Warren man held without bail on murder charge

Owen Morris, 21, accused of murdering Barrington chiropractor earlier this month

Posted 1/23/18

A Warren man is being held without bail in connection with the murder of a well-known Barrington chiropractor.

Police believe Owen Morris, 21, whose family lives at 18 Cole St., murdered …

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Warren man held without bail on murder charge

Owen Morris, 21, accused of murdering Barrington chiropractor earlier this month

Posted

A Warren man is being held without bail in connection with the murder of a well-known Barrington chiropractor.

Police believe Owen Morris, 21, whose family lives at 18 Cole St., murdered Barrington chiropractor Dr. Clive Bridgham earlier this month. Dr. Bridgham,67, was an East Providence resident.

East Providence police allege that Mr. Morris stabbed Dr. Bridgham to death inside his home in early January. They found his body Thursday, Jan. 11 after receiving a request to check on his well-being.

Mr. Morris was arraigned on a first degree murder charge Tuesday morning in Sixth Division District Court. He is being held without bail pending a bail hearing set for Tuesday, Jan. 30. Mr. Morris's attorney, Jason Knight, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Mr. Morris comes from a well-known family in Warren. His father, Spencer Morris, founded Nitrotap on Child Street, and his mother, Allison Newsome, is a prominent sculptor. Owen has a sister, Arden, and was attending the University of Rhode Island. The family owns a second home on Prudence Island and has been active in island life there.

Little is known about Mr. Morris’s connection with his alleged victim. Until recently, Dr. Bridgham had operated Barrington Chiropractic and Sports Medicine Clinic on County Road.

In Nov. 2017, he voluntarily surrendered his license to the Rhode Island Department of Health after he was alleged to have “violated the professional boundaries of the chiropractic physician-patient relationship” with a 19-year-old male patient.

It was not the first time Dr. Bridgham had been involved in such conduct. In April of 2003, he was placed on three years of probation by the Department of Health after admitting to a sexual encounter with someone who was described as a “sibling” of a family he was treating.

Dr. Bridgham was a past president of the Chiropractic Society of Rhode Island and was once named the organization’s Chiropractic Physician of the Year.

As late as 2016, he was selected to treat United State athletes at the Rio Summer Olympic Games. Previously, he practiced at international surfing, windsurfing and biathalon competitions and the X-Games. Described in published reports as an avid surfer, he also worked the World Surfing Games.

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