A 53-year-old man from Chaffee County, Colorado who was charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of his wife is now facing new charges of voter fraud.
He mailed in her ballot so Donald Trump could get another vote.
Barry Morphew's wife, 49-year-old Suzanne Morphew—who is a mother of two—went missing while out on a bike ride in 2020 on Mother's Day.
She remains missing.
Her disappearance led Barry Morphew to film a video and post it on Facebook pleading for her safe return.
A year-long search led to his arrest two weeks ago.
According to 9 News, Barry was charged with first-degree murder after deliberation, tampering with physical evidence and attempting to influence a public servant.
You can watch the news report here:
Barry is now facing charges including forgery of public record and election mail ballot offense after he admitted to submitting his deceased wife's ballot in the November 2020 election because he wanted then-President Donald Trump to win another term.
Lori Mitchell, the clerk and recorder in Chaffee County, knew something was wrong when she received Suzanne's ballot.
Suzanne's disappearance was a high-profile case with posters around the city indicating she had been missing for months.
Her ballot for Trump arrived in the mail with Barry's witness signature on it but missing the voter's signature as required by law.
Mitchell said:
"I felt I should contact the sheriff when I saw the name. It was stunning to see that ballot in our batches."
The protocol for addressing signature discrepancies is to notify the voter with a letter requesting them to "cure" or fix the issue within eight days after receipt of the letter.
Mitchell added:
"We still completed our statutory requirement by sending out this cure letter, and no one responded."
Suzanne's ballot was handed to the sheriff's office where it was seized as evidence in the case.
According to an affidavit from the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) for Barry Morphew's arrest, he was confronted by the FBI about his missing wife's ballot and asked why he sent it in on her behalf.
He replied:
"Just because I wanted Trump to win. I just thought give him [Trump] another vote."
Barry said he knew "all these other guys are cheating" and added he knew his wife was going to vote for Trump anyway.
When the FBI asked Barry if he knew what he did was illegal, he said:
"I didn't know you couldn't do that for your spouse."
Mitchell clarified:
"Sometimes it's an honest mistake. It could be a household switch. But in this case, it couldn't have been a household switch because Mr. Morphew voted his ballot as well."
The CCSO announced Barry's arrest earlier this month. Suzanne Morphew is now presumed dead.
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