CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. — A woman who is suspected of having a relationship with Barry Morphew was arrested on a trespassing charge after allegedly entering the property of where Morphew and his wife, who he is accused of murdering, used to live.
On Monday, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office received a report from residents on Puma Path in Salida that a woman had entered the property of the former Morphew home. The home is marked with "No Trespassing" signage. The resident reported that the woman walked up the long driveway to the front door and removed a package, according to the sheriff's office.
Investigators reviewed home surveillance footage and confirmed the information from the caller.
The woman was identified as Shoshona L. Darke, 51, of Salida, according to the sheriff's office.
The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Darke on Tuesday and she was arrested without incident in the Maysville area.
She was transported to the Chaffee County Detention Center and faces a charge of second-degree trespassing, which is a Class 3 misdemeanor. It's not clear if the package was recovered or what it was.
Barry Morphew is accused of murdering his wife, Suzanne Morphew, in May 2020. Barry Morphew posted bond and was released from the Chaffee County jail on Sept. 20. A judge in the case ruled there was enough evidence to continue the case forward to trial, which is set for May 3-June 1, 2022. Denver7 covered each day of Barry Morphew's four-day preliminary hearing. To learn about the court discussions in depth, click to read day one here, day two here, day three here, and day four here.
Denver7 confirmed with the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office that Shoshona Darke is the same person mentioned in the arrest affidavit for Barry Morphew.
According to the arrest affidavit, a person who requested to remain anonymous told a Chaffee County deputy in December 2020 that Darke was in an intimate relationship with Barry Morphew. The day after the sheriff's office received the tip, authorities interviewed Darke.
She denied being in a romantic relationship with him, according to the affidavit. She said she did not know Suzanne Morphew, but noted "she's my age. She's... A lot of people say I resemble her."
However, between December 2020 and April 2021, several residents in Salida said Darke was in a relationship with Barry Morphew, according to the affidavit. Investigators learned the relationship may have started as far back as July 2020, but they have not confirmed that information. A pole camera installed by the FBI in the area captured Barry Morphew's truck moving to and from Darke's residence, often between 9 and 11 p.m. and sometimes staying through the night, according to the affidavit.
CBI agents were able to confirm that Morphew and Darke checked into the Antler's Hotel in Colorado Springs on Feb. 12, 2021 and checked out on Valentine's Day. In surveillance footage, Barry Morphew is seen carrying Darke's luggage while Darke carried flowers, according to the affidavit.
Barry Morphew's cell phone was off or on airplane mode during most of this trip.
In her interview with investigators, Darke said she has known Morphew since October 2020 because she cleaned his neighbor's house and met him at a dumpster outside the home, according to the affidavit.
She deleted items off her phone and one may have been a number belonging to Barry Morphew's second phone number, according to the affidavit. This happened in front of investigators.
She did not answer all of the investigators' questions.
She told them she called the CBI tip line in May 2020 to report a strange vehicle around Puma Path around the time Suzanne Morphew disappeared.