UPDATED: Arrested for wife's murder, Chris Morland got in trouble with the law in WF

Trish Choate, Wichita Falls Times Record News
Updated ·4 min read
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A man who got in trouble with the law in Wichita Falls for alleged domestic violence is accused of murdering his wife in Oklahoma, according to online jail and court records.

Chris Edward Morland Jr. was arrested Monday for a first degree murder charge and was being held in Tulsa County Jail in connection with the death of Cassidy Ritchie, his new wife. Tulsa police say her body was found Sunday morning in the back of her SUV.

In Wichita Falls, Morland was charged with assault-family violence in 2021 in connection with his then wife, but the charge was dismissed last year because the unnamed victim did not cooperate with police and investigators couldn't find her, according to the dismissal order and police.

Cassidy Ritchie and her blue Chrysler Pacifica were reported missing earlier this month after her family did not see or hear from her for several days. The damaged vehicle was pulled out of a ditch by an unknown good Samaritan who Tulsa police are seeking. Police are asking anyone with information to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-2677.
Cassidy Ritchie and her blue Chrysler Pacifica were reported missing earlier this month after her family did not see or hear from her for several days. The damaged vehicle was pulled out of a ditch by an unknown good Samaritan who Tulsa police are seeking. Police are asking anyone with information to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-2677.

More: Police release details on allegations Chris Morland murdered newlywed wife

Person of interest in Tulsa homicide

Morland, 49, of Tulsa became a person of interest after Ritchie was reported missing by her family, according to Oklahoma media reports.

The 39-year-old woman had not been heard from since Jan. 20, Tulsa police say.

Ritchie and Morland were married Jan. 7 in Tulsa, according to Oklahoma court records.

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Morland had been held without bond since Thursday in Tulsa County Jail on warrants out of Medina County in Texas, according to online jail records. A first degree murder charge was added Monday.

Ritchie was involved in prior domestic violence incidents and was considered endangered and missing — possibly the victim of foul play off U.S. Highway 412 between Tulsa and Inola, Oklahoma. Her light blue 2006 Chrysler Pacifica was found with off-road debris on it.

Good Samaritan who helped Cassidy Ritchie

On Saturday, detectives were seeking a good Samaritan who helped pull her blue SUV out of a ditch near the I Don’t Care Bar & Grill sometime between Jan. 21 and Jan. 23.

The bar is off U.S. Highway 412 at East 590 Road near Inola, according to Tulsa police. Detectives obtained a search warrant for her SUV Sunday morning and found her body underneath clothing in the back of it.

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Charge against Chris Morland

Tulsa police anticipated a murder charge would be filed against Morland, according to Oklahoma TV and radio media reports from 2 News Oklahoma and 102.3 KRMG.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-2677. Callers can remain anonymous.

The Times Record News requested information Monday morning from Tulsa police. The department did not immediately respond.

Alleged violence in Wichita Falls

Sgt. Charlie Eipper, Wichita Falls police spokesman, said Monday afternoon that the victim in the local case involving allegations against Morland was his wife at the time, and she was not Ritchie.

In the Wichita Falls case, police were dispatched at 12:57 a.m. Jan. 31, 2021, to the Oyo Motel in the 1800 block of Maurine Street for a report that a man assaulted a woman in one of the rooms, according to allegations in court documents.

Police spoke with a woman there who was crying and hysterical, saying her husband thought she was seeing another man, according to allegations. She told police Morland and her had been married for about four years.

She told police Morland slapped her on the face and punched her in the mouth, and an officer saw redness on her face and a fresh cut inside her bottom lip, according to allegations.

The officer asked Morland about him allegedly being upset because he caught her cheating on him with a neighbor, according to allegations. Morland told the officer he didn't lay a finger on the victim, and she was lying about her injuries.

Chris Moreland's local arrest, dismissal

The officer checked criminal records and found that Morland did not have prior convictions for assault-family violence, a misdemeanor. The officer arrested him and took him to Wichita County Jail.

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Morland was listed as from Agua Dulce, California, at the time of his arrest in 2021, local jail records show.

He was released from jail Feb. 1, 2021, on a $2,500 bond for the class A misdemeanor charge of assault causes bodily injury-family violence, according to online jail records.

The case was dismissed March 2, 2023, court records show. After receiving a May 5, 2023, request, the Wichita County Sheriff's Office asked the county treasurer to issue a $15 refund to A to Z Bail Bonds for Morland's bond fee,

Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her X handle is @Trishapedia.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Chris Morland, suspected in wife's Oklahoma murder, was jailed in WF