The elected district attorney in Colorado’s 11th Judicial District launched a baseless investigation of a judge after becoming frustrated by his unfavorable rulings in the high-profile Barry Morphew murder case, state authorities alleged in a disciplinary complaint filed Monday.
District Attorney Linda Stanley pursued a domestic violence investigation into then-District Judge Ramsey Lama after he issued a series of rulings against prosecutors during the case against Morphew, who was charged at the time with killing his then-missing wife Suzanne Morphew in a prosecution that later was dropped.
The 11th Judicial District includes Fremont, Chaffee, Park and Custer counties.
Stanley ordered an investigator with her office to interview the judge’s ex-wife about whether the judge had ever been abusive during their marriage, and whether that rumored history might be influencing his rulings in the Morphew case, according to a 20-page formal disciplinary complaint filed against Stanley on Monday by the state’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, the entity responsible for investigating professional misconduct by Colorado attorneys. The agency opened an investigation into Stanley earlier this year.
“We couldn’t understand Judge Lama’s orders that were so egregious against us, and he’s normally not like that,” Stanley said, according to the complaint. “And we were discussing what’s going on, and those two came together. And I said, let’s see if we can get somebody to interview (Lama’s ex-wife) to see if there was something going on or if she suspects that he is trying to get back at her, essentially, in almost a passive-aggressive way by making this case impossible to prosecute… So we wanted to see if she would say anything to us about any of that or if these actions by the judge may be almost a passive-aggressive move at her.”
Stanley pursued the investigation into the judge even after the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office declined to investigate, citing a lack of a credible report. The judge’s ex-wife denied any abuse occurred and denied that Lama ever spoke with her about the Morphew case.
Lawyers with the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel now allege Stanley’s actions violated the state’s professional conduct standards for attorneys because she was attempting to unethically influence the case against Morphew.
“Respondent used her position and office’s resources in a manner intended to prevent others, including Judge Lama, from effectively performing their roles in the criminal justice system,” the complaint reads.
The disciplinary agency also took issue with Stanley’s comments to various media outlets during Morphew’s prosecution, and in particular to one true-crime podcast. Stanley also posted numerous inappropriate comments on social media about the prosecution, the complaint alleges.
Additionally, authorities allege Stanley failed to properly supervise her office and remedy discovery violations during the Morphew prosecution. In all, the state alleges Stanley violated seven separate rules of professional conduct for attorneys.
The formal complaint, filed with the Colorado Supreme Court’s Office of Presiding Disciplinary Judge, simply lays out allegations against Stanley. She will now have the chance to counter the allegations, and can choose to settle the disciplinary case against her or pursue an evidentiary hearing.
Stanley could face discipline ranging from public censure to a temporary or permanent revocation of her law license.
She did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
Stanley dropped all charges against Barry Morphew in April 2022 after prosecutors egregiously violated discovery rules and Lama blocked the prosecution from using most of its expert witnesses at trial as punishment.
At the time, Suzanne Morphew was still missing. But the 49-year-old’s remains were discovered in September in a shallow grave near Moffat, about a 45-minute drive from her home in Maysville, where she was last seen alive before she was reported missing on May 10, 2020.
The body was found in Saguache County — in the 12th Judicial District — so if a new prosecution ever were to be brought, it could be handled by 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelley, rather than Stanley.
Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence. Following the discovery of his wife’s remains, his attorney Iris Eytan released a statement saying she hoped authorities would “quickly admit their wrongful persecution of Barry, an innocent man, treat the Morphews like the victims they are and charge the person(s) responsible for Suzanne’s killing.”
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