Prosecutor Barry Morphew To Be Disbarred Due To His Failed Murder Prosecution

Colorado: A state disciplinary board decided on Tuesday that the Colorado district attorney who was at the core of the unsuccessful murder prosecution of Suzanne Morphew’s husband, who vanished in 2020 and was subsequently discovered dead, ought to be disbarred for many ethical violations while holding her elected office.

District Attorney Linda Stanley Abused Her Position

State disciplinary authorities found that Linda Stanley, the district attorney for the 11th Judicial District, who oversaw the prosecution team against Barry Morphew, gravely abused her position of trust as a public official and minister of justice after she made improper statements to the media, failed to provide proper oversight of the prosecution, which included multiple violations of the discovery process, and used her team to target the case’s judge. Stanley would have one week to file an appeal after the disbarment, which would go into effect in 35 days. A request for comment on Tuesday was not immediately answered by an attorney for Stanley or the district attorney’s office.

Accusations On Linda Stanley

The ruling was made three months after state regulators accused Stanley of professional misconduct during a two-week disciplinary trial before a three-member panel under the Colorado Supreme Court. The complaint was initially initiated in October by the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel. Stanley, a former police officer who won the district attorney race in November 2022, had previously declared her intention not to run for government again.

Prosecution Against Morphew

The founder of Protect Ethical Prosecutors, Eytan, stated that Stanley will no longer be able to use the prosecutor’s unrestricted authority and discretion to pursue charges. She also expressed the hope of her organization that this case will serve as a platform for the defense of ethical prosecutors and the exposure of more dishonest prosecutors. The prosecution against Morphew in relation to the 26-year-old wife’s disappearance in May 2020 has been beset by a series of setbacks, including the shocking ruling.

Days after Suzanne disappeared, Morphew made a video in which she begged for her safe return. In May 2021, he was charged with first-degree murder and manipulating with physical evidence. He was slammed with more accusations a few days later, according to the prosecution, after he allegedly voted for Donald Trump through mail-in ballot on his wife’s behalf. Regulators claimed that after the allegations were made public, she tried to give the presenter details about the case because the host had questioned the criminal complaint against Morphew.

Disciplinary Hearing

Stanley’s attorney contended at the disciplinary hearing that Stanley found it difficult to hire prosecutors and lacked the resources to handle a case of this magnitude. Additionally, he maintained that Stanley was entitled to look into Lama because he had shown extreme bias for her team. But according to the order, Stanley was ultimately in charge of everything that happened in her office, including the prosecution team’s mistakes that led to the case’s dismissal, which was clearly not in the public interest.