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A US man has been charged with murder following a tearful plea to locate his missing wife.
US authorities have provided glimpses into the troubled marriage of a Colorado woman who went missing on Mother's Day 2020 and her husband, who is charged with her murder after pleading for her safe return on social media.
Suzanne Morphew used a "spy pen," a device that resembles a pen and can automatically record conversations when sound is detected, before she was reported missing by a neighbor after failing to return from a bicycle ride, Chaffee County Sheriff's Commander Alex Walker said. She feared her husband Barry Morphew was having an affair.
The testimony came at the start of a hearing in Salida, Colorado, to determine whether Mr Morphew, 53, will face charges in his wife's death.
Mr Walker stated that while investigators found no evidence that Mr Morphew was having an affair, the pen's recordings revealed that Ms Morphew was.
Mr Walker said the man with whom she had been having an affair for two years did not contact authorities following Ms Morphew's disappearance but spoke to investigators once his identity was established.
In another difficult-to-hear recording captured by the pen, the Morphews appeared to be arguing about money, FBI agent Kenneth Harris testified.
Additionally, prosecutors presented text messages between Ms Morphew and a friend from 2019 and 2020 in which she complained about her husband picking fights and involving their children.
"He is not stable," Ms Morphew wrote in one of the court-recorded messages.
"It is out of guilt and desperation that he is acting... I'm powerless against him." He is far too skilled at manipulation. I'm in a bind."
Mr Morphew sat in court alongside his two daughters, occasionally whispering to his attorneys or pointing to documents in front of him.
When his attorney, Dru Nielsen, described Ms Morphew as his "angel" and a "special, wonderful person," Mr Morphew, who was dressed in a grey striped suit and a blue medical mask, appeared to become emotional and dabbed his eyes with a tissue.
Mr Morphew turned around during a break to face his two daughters and smiled from behind his mask, his hands in his pockets.
They removed their masks to reveal their smiles.
He was shown how long her hair had grown by one of them.
Due to concerns about coronavirus, the courtroom was kept at a reduced capacity.
Everyone was required to wear masks, and visitors to the gallery were asked to maintain a social distance of one metre.
Members of the public lining up for a seat in front of the courthouse well in advance of the doors opening at 8 a.m.
Some wore T-shirts in support of Ms Morphew and shook their heads during cross-examination of witnesses by defense attorneys.
During the hearing, attorneys and prosecutors used a projector to display video and photographs.
Investigators discovered Ms Morphew's bicycle down a short but steep ravine off a county road, according to body camera footage.
Officers walk around the bike through rugged terrain, calling her name, and observe that the bike appears to be in good condition.
Prior to the hearing, the evidence gathered in the case was sealed, including a 130-page court document outlining the reasons for Mr Morphew's arrest, despite opposition from a coalition of news organizations including The Associated Press.
Apart from being charged with murdering his wife on Mother's Day, May 10, 2020, Mr Morphew is also charged with submitting a fraudulent vote on her behalf for then-President Donald Trump in November's election.
Mr Morphew is charged with tampering with his wife's deceased body and with evidence in the case from last May to early March, roughly two months before his arrest.
He is also charged with illegally possessing a short rifle and attempting to influence law enforcement officers between the time his wife went missing and his arrest.
The hearing was scheduled to resume later this month.