Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #9

New Posts

hillshaveeyes said:
LE know 100% he killed her. Phone pings. Possible CCTV. Possible witnesses. Possible DNA. Its all covered in the hundreds of comments. They probably have it all hence the murder charge.
But the question remains, if he remains silent, without a body, can they convince a jury beyond reasonable doubt that he killed her.

He had weeks to thoroughly clean his car, hide and destroy evidence, throw out clothes, clean the house and let scratches on his arms heal.

Only time will tell.
Click to expand...

I disagree that LE know 100% that he 'murdered' her.

Even by your assumption and the hundreds of comments, there is only possible CCTV, possible witnesses and possible DNA.

Yes, I agree that that LE are 100% confident they had enough evidence to charge him for murder, but that still doesn't mean he is 100% guilty. Far from it really.

Agree with you there...time will tell.
 
Bats said:
I disagree that LE know 100% that he 'murdered' her.

Even by your assumption and the hundreds of comments, there is only possible CCTV, possible witnesses and possible DNA.

Yes, I agree that that LE are 100% confident they had enough evidence to charge him for murder, but that still doesn't mean he is 100% guilty. Far from it really.

Agree with you there...time will tell.
Click to expand...

My bet is on:

- phone pings
(although with some towers being out of order that day this evidence might prove...ummm... awry)

- a witness
(come on,
it was 8 o'clock on beautiful Sunday.
Where I live, on such day and at such time I usually trip on people, mainly dog walkers and joggers.
Wherever I go)

- an "indirect witness"
(meaning, somebody the accused might have allegedly confessed to)

JMO
 
Dotta said:
My bet is on:

- phone pings
(although with some towers being out of order that day this evidence might prove...ummm... awry)

- a witness
(come on,
it was 8 o'clock on beautiful Sunday.
Where I live, on such day and at such time I usually trip on people, mainly dog walkers and joggers.
Wherever I go)

- an "indirect witness"
(meaning, somebody the accused might have allegedly confessed to)

JMO
Click to expand...

I think the phone pings will definitely be strong evidence!
The last point where Samantha was recorded, coinciding with a ping from the accused's phone is very good evidence.

Yep, I also think there may be a witness that can corroborate the accused's car being in the area where both party's phones pinged....

Given his silence, i doubt there is a witness that will say that the accused has confessed information about Samantha's death.

Murder is an extremely high bar... even if there was Samantha's DNA on/in the accused's car, on that alone, a good defence laywer will be able to show this doesn't necessarily mean it was the accused that killed Samantha, let alone murdered her.

MOO, at this point the police have revealed to the media that they don't know exactly what happened to Samantha... though they have enough for a murder charge and are very good at keeping information to themselves until it is required.
 
Last edited:
Bats said:
I think the phone pings will definitely be strong evidence!
The last point where Samantha was recorded, coinciding with a ping from the accused's phone is very good evidence.

Yep, I also think there may be a witness that can corroborate the accused's car being in the area where both party's phones both pinged....

Given his silence, i doubt there is a witness that will say that the accused has confessed information about Samantha's death.

Murder is an extremely high bar... even if there was Samantha's DNA on/in the accused's car, on that alone, a good defence laywer will be able to show this doesn't necessarily mean it was the accused that killed Samantha, let alone murdered her.

MOO, at this point the police have revealed to the media that they don't know exactly what happened to Samantha... though they have enough for a murder charge and are very good at keeping things to themselves until it is required.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about this "high bar for murder charge" :rolleyes:

I still remember some cases (on WS),
when the charged people went free eventually
(I even wrote here about guys in UK charged of murder of a woman,
who was later found safe,
although not particularly "sound" mentally.
She simply wandered off merrily her own way.

Not to mention convicts who were later absolved of crimes and found totally innocent).

Well,
as for confessing to someone,
as was reported, the accused allegedly enjoyed "benders",
so,
who knows what he might have allegedly boasted/slurred about to his mates in such a state.

Although, mind you,
there are also fantasists in this world,
who "confess" to things they never committed :oops:

"Follow the facts,
Trust NObody".

Oh well,
We have no other option than to ...wait.

The Jury will decide the fate of the accused.
If there is a trial, that is.

JMO
 
Last edited:
Following the deaths of three Ballarat women allegedly killed by men in the space of two months the state government has directed emergency funds to the region for anti-gendered violence measures.

Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence Vicki Ward has directed $250,000 to the Ballarat City Council for a new awareness campaign and to engage with local businesses, community groups and male leaders on how to address the attitudes some men hold.

au.news.yahoo.com

‘Brutal truth’ after deaths rocked city

A regional Australian city rocked by a shocking run of female deaths has received funding “to ensure women are safe in their own community’.
au.news.yahoo.com au.news.yahoo.com
 
IMHO there is a big difference between police potentially having enough information to purportedly “know” confidently that they have the allegedly correct man - and between being able to prove to a satisfactory standard under the requirements of the law, that this same person was beyond reasonable doubt the sole party allegedly responsible for the dreadful state of affairs, and that his alleged actions were premeditated and intentional, without any extenuating circumstances.

Balancing fairness to accused parties, with justice for those harmed by acts of violence, directly and indirectly, is a delicate operation, and one which sadly does not always deliver on its aspirations.

Let’s hope a fair and just (enough) outcome prevails in this case whatever the circumstances are revealed to be.

Of course, sadly, nothing will bring Samantha back. :(

Let’s hope that some kinds of positive outcomes, lessons, or policy/legal changes, may come in the aftermath of the successive tragedies at Ballarat.

JMO
 
Last edited:
ProfCluezo said:
IMHO there is a big difference between police potentially having enough information to purportedly “know” confidently that they have the allegedly correct man - and between being able to prove to a satisfactory standard under the requirements of the law, that this same person was beyond reasonable doubt the sole party allegedly responsible for the dreadful state of affairs, and that his alleged actions were premeditated and intentional, without any extenuating circumstances.

Balancing fairness to accused parties, with justice for those harmed by acts of violence, directly and indirectly, is a delicate operation, and one which sadly does not always deliver on its aspirations.

Let’s hope a fair and just (enough) outcome prevails in this case whatever the circumstances are revealed to be.

Of course, sadly, nothing will bring Samantha back. :(

Let’s hope that some kinds of positive outcomes, lessons, or policy/legal changes, may come in the aftermath of the successive tragedies at Ballarat.

JMO
Click to expand...
I've just finished watching the 5 part series called "OJ Simpson - Made in America". I wholeheartedly agree with your first paragraph. Getting it over the line, even with multiple pieces of evidence, doesn't always happen. (Yes, I know that was America and a different judicial system, a different time, with the added issue of race, but an example of what can happen despite the evidence that is presented.)
MOO of course.
 
Last edited:
ProfCluezo said:
IMHO there is a big difference between police potentially having enough information to purportedly “know” confidently that they have the allegedly correct man - and between being able to prove to a satisfactory standard under the requirements of the law
Click to expand...

As this is a murder charge, the OPP in Victoria will be prosecuting the accused in court.
Police prosecutors don't prosecute the most serious crimes, the OPP (Crown) prosecutors do that for them.

If the OPP didn't believe there is enough evidence to convict the accused, they wouldn't be prosecuting.


OPP solicitors prepare each case and seek instructions from Crown Prosecutors and the DPP about:
  • whether a case can go ahead
  • what the charges should be
  • other important decisions such as whether to accept a plea of guilty or whether to appeal a sentence.

Our role - Office of Public Prosecutions

Our role We deliver high quality prosecutions independently, fairly and efficiently Home On this page The types of crimes the OPP prosecute The OPP’s obligations towards victims of crime After a case is referred to the OPP The prosecution test The people who represent the DPP in court Other...
www.opp.vic.gov.au www.opp.vic.gov.au

imo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 215 more.
Total: 4,506 (members: 216, guests: 4,290)

Online statistics

Members online
216
Guests online
4,291
Total visitors
4,507
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,922
Messages
17,977,715
Members
228,949
Latest member
BISHWHETT
Back
Top