Man takes deal in murder case

The Menlo Park man who spent nearly 16 years avoiding trial for allegedly killing his wife just before Christmas 1991 and fleeing to the Philippines pleaded no contest to second-degree murder yesterday just as jury selection was about to begin.

Joseph Eli Morrow’s plea bargain dropped the special allegation of murder for financial gain — a circumstance making him eligible for life in prison without parole — but required the addition of seven new assault charges. As a result, Morrow, 59, will receive a 25-years-to- life term when sentenced Oct. 24.

"He is going to die in prison,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe who prosecuted. "Or, even if he gets parole, he’s going to be in his 70s.”

Morrow’s attorney Bob Courshon told the court his client made the decision personally to take the deal to avoid having his family, particularly his children, testify.

The plea deal ends a case that has stretched out over years, marked by the lengthy search for Donna Morrow’s body and the search for her husband.

Donna Morrow, 37, went missing Dec. 19, 1991 from the College Avenue home she shared in Menlo Park with her husband and four children. Investigators never found blood in the home, leading to the theory she was strangled.Despite suspicions about Morrow’s involvement, he escaped prosecution and fled to the Philippines where he lived under an assumed name. Her body was unearthed in November 2003 on the couple’s 36-acre property above Los Gatos and the grand jury indicted him for murder.

By the end of the year, Morrow was extradited back to San Mateo County and has remained at the jail awaiting trial on no-bail status. Since then, Morrow’s case has been set for trial numerous times but stalled by health problems of attorneys on both sides of the case and the appointment of the former prosecutor to the county bench.

Despite the numerous delays, trial did begin once in Morrow’s case. However, in April 2006, half way through pre-trial motions, the case stalled long enough to require dismissing 125 jurors. Morrow’s defense team argued the grand jury did not learn of certain evidence including a letter from a Death Row inmate implicating other suspects. They wanted to call Judge Jack Grandsaert who then worked as a deputy district attorney and took the case to the grand jury. The defense argued assigned Judge Craig Parsons should recuse himself rather than preside over a motion involving a fellow judge.

The decision to leave Parsons presiding bounced back and forth to a state court until the final appeal was denied Aug. 29.

Although Morrow won’t come before a jury, Wagstaffe said a court will hear evidence of the domestic violence leading to the added assault charges and from family members flying specifically for sentencing.

Airing the details is important, he said, not only to paint a complete portrait of Morrow but also because they become part of his record for a parole board if he lives long enough to come before it.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.