Accused killer Barry Morphew in court, several expert witnesses no longer able to testify against him

CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Following a motion hearing in Fremont County for Barry Morphew, the man accused of killing his wife in 2020, 12 of the 14 possible expert witnesses against him are no longer allowed to testify.

Morphew is charged with murdering his wife Suzanne Morphew, who went missing on Mother's Day in 2020.

The hearing Wednesday centered around who will be allowed to testify during the trial, which is set to happen in April. Two of the prosecution's witnesses didn't show up, and a third is now not allowed to be used by the prosecution during the trial as part of a court sanction.

One of the witnesses was a veterinarian who was expected to testify about animal tranquilizers and how it affects them. The prosecutors said they had hoped it would help allow a jury to infer how it could possibly work on humans. A sheath to a tranquilizer dart was found in Morphew's dryer.

However, the judge ruled against allowing the veterinarian to testify, citing a lack of evidence of Suzanne Morphew's DNA on the cap.

The prosecution had also planned on using a K-9 handler of a dog that was assigned to search for Suzanne on the night she went missing.

The K-9 handler said he had filed a report on the case, but the prosecution never asked for it and told the defense it didn't exist. The prosecution was issued a violation for not collecting the report and giving it to the defense as well. Now, the handler is only eligible as a witness for the defense if it chooses to use his testimony.

The defense asked again to have the case thrown out. While that didn't happen today, the judge is still considering a prior motion to toss the case and will make a ruling in the near future.