Latest / Crime Stories with Nancy Grace / Accused Killer Barry Morphew Smiles in Court| Crime Alert Recap Saturday 07.05.25

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Accused Killer Barry Morphew Smiles in Court| Crime Alert Recap Saturday 07.05.25 · Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

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  Speaker 1: Crime al Art hourly update, breaking crime news.
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  Speaker 2: Now I'm Nicole, parton a wealthy landscape. Were accused of
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  Speaker 2: murdering his wife appeared in court with a big smile
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  Speaker 2: despite the serious charge against him. Barry Morphew, fifty seven,
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  Speaker 2: beamed at one of his two daughters as he entered
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  Speaker 2: the Alamosa County Court in Colorado on Tuesday evening, where
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  Speaker 2: he faced allegations of killing his wife, Suzanne in Slaida
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  Speaker 2: in May twenty twenty.
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  Speaker 1: We anticipate, expect, and ask the court to appoint the
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  Speaker 1: office of the Ultimate Defense Council. We're prepared to set
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  Speaker 1: trial at any time, but of course we've.
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  Speaker 2: Just give him the multiple terabytes in discovery. His daughters,
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  Speaker 2: Mallory and Macy, have stood by him since he was
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  Speaker 2: first charged with Suzanne's murder in twenty twenty one, but
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  Speaker 2: the absence of one daughter during the court appearance has
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  Speaker 2: raised questions about her belief in his innocence. Morphew was
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  Speaker 2: taken back into custody in Arizona on June twenty after
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  Speaker 2: prosecutors uncovered compelling new evidence. His court appearance on on
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  Speaker 2: Tuesday was a brief procedural session, resulting in a three
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  Speaker 2: million dollar bond and a scheduled Baill hearing in September
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  Speaker 2: and in Dyckman revealed that Suzanne had a powerful animal
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  Speaker 2: tranquilizer BAM in her system at the time of her death.
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  Speaker 2: The document stated that the only person in Colorado who
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  Speaker 2: had a prescription for BAM was her husband. During a
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  Speaker 2: police investigation shortly after her disappearance, a tranquilizer, needle, cap, darts,
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  Speaker 2: and gun were discovered in their home. Barry had used
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  Speaker 2: BAM for deer hunting in Indiana before the family moved
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  Speaker 2: to Colorado in twenty eighteen, where they were reportedly struggling
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  Speaker 2: with marital issues. Suzanne was involved in an affair with
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  Speaker 2: an old schoolmate, Jeff Leeblier. At the time of her disappearance.
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  Speaker 2: The couple lived in an impressive one point five million
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  Speaker 2: dollar cabin along with their daughter, Macy, who was away
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  Speaker 2: on a trip when Suzanne vanished. Authorities believe Barry exploited
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  Speaker 2: Macy's absence to murder Suzanne on May nine, nine, twenty twenty,
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  Speaker 2: just before her disappearance. Was reported initially charged with his
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  Speaker 2: wife's murder in twenty twenty one, without her body being found,
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  Speaker 2: the case fell apart due to prosecution's misconduct. However, after
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  Speaker 2: Suzanne's remains were discovered in a remote area in September
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  Speaker 2: twenty twenty three, a new team of prosecutors reignited the investigation.
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  Speaker 2: Evidence revealed that Suzanne did not die at the location
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  Speaker 2: where her body was found, as forensic experts noted the
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  Speaker 2: lack of animal activity and decomposation. The charging documents did
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  Speaker 2: not specify where investigators believe she was killed or where
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  Speaker 2: her body was hidden before being discovered. While the cause
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  Speaker 2: of death remains undetermined due to the decomp a corner's
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  Speaker 2: report identified BAM in Suzanne's system. She was reported missing
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  Speaker 2: by a neighbor on Mother's Day twenty twenty, after her
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  Speaker 2: daughters failed to reach her. In her last message to
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  Speaker 2: Barry on May sixth, she expressed her desire to end
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  Speaker 2: their marriage. Barry claimed he left for work on May ten,
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  Speaker 2: saying Suzanne was asleep at the home, but investigators insist
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  Speaker 2: she had been dead for several hours by then. Suspicion
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  Speaker 2: grew as Barry's phone activity raised red flags, and as
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  Speaker 2: his alibi regarding work was questioned. He claimed to have
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  Speaker 2: been on a landscaping job, but spent most of the
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  Speaker 2: time in a hotel room, where cleaners noted a strong
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  Speaker 2: chlorine smell. After Suzanne's disappearance was reported, Barry asked a
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  Speaker 2: neighbor to check on her and later requested that they
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  Speaker 2: call the sheriff when they found her missing. In police interviews,
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  Speaker 2: Barry portrayed their marriage as happy, but investigators later discovered
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  Speaker 2: evidence of Suzanne's affair and allegations of Barry's violent behavior.
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  Speaker 2: The reach for Suzanne gained national media attention, and Barry
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  Speaker 2: made a public plea for information regarding her whereabouts. However,
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  Speaker 2: during police questioning, officers noticed scratches on his arms and hands.
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  Speaker 2: A search of their home revealed a life bullet near
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  Speaker 2: Suzanne's bed and a tranquilizer needle cap in the laundry.
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  Speaker 2: Barry admitted to using the tranquilizer gun for hunting deer,
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  Speaker 2: but claimed he had no idea about the needle cap.
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  Speaker 2: Suzanne's daughters have not publicly commented on the situation, while
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  Speaker 2: Suzanne's family has condemned Barry for his alleged actions and
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  Speaker 2: expressed concerns for Suzanne's safety. Before her death, a friend
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  Speaker 2: of Suzanne's report that she had confided in her that
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  Speaker 2: Barry was abusive Crime and Justice news After this.
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  Speaker 1: A South Carolina father's raw, unyielding rage against a convicted
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  Speaker 1: child molester has exploded into a real life vigilante saga,
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  Speaker 1: culminating in a shocking jailhouse confession. Nicholas Stanley, thirty eight,
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  Speaker 1: is now charged with murder after allegedly tracking down and
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  Speaker 1: executing forty two year old James Thompson, a man who
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  Speaker 1: he says destroyed his family by molesting a relative. Here's
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  Speaker 1: part of Stanley's interview with ABC fifty seven, and now
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to get.
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  Speaker 3: More time putting this piece of trash out than he
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  Speaker 3: ever got for hurting my family.
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  Speaker 2: And the ones that I love.
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  Speaker 1: Stanley also said, quote, I'm tired of pretending like I
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  Speaker 1: did something wrong. I don't feel like I did anything wrong,
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  Speaker 1: and there are thousands of people out there who agree
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  Speaker 1: with me. End quote. The events began to unfold after
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  Speaker 1: James Thompson, a registered sex offender convicted in twenty nineteen
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  Speaker 1: for molesting Stanley's then six year old relative, was released
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  Speaker 1: on parole in June after serving only five years. Authorities
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  Speaker 1: alleged that just days later, a furious Nicholas Stanley confronted
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  Speaker 1: Thompson at his home in Greenville. Armed with a legally
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  Speaker 1: owned nine millimeter handgun. Stanley allegedly opened fire, shooting Thompson
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  Speaker 1: multiple times. Thompson was pronounced dead at the scene, and
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  Speaker 1: Stanley was arrested hours later following a brief manhunt. Stanley's attorney,
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  Speaker 1: Michael Reid, is not denying the confession, but instead argues
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  Speaker 1: his client acted under extreme emotional distress, citing the profound
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  Speaker 1: trauma inflicted upon his family. He contends Stanley is not
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  Speaker 1: a cold blooded killer, but a father driven to desperation.
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  Speaker 1: The Greenville County Sheriff's office confirmed Thompson's prior conviction, adding
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  Speaker 1: a layer of complexity by noting he was compliant with
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  Speaker 1: parole conditions at the time of his death. Nicholas Stanley
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  Speaker 1: now faces the daunting prospect a life in prison if convicted.
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  Speaker 1: Stanley told ABC fifty seven he is going to miss
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  Speaker 1: watching his children grow up, but quote, I don't regret
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  Speaker 1: protecting my family end quote. His bail was denied at
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  Speaker 1: a July second hearing. A preliminary trial is set for
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  Speaker 1: August first.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Drew Nelson, California begins requiring bars and nightclubs to
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  Speaker 3: offer drink lids to customers as part of a new
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  Speaker 3: law meant to stop drink spiking across the state Assembly
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  Speaker 3: built twenty three seventy five, took effect on the first
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  Speaker 3: It requires venues for the type forty eight liquor license,
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  Speaker 3: which serve alcohol but not food, to provide drink lids
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  Speaker 3: on request. The rule also requires signs that say quote
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  Speaker 3: don't get roofed drink lids and drink spiking drug test
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  Speaker 3: kits available here. Ask a staff member for details. Bars
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  Speaker 3: can charge what's described as a reasonable price for the lids.
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  Speaker 3: They only need to stock one size that fits at
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  Speaker 3: least one type of drink container. Jeff Kama is owner
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  Speaker 3: of side Piece Bar. He tells KFMB they're still feeling
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  Speaker 3: out the new law. I don't think we'd have the
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  Speaker 3: ability to put a lid on all of our custom glassware,
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  Speaker 3: but we'd probably find an option where we have a
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  Speaker 3: separate set of cups that we'd able to put lids
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  Speaker 3: and maybe pour the drink into. In twenty twenty two,
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  Speaker 3: a survey found eighteen percent of people reported having a
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  Speaker 3: drink spikee. A twenty sixteen study found eight percent of
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  Speaker 3: US college students leave they had been drugged, and many
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  Speaker 3: of these cases go unreported. People are likely to kind
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  Speaker 3: of be, you know, a little careless and leave their
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  Speaker 3: drinks sitting around.
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  Speaker 2: That leaves them open for predators. Unfortunately.
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  Speaker 3: San Diego Police officer Colin Steinbroner on KFMB, it creates
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  Speaker 3: that barrier to that easy pill drop or drink poor
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  Speaker 3: that puts people in danger, puts people at risk. Many
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  Speaker 3: bar owners say they support the new measure. At mother
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  Speaker 3: Load in West Hollywood, staff told The Los Angeles Times
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  Speaker 3: that adding lids was no big deal for them. An
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  Speaker 3: employee said, quote, there weren't lids here before, and now
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  Speaker 3: they are. Not much has changed. It doesn't cost nothing.
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  Speaker 3: There's now a stack of lids on the bar, free
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  Speaker 3: to patrons. Genie at the Watering Hole in Claremont tells
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  Speaker 3: the TV station, it's an easy fix. I agree with that.
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  Speaker 1: Provide the lids for the cups to prevent yourself from
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  Speaker 1: getting really injured or heard by creeps.
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  Speaker 3: The law is set to expire in January of twenty
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  Speaker 3: twenty seven unless lawmakers renew it. For now, the California
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  Speaker 3: Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is in charge of Themment
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  Speaker 3: inspectors will notify bars during routine visits if they do
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  Speaker 3: not follow the rules. There will be no special crackdowns
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  Speaker 3: for now, but bars that fail to comply could risk
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  Speaker 3: their liquor licenses. For the latest crime and justice news,
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  Speaker 3: follow Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app
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  Speaker 3: with this crime Alert IM Drew Nelson