Murder suspect Barry Morphew pleads guilty to careless driving in Denver
Barry Morphew, awaiting trial for his wife's 2020 murder, pleaded guilty to careless driving in a Denver court. His bond in the murder case was raised to $10 million.
Murder suspect Morphew admits to hit-and-run driving offence in Denver court
Barry Morphew, who faces a first-degree murder charge in the 2020 death of his wife Suzanne Morphew, appeared virtually in a Denver court on Friday and pleaded guilty to careless driving in connection with a hit-and-run incident, cbsnews.com reports.
Morphew entered the guilty plea in exchange for the dismissal of four related charges: leaving the scene of an accident, failing to report the accident, driving without a valid licence, and failure to display proof of insurance.
The presiding judge ordered four points on Morphew's driver's licence, a $244 fine, and restitution in an amount yet to be determined. He received credit for time served against a 60-day sentence tied to the careless driving conviction.
Video footage obtained by CBS Colorado showed a man — later identified as Morphew by a judge — at the scene of a collision near 8th and Colorado in August. The footage showed the driver refusing to provide identification or insurance information, offering cash to one of the other drivers involved, and subsequently leaving the scene.
That incident triggered a chain of legal consequences in his pending murder case. On 8 September, Morphew appeared in Alamosa County Court, where a judge raised his bond following his arrest by Boulder County Sheriff's deputies the previous week. His bond was increased from $3 million to a $10 million cash-only bond.
Morphew has pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder charge and has denied killing his wife. He remains in custody in Alamosa County while he awaits trial.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)