphew told ABC News in an interview that aired Monday.
His comments come on the heels of a $15 million lawsuit he filed this month against authorities who accused him of killing Suzanne Morphew, who has not been seen since around Mother’s Day in May 2020.
Morphew was arrested in May 2021 and charged with first-degree murder before the case was dismissed last year.
Asked if he had any role in his wife’s disappearance, Morphew, 55, said: “Absolutely not. It’s very hurtful to lose your reputation and your integrity.”
The case was dismissed without prejudice so authorities could arrest him again if they find new evidence. His wife’s body has never been found.
“I was innocent the first time they arrested me, so I’m sure it’s possible” another arrest could happen, Morphew said. “But I don’t have anything to worry about. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Morphew’s daughters said they support their father.
“I’ve never had a shred of doubt” about his innocence, Macy Morphew, 19, said.
Mallory Morphew, 24, added: “Not one.”
Representatives of the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office and the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.
“We had a wonderful life, a wonderful marriage. She was just so loving and giving and such a good mother,” said Morphew, who conceded that their union wasn’t without challenges.
Suzanne Morphew was diagnosed with cancer, her husband said.
“I know that she was going through chemotherapy for the last couple of years before her disappearance and I know she was going through some hard things and made some bad decisions,” he said. “She was really having trouble with the chemotherapy and the drugs.”
Prosecutors have said Suzanne Morphew was ready to leave her husband, telling him in a text message shortly before her disappearance that “I’m done.”
The wife took “clear, articulable steps in” the months before she disappeared to separate from and divorce Morphew, prosecutors said.
Barry Morphew said the case’s notoriety prompted him to leave Colorado. He’s struggled gaining employment with his wife’s disappearance still hanging over his head, his attorney, Iris Eytan, added Monday.
“He tries to find work doing landscaping projects, but it is very difficult because his name has been wrongly associated with being a murderer,” Eytan told NBC News.
