Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Remembering Sue Newby 11 years after her murder
Boise, ID (CBS 2) — "She called me the Wednesday before she died and said things were going good and mark took a week off of work and they were just going riding every day and that was the last time I heard her voice," says Jeannie Simpson.
"She loved to go riding up here, this was one of her favorite places, she showed me this place."
Jeannie Simpson tells me that her late friend Sue Newby was one of a kind.
"I met Sue when I was working for the state we both worked for the tax commission in I-T and we had horses in common and we found out very quickly that we were riding buddies and we loved Arabians and so our friendship just grew and zoomed with that," Simpson explains.
Years later, Jeannie moved to Eastern Idaho. during that time, Sue married a man named Mark Newby.
"I never met him and she bought him a horse because she loved to horseback ride she bought him a really good bubba horse that would do anything he wanted it to," Simpson explains.
Jeannie later moved back to Boise and continued riding horses with her husband and Sue, but says Mark refused to join.
"I think we only went riding all four of us like once but we would go with Sue a ton. so for what reason I didn't really think about it at the time but there was a lot probably going on," Simpson explains.
That's when Sue told Jeannie, Mark wasn't being faithful, but she wanted to work it out.
"He took that week off work and went riding with her every day, little did I know, that he was trying to bring her out here," explains Simpson.
Jeannie says later that week, she got a call from Mark on Sue's phone. he told her Sue was gone.
"It just didn't make sense to me, it didn't make any sense at all," Simpson says.
"She was excellent with horses an excellent rider and he was like Eeyore, he was the sweetest safest, nicest trail horse," Simpson explains.
Simpson says according to Mark, Sue's horse bucked her off the cliff.
But she believed that there was more to Mark's story.
"The cross, that is the spot where they picked up Sue where she went over the canyon, where he pushed her over the canyon, that's the last spot and that is my last memory where I'll remember Sue..." says Simpson.
Mark took his own life before police could question him.
Following an investigation, police ruled that Newby pushed his wife off of this 100-foot cliff.
"Jeannie would admit that it came as a surprise for her and we are well educated and well established successful women and we are surprised by domestic violence, to have it so close and not have seen it is horrifying and gives some level of survivors guilt for many of us. so I think it's important to remember her for what she was and to be able to provide that memory and any energy that I have to help the next person who might be a surprise for another family member. I'm going to do everything I can to help the next her," explains Layne Lewis.
Jeannie says her friend will never be forgotten.
"I'm sure she's here listening to this whole thing because she loved it here, she wouldn't want us to not come here because of the tragedy, she thinks it's a beautiful place and if she is going to rest anywhere I can't imagine her wanting to be anyplace else," Simpson explains.
That's why this cross was placed, in memory of Sue Newby, a place that these friends say, will forever be hers.
