Latest news with #Colorado-based
Fox News
7 hours ago
- Fox News
Barry Morphew may use mystery DNA for defense in wife's murder: former prosecutor
A former deputy district attorney believes Barry Morphew will try and use an "alternate suspect" defense after being charged with his wife's murder. Morphew was indicted by a grand jury in Colorado on charges of murder in the first degree June 20 after the Mother's Day 2020 disappearance of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, the mother of two daughters. Barry Morphew was arrested in Goodyear, Arizona, almost 11 hours from where his wife went missing and was extradited to Colorado June 30. Though Barry Morphew was first charged with the murder of his wife in 2021, those charges were later dropped because of prosecutorial misconduct. Suzanne Morphew's body was found in September 2023, and an autopsy determined a deer tranquilizer called "BAM" was found in her bone marrow. BAM stands for the chemicals butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine. According to prosecutors, Barry Morphew was the only individual with a prescription for the deer tranquilizer within the area of Colorado he had lived in. Prosecutors on July 16 submitted their first witness list, which includes both of Barry Morphew's daughters. Prosecutors aren't required to make everyone on the list testify. Colin McCallin, a Colorado-based lawyer and former deputy district attorney for the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Colorado, told Fox News Digital he thinks Barry Morphew's legal team will try and argue an "alternate suspect" killed Suzanne Morphew. "I would expect the defense to advance any evidence they (have) relating to alternate suspect evidence," McCallin said. McCallin pointed to the fact that an unknown DNA profile was found in Suzanne Morphew's Range Rover after her disappearance, which didn't belong to Barry Morphew. Court documents state that unknown DNA was found in the glove box, among other spots. "You know, one of the things that has always permeated this case is the existence of these unknown DNA profiles that were found on some of the items of evidence that were found, you know, that initially when she went missing, that pointed to maybe someone else being involved in this," McCallin said. "You can't just throw out names and say, that person did it, go get him. So, you know, I do think though that if they have any ability to pin this homicide on someone other than Barry Morphew, they are going to explore those defenses." Bryan Kohberger, convicted of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, attempted to invoke an "alternate perpetrator" theory, but Judge Steven Hippler didn't allow it. Court documents referring to the so-called alternate perpetrator in that case were sealed, but Hippler expressed skepticism. McCallin said the case against Barry Morphew is still "very circumstantial," which may hamper prosecutors. "We know that that chemical was found in her body. We know where her body was found. But we really don't know a whole lot more than that. We don't know where the body was moved. We don't know where Suzanne actually died," McCallin said. Barry Morphew's attorney, David Beller, previously 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."
Fox News
18 hours ago
- Fox News
Former Colorado prosecutor believes Barry Morphew will use "alternate suspect" defense
Colin McCallin, a Colorado-based lawyer and former deputy district attorney for the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Colorado, told Fox News Digital he believes Barry Morphew will use an "alternate suspect" defense.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Century Communities: Q2 Earnings Snapshot
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (AP) — GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (AP) — Century Communities Inc. (CCS) on Wednesday reported second-quarter net income of $34.9 million. The Greenwood Village, Colorado-based company said it had profit of $1.14 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were $1.37 per share. The single-family homebuilder posted revenue of $1 billion in the period, surpassing Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $935 million.
Gulf Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Trump wants to eradicate DEI in higher education
Elizabeth Hernandez, Tribune News Service The Trump administration has already disrupted Darius McGregor's academic journey. The 18-year-old graduate of Denver's East High School interned earlier this year at a laboratory on the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus, where he and his peers evaluated whether bio-fortified maize could help hungry Guatemalan children. The potentially life-saving research was funded by the US Agency for International Development, the federal agency that humanitarian aid programnes relied on to finance their work. The Trump administration dismantled USAID this spring, putting millions of lives at risk worldwide, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet. McGregor's project lost funding. He nearly lost his internship position, too, but the university found an alternative source to pay for it. As McGregor prepares to attend Brown University this fall with aspirations of becoming a doctor, he said he's bracing for more federal interference with his education. 'I'm concerned with what my college experience may look like, especially with funding cuts like I've already seen firsthand,' he said. 'It's discouraging for people of color, but we will not stop.' Three Black students who received scholarships from the Sachs Foundation — a Colorado-based nonprofit supporting Black communities — told The Denver Post about their experiences entering college as the Trump administration works to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs intended to give them equal footing to thrive in college. Leaders of the foundation, unlike companies scaling back DEI initiatives amid federal pressure, say they're not deterred from continuing their mission. McGregor said he was alarmed to see the president of the United States threatening to slash funding or investigate colleges and schools in an effort to eradicate the sorts of DEI programs that helped him and other students of color find parity with their white peers so that they had the same opportunities to succeed. 'It has motivated me to prove myself and serve as an example,' McGregor said. 'Even when you take DEI away, we will still figure out a way to excel.' The Trump administration took aim at DEI in schools and colleges shortly after the inauguration in January, threatening to withhold federal funding from institutions unless they eliminated initiatives supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. Directives from the US Department of Education in February said any programs that treat students differently on the basis of race to achieve 'nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice or equity' were illegal under Supreme Court precedent. In April, a federal judge blocked the government from enforcing these directives after a lawsuit brought by the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union accused the Trump administration of providing 'unconstitutionally vague' guidance and violating teachers' First Amendment rights. Regardless, Colorado universities acknowledged changing their diversity initiatives to avoid losing federal funding. The University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus was among more than 50 universities under federal investigation for alleged racial discrimination under Trump's directives. Meanwhile, researchers have found that the disparities in the number of Black and Latino students admitted to elite colleges and universities have widened over the last 40 years, according to a University of California, Berkeley study released in 2024. The study found that, despite more students from all races going to college, Black and Latino students were increasingly less likely to attend top-tier, four-year colleges. The disparity remained significant, even when factoring in family income and parents' education, the study found. Between 2012 and 2022, college enrollment for Black students in the United States declined 22%, from 2.96 million students to 2.32 million, according to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute. 'This suggests that the underlying issue of racial inequality in college attendance goes beyond socioeconomic measures, such as family income and parents' education, and is intrinsically linked to race itself,' the study concluded. 'It points to a systemic issue within the fabric of American education and society.' It's these systemic barriers that fuel Ben Ralston, CEO of the Sachs Foundation, to continue his work. The 94-year-old organisation that provides support to Black Coloradoans was founded at a time when the Ku Klux Klan ruled Denver, Ralston said, and its leaders do not plan on backing down. 'There's a lot of trepidation right now,' Sachs said. 'We wanted to make sure that everyone in our community of scholars recognised that none of the work we do is going to change any time soon. When we look at what's happening at the federal level in reference to DEI, there is no political moment that changes our mission. There has been a historic structure put in place to exclude Black Americans and Black Coloradans from opportunities that have never been rectified. We're not going to change that mission.' Sarah Mohamed Ali's academic journey in Denver has been dotted with scholarly achievements alongside adversity. Mohamed Ali, a 2025 graduate of DSST: Cedar High School, served as an intern at Denver Health and worked as a dietary aid at an assisted living facility. The daughter of Sudanese immigrants said she was also bullied out of wearing her hijab to school in middle school. She was selected to attend New York University's Simons Science Exploration Program and the Yale Young Global Scholars summer program. After enduring pandemic learning and the COVID-19 lockdown, Mohamed Ali desired to reconnect with her authentic self and started wearing her hijab to school again. The 18-year-old was accepted to Bowdoin College in Maine to study health care, but her higher education pursuits have been executed under the cloud of a federal administration targeting DEI. 'I worked really hard throughout school, and hearing about everything that was going on months into applying for college was very scary and shocking,' she said. 'But I think in spite of everything that might be going on politically, there are still organizations you know you can rely on. You can still pursue your dreams.' The Sachs Foundation chose 53 Black scholars in Colorado this year to receive more than $1.9 million in scholarships. The foundation's undergraduate and graduate scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, financial need and character, Ralston said. The organisation also provides student mentorship, youth college and career development, and educator-focused initiatives. 'In a moment where many institutions are retreating from their commitments to equity, we're proud to stay firm in ours,' Ralston said. 'The work we do is not just about scholarships — it's about ensuring access, opportunity and belonging for Black students who are too often excluded.' For 17-year-old Naima Criss, the Sachs Foundation offered community. This spring, the 2025 scholars met up at Colorado College to be celebrated. Renowned author and activist Ta-Nehisi Coates shared his story with students. Criss, a graduate of Denver's Regis Jesuit High School, basked in the Black joy of it all. 'There's this thing where if you're really smart and Black, people are surprised,' Criss said. 'I can just be a very chill person, and what I like is we're all amazing and we're all also just people hanging out and living their best lives. It's great to be in a space where you're celebrated but not the exception.' Criss' resume is lengthy already. In addition to being a Sachs scholar, she was named a Gates Scholarship winner — a prestigious award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Through Girls Inc. of Metro Denver's Leadership Out Loud program, Criss flew to the nation's capital and lobbied Congress for more comprehensive sex education in schools. She's also served on the Mayor's Youth Commission
Business Wire
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Bluebird Branding Earns 2025 NSPRA Award of Excellence for Ranum Innovation Campus Branding
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bluebird Branding, a Colorado-based branding agency, is proud to announce it has been awarded the 2025 Award of Excellence in Branding/Image Package by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for its creative brand work on the Iver C. Ranum Innovation Campus in Westminster Public Schools. The Award of Excellence is NSPRA's highest honor in its annual Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards, which recognize outstanding education-related print and digital communications. Bluebird Branding's work on the Innovation Campus stood out in the Branding/Image Materials category, reflecting the agency's ability to craft powerful, future-focused identities for educational institutions. Founded by CEO Marcus Fitzgibbons, Bluebird Branding partnered with Westminster Public Schools to bring to life the innovative spirit of the Ranum Innovation Campus. The project delivered a bold, aspirational brand aligned with the campus's mission of preparing students for career and college pathways through hands-on, real-world learning. "We're deeply proud to see our collaboration with Westminster Public Schools and the Iver C. Ranum Innovation Campus recognized at this level," said Marcus Fitzgibbons, CEO and Founder of Bluebird Branding. "We were honored to work with the team on this project to elevate their branding. Our goal is to help organizations express who they are - and in this case, to inspire students, their families, and the broader community with a brand that matches the incredible work happening on campus." Ryan McCoy, formerly Executive Director of Westminster Public Schools and now Chief of Advancement and Strategic Partnerships, reflected on the project's impact: 'Westminster Public Schools is proud to celebrate our partnership with Bluebird Branding, whose innovative design work and storytelling helped bring the Iver C. Ranum Innovation Campus to life. Their creativity, commitment to our community, and deep respect for our history resulted in a brand that inspires students and families while signaling exciting investments in our multigenerational, industry-aligned campus.' NSPRA's awards honor creativity, impact, and collaboration, with the Award of Excellence representing the highest level of achievement. For more information, visit About Bluebird Branding Bluebird Branding is Denver's premier branding agency specializing in brand strategy, design, and activation. With a knowledgeable and collaborative approach, Bluebird helps organizations stand out, inspire their audiences, and foster deep connections.
