A Colorado man has pleaded guilty to casting his missing wife’s ballot for then-President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
Barry Morphew told FBI agents last year that he submitted his wife’s ballot: “because I wanted Trump to win. I just thought give him another vote. I figured all these other guys are cheating.”
Morphew thought it would not be a problem because his wife “was going to vote for Trump anyway.” He told agents that he had no idea it was illegal to fill out a ballot on his spouse’s behalf.
On Thursday, Morphew pleaded guilty to forgery of a government-issued document and was sentenced to 32 hours of community service as well as a 1-year deferred sentence. He was also ordered to pay $1,000 in fines and court costs, according to CBS.
As part of a plea agreement, two other charges against him–attempting to influence a public servant and elections-ballot offense–were dropped.
Morphew was already in custody as a suspect in his wife’s disappearance when he was arrested for casting her ballot.
His wife, Suzanne Morphew was reported missing on May 10, 2020, by a neighbor who said she never came home from a bike ride. Morphew was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and other crimes in 2021 relating to her disappearance.
In April, a judge dismissed the case against him and prosecutors dropped the charges. It has been two years since Suzanne Morphew’s disappearance. She is believed to be dead but no remains have been found to date.
