The prosecutor in the Barry Morphew murder trial told a judge on Monday that she plans to introduce evidence of physical abuse in the couple’s marriage, which ended when Suzanne Morphew disappeared on Mother’s Day in 2020.

Morphew has been charged with first-degree murder in the case, which was originally set for trial in October.

But 12th Judicial District Judge Amanda Hopkins set a new trial date for July 19, 2027, on Monday at the request of Morphew’s defense attorneys.

The parties are due back in court for a motions hearing Sept. 17.

Hopkins previously apologized to the Morphew family for the delay, who objected to a postponement, alluding to the “unbelievable amount of information both sides are going through.”

In granting the motion to push the trial back, Hopkins added that “no one wants to do this more than once.” The defense asked for an extra four to six months to prepare.

In a two-and-a-half-hour hearing Monday, 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly revealed that she wants to introduce evidence of physical abuse in the Morphews’ marriage. But she did not elaborate. 

According to the original 129-page arrest affidavit, Suzanne Morphew kept intimate grievances about her husband in the Notes portion of her cellphone. These included “Phys abuse,” “Stalking Sheila and me in house without telling,” “Chase me around resort and threatened,” “Took phone,” “Not safe alone with you. Can’t be trusted,” “Oppressive,” and “Accused me of bf.” 

Though Mrs. Morphew’s cellphone has never been found, investigators lifted her notes from iCloud. The name “Sheila” in Mrs. Morphew’s cellphone notes referred to her best friend, whom she had known since her days at Purdue University. 

Prosecutors in the first murder case said during court testimony that Suzanne Morphew and Sheila Oliver communicated frequently by text message and in conversation in the months before her disappearance over Mother’s Day weekend 2020. 

During the first preliminary hearing, investigators testified about several text messages Suzanne Morphew sent to Oliver between September 2019 and March 2020 in which Suzanne said that she wanted out of the marriage, but that Barry put a gun to his head and said “Is this what you want?”

Morphew has maintained his innocence through the years, and Monday, his attorney, David Beller, said that he did not believe that “domestic violence is at issue in this case.” 

Judge Hopkins gave the defense until July 21 to disclose whether or not they intend to introduce any other suspects in the case. Morphew has said that the last time he saw his wife was at around 5 in the morning on May 10, 2020 and that she was sleeping. 

However, the last known photo taken of her when she was known to be alive was at 2:03 p.m. May 9. It was a selfie which she sent to her lover. 

The trial had been scheduled to start Oct. 13.

The nearly six years since Suzanne Morphew went missing have been an emotional torture for her family.

Barry Morphew was arrested and charged with her murder twice.

The first prosecution case was dismissed on the eve of the trial in April 2022 for lack of a body. Morphew was rearrested in June 2024, nine months after her remains were discovered near the small town of Moffat in Saguache County.