Latest news with #ChaffeeCounty
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pueblo GOP Chair announces 2026 run for fellow Republican's seat
Pueblo County Republican Party Chair Michelle Gray is the first candidate to file for a 2026 run in Colorado House District 60. The district, currently occupied by fellow Republican Stephanie Luck, includes territory in Pueblo West extending out to Chaffee, Custer, Fremont and Teller counties. Colorado House District 60 residents tend to favor Republican candidates, as evidenced by Luck's three consecutive victories. In 2024, Luck was reelected with nearly 70% of the vote. With a background in teaching math, Gray was a candidate for Pueblo County treasurer in 2022 and has chaired the local Republican Party since 2023. A July 24 campaign news release shared with the Chieftain states that Gray intends to "challenge the status quo" if elected and will help Republicans win additional seats in the majority Democratic state house. "The reason I am running, I have prayed about it, I've talked to my family about it," Gray told the Chieftain. "We were in agreement, and I want to bring the change that we have done in Pueblo to the state. That's why I'm running." Gray said that she is prioritizing solutions to protect agriculture and water rights and ensure access to health care for rural Coloradans — issues that she acknowledged in the press release she has disagreed with Luck on at times. "(Luck) does have a very strong liberty score, but just voting no isn't enough in this seat... We need to protect our agriculture, and we need to protect our water, and we need to make sure that our rural precincts actually have access to health care." The "liberty score" is a Colorado Liberty Republicans measure of a legislature's support of "individual rights, free markets, and limited government." Luck has recorded a 2025 liberty score of 98 — tied with Rep. Ken Degraaf for the highest of any state legislator. In addition to strengthening local agriculture, water rights and access to rural healthcare, Gray said she hopes to work with other Republicans in the Colorado House to amend or rescind "soft-on-crime bills" like those that remove or restrict immunity for police officers. As of July 25, Luck had not filed to run for reelection, according to Colorado Transparency in Contribution Expenditure Reporting (TRACER). Gray's campaign news release noted that Luck had not filed by the release's publishing and stated that Luck may have a future as a state senator — something that Gray says has been speculated — or a Fremont County commissioner. "Regardless, I thank Stephanie for her service. We just have very different approaches to what we see as impact and representation," Gray said in the release. "I'm certain she will do well at whatever she decides to do outside of her current role, but if a Primary election exists, I have to honor those trusted voices from the 5 counties that have come to me to seek my participation in this process... Healthy primaries can and do exist. Let's keep it classy.' The Chieftain reached out to Luck to inquire whether she plans to run for reelection, but she did not respond by the newspaper's deadline. Pueblo City Politics: Pueblo mayor pitches sales tax increase, changes to half-cent criteria for 2025 ballot Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why Pueblo GOP Chair Michelle Gray is running for Colorado HD60 Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
02-07-2025
- CBS News
Barry Morphew appears in Colorado courtroom on new charges of killing his wife Suzanne
Barry Morphew appeared in a Colorado courtroom on Tuesday for the first time since he was arrested a second time on suspicion of murdering his wife Suzanne. Suzanne Morphew was reported missing in Chaffee County on Mother's Day in 2020 and her skeletal remains were found off a dirt road in Saguache County on 2023. Barry Morphew in court on Tuesday. CBS Morphew made his first appearance in Alamosa County Court in handcuffs and an orange and white jail jumpsuit. One of his daughters blew him a kiss when he walked into the courtroom, and the man accused of killing her mother gave her a big smile. It was a brave look for a man who has been pulled back into the justice system for Suzanne's murder. He was arrested on June 20 in Arizona and extradited to Colorado this week. Tuesday consisted of mostly standard courtroom proceedings. Morphew waived his right to be advised of his legal rights and was not asked to speak. Twelfth District Attorney Anne Kelly will prosecute the case. The earlier case against Barry Morphew, which was thrown out, was prosecuted by the disgraced and disbarred former 11th Judicial District DA Linda Stanley. The initial case against him was dropped in 2022 because of prosecutorial issues with evidence. Morphew's legal representation includes David Beller and Jane Fisher-Byrialsen. CBS "It is our understanding that we will be appointed on to continue our representation of Mr. Morphew," Beller said in the courtroom. The defense is already looking to put an end to the case. They submitted a challenge to the probably cause in the case. The prosecution said it was ready for that move, and they expect this case to move past it. Barry Morphew's bond remains set at $3 million, with the possibility it could be changed before the next scheduled court date in early September. In the months between now and then, evidence the prosecution has assembled will be reviewed. Suzanne Morphew's remains were discovered accidentally as authorities were searching for another missing woman a year after prosecutors dropped their initial prosecution of Morphew. A 2024 autopsy report said Suzanne Morphew died of "unspecified means" but ruled her death a homicide. While her remains showed no signs of trauma, investigators found in her bone marrow a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife that her husband had a prescription for, according to the indictment. Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared. Beller and Fisher-Byrialsen did not return telephone and email messages seeking comment. Beller has previously criticized prosecutors for allowing "their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence." At Morphew's request, Chief Judge Amanda Hopkins agreed to appoint the state-funded public defender's office to represent him because he is in jail. However, Beller said the state public defender's office has a conflict of interest preventing it from representing Morphew and he expects Fisher-Byrialsen and himself to ultimately be appointed to represent Morphew by another state office that pays private attorneys to defend people who can't be represented by the public defender's office. Morphew, who owned a landscaping company when his wife disappeared, was represented by a different private attorney the first time he was prosecuted. Morphew sold the family home in the mountains near Salida, Colorado, for $1.6 million in 2021. According to jail records, Morphew is self-employed and his home address is in Noblesville, Indiana. File photo of Barry and Suzanne Morphew CBS The mystery surrounding Suzanne Morphew began when the 49-year-old mother of two daughters was reported missing in 2020. Her mountain bike and helmet were found in separate spots not far from her home, but investigators suspected the bike was purposefully thrown into a ravine because there were no indications of a crash. A week after his wife went missing, Barry Morphew posted a video on Facebook pleading for her safe return and the case quickly drew attention. At the site where Morphew's remains were discovered, investigators found a port through which Suzanne Morphew could receive medicine to treat follicular lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that she had. They also found biking clothes similar to what she was known to wear. Based on the condition of the remains and clothes, a forensic anthropologist theorized that the body likely decomposed elsewhere before being moved to the site, according to Morphew's new indictment.
Fox News
26-06-2025
- Fox News
Barry Morphew accused of wife Suzanne's murder: See how the 5-year Colorado murder mystery unraveled
Barry Morphew was indicted on Friday with a first-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew. While Suzanne Morphew went missing in May 2020, her body wasn't found by investigators in Colorado until September 2023. Over two years later, Barry Morphew was charged in her death. The new effort to convict him comes after similar charges were dropped in 2022, following prosecutorial misconduct. Here's a timeline of Suzanne Morphew's disappearance and Barry Morphew's alleged involvement: Suzanne Morphew texts Barry Morphew: "I'm done. I could care less what you're up to and have been for years. We just need to figure this out civilly." Suzanne Morphew was last seen on May 10, 2020. Court documents indicate that Barry Morphew told detectives that the last time he saw his wife was at 5 a.m. that morning when he got up to leave for Denver, Colorado for a landscaping job. Suzanne Morphew's neighbor reported her missing to police after she disappeared during a bike ride on Mother's Day. Law enforcement officials found Suzanne Morphew's blue mountain bike, adding that there was no blood around it. One of the deputies investigating the case said he "started to question if something criminal had occurred as it looked like the bike was purposely thrown in this location." A massive search effort to find Suzanne Morphew also began, with involvement from the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Investigators found Suzanne Morphew's bicycle helmet about .84 miles from where her bicycle was located. According to 9 News, Barry Morphew posted a video to Facebook on May 14, 2020, pleading for his wife's return home. "Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there that can hear this, that has you, please we'll do whatever it takes to bring you back," Barry Morphew said. "We love you. We miss you. Your girls need you." "No questions asked, however much they want. I will do whatever it takes to get you back," he added. "Honey I love you. I want you back so bad." Barry Morphew was arrested on charges of murder after deliberation, attempting to influence a public servant and tampering with physical evidence. He pleaded not guilty. A Colorado judge granted motion to dismiss the case due to prosecutorial misconduct. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning he could be re-charged later on. Barry Morphew and his two daughters participate in an interview with Good Morning America. During the interview, Barry Morphew said "I just love my girls." "And I love my wife. And I just want her to be found," Barry Morphew said. When Barry Morphew was asked during a Good Morning America interview if he was involved in his wife's disappearance, he said: "Absolutely not." "They've 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 added. "I don't have anything to worry about. I've done nothing wrong." Despite a mountain of evidence from prosecutors that there were allegedly issues with their marriage, Barry Morphew said nothing was wrong. "We had a wonderful life, a wonderful marriage," Barry Morphew said. "She was just so loving and giving, and such a good mother." Macy Morphew, his daughter, said she has "never had a shred of doubt" about her father. The remains of Suzanne Morphew were found on Sept. 22, 2023 by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Her remains were found in Moffat, Colorado. An autopsy ruled Suzanne Morphew's death a homicide with butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication in her body, according to CBI. Barry Morphew was indicted by a grand jury charging him with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew. He was arrested in the Phoenix, Arizona area. The chemicals that comprise butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine (BAM) were found inside Suzanne Morphew's body, prosecutors said. According to the indictment, Barry Morphew used "BAM" as a tranquilizer to sedate and transport deer on his deer farm. According to investigators, Morphew was the only person in any surrounding counties who had purchased a BAM prescription between 2017-2020. Morphew's attorney, David Beller, told Fox News Digital Morphew "maintains his innocence." "Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence," Beller said. "The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either."
CBS News
21-06-2025
- CBS News
Suzanne Morphew death: Colorado DA set to prosecute Barry Morphew says investigators "never stopped fighting for justice for Suzanne"
The Colorado district attorney who will be prosecuting the new case against Barry Morphew in the killing of his wife Suzanne says she's proud of the work that led to this week's grand jury indictment. Barry Morphew was arrested in Arizona on Friday, two days after the indictment was handed down, on a first degree murder charge and will be extradited to southern Colorado. His bond was set at $3 million. A booking photo of Barry Morphew was taken on June 20, 2025, in Arizona. Maricopa County "I look forward to having our team present this case in court," Anne Kelly, the district attorney in Colorado's 12th Judicial District. Suzanne Morphew was 49 when she went missing on Mother's Day in 2020 in Chaffee County. Her remains were found in Saugauche County three years later. In between those dates, her husband Barry Morphew was arrested and tried on a murder charge but his case was dismissed because of prosecutorial issues with evidence. A 2024 autopsy report said Suzanne Morphew died of "unspecified means" but ruled it a homicide. While there was no indication of trauma in her remains, a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife was found in one of her bones, the report said. A tranquilizer gun and accessories were found in the Morphews' home, according to investigators. The couple were parents to two sisters. Kelly said in a news conference Friday evening that Barry Morphew will be tried in Alamosa County. She referred to the death as a cold case and answered a question about why it has taken this long for a new case against Barry Morphew to take shape. "We as prosecutors in Colorado and law enforcement in Colorado, we are very dedicated to making sure that we don't forget the victims of cold case homicides, but we also understand that it is so important to make sure that we have done everything we can to bring a case to court, and we are proud of the work that we've done," Kelly said. "Every victim of homicide, murder in Colorado deserves that kind of attention, deserves that kind of work from law enforcement, and I would say that having the opportunity to work on these cases and to bring justice for these victims has been very important to me." Suzanne Morphew Suzanne Morphew/Facebook Kelly said Suzanne "has been in the hearts and minds of the people of Chaffee County" since her disappearance. "Law enforcement, the Chaffee County community and Colorado as a whole has never stopped fighting for justice for Suzanne," Kelly said. Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared, and his attorney David Beller blasted the new indictment. "Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence," Beller said in a statement. "Barry maintains his innocence. The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either." Iris Eytan, who was Morphew's attorney in 2021 but no longer represents him, said prosecutors "fumbled" the original case. "Not only is he is a loving father, but he was a loving husband," Eytan told The Associated Press on Friday.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man dies after inflatable kayak capsizes in Arkansas River
DENVER (KDVR) — A 35-year-old man died after his kayak capsized and he became unconscious in the Arkansas River near Buena Vista on Friday afternoon. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said a call came in to Chaffee County dispatch around 3:15 p.m. after two private boaters in inflatable kayaks capsized their crafts. One kayaker was reportedly able to swim to shore, while the other was unconscious after his kayak capsized. CPW said a bystander in another kayak followed the unconscious man and pulled him to shore above Johnson's Village, where they began CPR and called 911. Littleton man missing since 2024 located in Colorado River nearly full year later Rangers from the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, Chaffee County EMS, Chaffee County Fire, the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office and CPW arrived on scene, but despite lifesaving efforts, CPW said the resuscitation was unsuccessful and the man was pronounced dead by the Chaffee County Coroner. 'Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim,' said Tom Waters, the recreation area park manager. 'This appears to be a tragic accident.' Waters said both kayakers had appropriate safety equipment for this section of whitewater, including dry suits, personal flotation devices and helmets. The water was 52 degrees, and the river was running at 1,780 cubic feet per second. Waters said people should check conditions by calling the recreation area office before entering the river, or consider using a commercial rafting company if they're unfamiliar with the area or conditions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
