Man accused of murdering Samantha Murphy to return to court today
- Patrick Orren Stephenson to appear in court
- 23-year-old accused of murdering Samantha Murphy
The man police say murdered a Ballarat mother will appear in court again, just days after Samantha Murphy’s loved ones disappeared six months ago.
Alleged killer Patrick Orren Stephenson, 23, is expected to appear in Ballarat District Court on Thursday morning, with both prosecutors and his lawyers set to provide an update on the progress of the case.
The hearing comes exactly five months since he last appeared in court. Police have now been given 20 weeks to prepare their evidence against the suspect.
This had to be submitted to his legal team by July 25, so that they had two weeks to assess the case and seek instructions.
The Ballarat-born son of a former AFL player, Mr Stephenson celebrated his 23rd birthday last month in custody, where he has remained since being charged on March 7.
Police are tight-lipped about the methods used to identify the suspect. Chief Superintendent Shane Patton said the arrest was the result of a “meticulous and methodical investigation.”
“He’s been charged with murder, so by definition we’re saying this was a deliberate attack on Samantha,” he said.
‘During the suspect’s interrogation, he did not tell police where her body was located.’
The man police say murdered a Ballarat mother will appear in court again, just days after Samantha Murphy’s loved ones disappeared six months ago (Pictured: Samantha Murphy)
Accused killer Patrick Orren Stephenson (pictured), 23, is expected to appear in Ballarat District Court on Thursday morning as both prosecutors and his lawyers provide an update on the progress of the case.
Ms Murphy disappeared after leaving her Eureka St home to go for a run on February 4.
Her disappearance shocked the community and quickly became one of the most high-profile missing persons investigations in the state.
She is believed to have reached the Mount Clear area, adjacent to the Woowookarung Regional Park, approximately an hour after her departure at around 7am.
According to court documents, Mr Stephenson is alleged to have killed Ms Murphy in the Mount Clear area, where he lives, on the day she disappeared.
The 51-year-old’s family reported her missing to police later that day after she failed to show up for a brunch.
Despite extensive searches by police and volunteers in the weeks that followed, no trace of the missing mother was found until police revealed in late May that “items of interest”, including a mobile phone, had been recovered from a dam.
Last Sunday, family, friends and the wider Ballarat community celebrated a significant milestone: six months ago, the mother of three set out for a morning run, never to return.
No details of the alleged murder were released in court and Mr Stephenson was not required to enter a plea.
Ms Murphy was last captured on CCTV leaving her home at around 7am on February 4.
In May, police announced that items had been found at a dam on a property outside Buninyong