Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #10

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Cliff Hardy said:
Fair point but the narrative as I see it, would potentially have the other family more at risk. Not going to elaborate further, as the last time I did my post was removed.
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Agree ! It should be called Websleuths Facts Only ! No opinions allowed ;)
There could be more to this, death threats etc, what information the family might have learnt
with court proceeding taking place soon
 
Trooper said:
He 'appeared ' by ZOOM, from Melbourne where he was in the remand centre, televised to Ballarat Court. The camera would not be panning around to anyone in attendance for the convenience of the accused , and his emotions., or theirs, for that matter.

The parents would not have been able to speak to him via ZOOM as the televising is for the magistrate, not for the public to engage in chit chat with a loved one.

It is entirely possible that the magistrate let the S family watch the proceedings in his private chambers, to spare them the inevitable witless nonsense that may disturb the court. This is often the procedure, and nothing unusual about that.

They may have certainly 'appeared' so to speak, but not as the newspapers would have wished them to, that is, be publicly howling and snuffling for the papers clickbait. Magistrates are quite attuned to the variables in public procedures and often make arrangements that are sensitive and , oddly, kind, and well within their purview to do.
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His first appearance was in the Ballarat Court in person. His parents and friends could have turned up
 
JLZ said:
I think you're right. That would have been just after he'd spent all night being interviewed by police. Ending in charges. Family/friends wouldn't have had much if any notice.
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Actually, he was questioned all night, and into the morning at the Melbourne Remand centre.. the police did not drive him back up to Ballarat for his first court appearance, and then drive him back. It was done via Zoom, which is why we have record of the only word spoken by Mr S.

The magistrate (on camera ) says 'can you hear me, Mr Stephenson ?: ( checking the visuals and audio of the system)

and Mr S says ( on camera ) 'yes' ....

He most likely will be doing his next appearance on ZOOM as well.

ps. When the newspapers say, ' he was 'bought before' the magistrate, that does not necessarily mean in person, it means he was produced by the police, to the court. in whatever form the police choose to do so., It can be in bodily form, but mostly these days it is via camera.

But, you know. . people have different ideas of what is what. so....
 
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Trooper said:
Actually, he was questioned all night, and into the morning at the Melbourne Remand centre.. the police did not drive him back up to Ballarat for his first court appearance, and then drive him back. It was done via Zoom, which is why we have record of the only word spoken by Mr S.

The magistrate (on camera ) says 'can you hear me, Mr Stephenson ?: ( checking the visuals and audio of the system)

and Mr S says ( on camera ) 'yes' ....

He most likely will be doing his next appearance on ZOOM as well.

ps. When the newspapers say, ' he was 'bought before' the magistrate, that does not necessarily mean in person, it means he was produced by the police, to the court. in whatever form the police choose to do so., It can be in bodily form, but mostly these days it is via camera.

But, you know. . people have different ideas of what is what. so..
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Trooper said:
Actually, he was questioned all night, and into the morning at the Melbourne Remand centre.. the police did not drive him back up to Ballarat for his first court appearance, and then drive him back. It was done via Zoom, which is why we have record of the only word spoken by Mr S.

The magistrate (on camera ) says 'can you hear me, Mr Stephenson ?: ( checking the visuals and audio of the system)

and Mr S says ( on camera ) 'yes' ....

He most likely will be doing his next appearance on ZOOM as well.

ps. When the newspapers say, ' he was 'bought before' the magistrate, that does not necessarily mean in person, it means he was produced by the police, to the court. in whatever form the police choose to do so., It can be in bodily form, but mostly these days it is via camera.

But, you know. . people have different ideas of what is what. so....
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No, He was brought into court for his first appearance in person when he faced Ballarat Magistrates Court. He could have had anyone there to support him. But only a couple of security guards to hold his hand.
He would have been in a holding cell after questioning on Thursday and then faced court Friday the next day

www.abc.net.au

Patrick Orren Stephenson named as Samantha Murphy's accused killer after suppression order ends

The man charged with murdering Victorian woman Samantha Murphy can be revealed as Patrick Orren Stephenson, after his lawyer dropped a bid to have the 22-year-old's name suppressed.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
 
Scooby-Doo said:
None of his family or friends supported him, when he appeared in his first court hearing. That says a lot !
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Would they have even known that he was appearing then and there? He was charged after 30 odd hours of questioning, and nobody knew at what point he would be charged, if charged at all. Was there even time to be notified and attend, had they wanted to? I'm guessing word does travel fast in those circumstances though. Had his parents already fled at this point? I'm not sure. Daily mail suggests that they fled sometime after media descended on their home on the Thursday afternoon he was charged, and he then appeared in court on the Friday. The same article also alleges that the accused was living between the 2 homes at the time - the house sitting gig and the family home.
www.dailymail.co.uk

Cops make major move in Sam Murphy murder investigation

The man charged with the murder of Ballarat mother of three Samantha Murphy is the son of a former AFL footballer.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk

Trooper, you seem to have a good understanding of the legal process. Do you have any insight as to whether the parents could have been informed of when the accused would appear before a judge?

Apparently he had the legal right to call a friend/relative along with a legal representative when taken in for questioning. Who knows if he exercised that right, and who he called. His parents, girlfriend, mate, a potential accomplice?
 
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HoneyBunOne said:
Would they have even known that he was appearing then and there? He was charged after 30 odd hours of questioning, and nobody knew at what point he would be charged, if charged at all. Was there even time to be notified and attend, had they wanted to? I'm guessing word does travel fast in those circumstances though. Had his parents already fled at this point? I'm not sure. Daily mail suggests that they fled sometime after media descended on their home on the Thursday afternoon he was charged, and he then appeared in court on the Friday. The same article also alleges that the accused was living between the 2 homes at the time - the house sitting gig and the family home.
www.dailymail.co.uk

Cops make major move in Sam Murphy murder investigation

The man charged with the murder of Ballarat mother of three Samantha Murphy is the son of a former AFL footballer.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk

Trooper, you seem to have a good understanding of the legal process. Do you have any insight as to whether the parents could have been informed of when the accused would appear before a judge?

Apparently he had the legal right to call a friend/relative along with a legal representative when taken in for questioning. Who knows if he exercised that right, and who he called. His parents, girlfriend, mate, a potential accomplice?
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I am sure the opportunity was there, but we will see in his next court appearance, when he will enter a plea
 
Seni said:
Snipped for focus. Lets leave them alone. What does it matter? Nothing to do with them
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I think we're all just curious about what their silence and absence means for the accused. We don't know what they know, if anything. They could be witnesses for all we know, and therefore relevant to the case. I think their movements could be quite telling in regards to the relationship they had with the accused and how he felt, came to develop his personality traits etc. I'd like to think none of us are going to hunt them down, in real or cyber life.
 
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Scooby-Doo said:
No, He was brought into court for his first appearance in person when he faced Ballarat Magistrates Court. He could have had anyone there to support him. But only a couple of security guards to hold his hand.
He would have been in a holding cell after questioning on Thursday and then faced court Friday the next day

www.abc.net.au

Patrick Orren Stephenson named as Samantha Murphy's accused killer after suppression order ends

The man charged with murdering Victorian woman Samantha Murphy can be revealed as Patrick Orren Stephenson, after his lawyer dropped a bid to have the 22-year-old's name suppressed.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
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We are both half right and half wrong. The Ballarat Clerk of Courts said that he was placed in an annex, not in the court room, ( Ballarat had 24 matters going on that day ) due to security concerns. He and the magistrate spoke by Zoom. My mistake was in thinking he was zoomed from the Remand centre. He was flanked by officers, but this was in the annex. not in the main courtroom which was quite well attended by the families of other persons on the program.

Apparently, this is not at all unusual, speaking with my local court, (I rang them as well ), they say they do it all the time, some matters have the potential to cause chaos and mayhem , traffic jams ( making the police very cross ) and all round hooting and hollering, so persons of interest in some cases come in the back door, and into the annex and remain there so that no one can converse with them at any time except police officers.


I asked her about family turning up, in a very roundabout way, she says, they are often asked not to appear, by the magistrate, who tells the police, who tell the family, due to disturbances in the court. Which, I suppose is fair enough, as he was not the only matter rostered for court that day, some of the other stuff was complex, too, she said.,

SO, It seems really mean to keep on and on about his family not turning up for him. There are many reasons why they were not seen at the court house, reasons that far outweigh the usual horrid parent meme.. And if it turns out that someone is kicking in for Galbally's fees, he could not fairly be called abandoned.

EDIT. Also, just for those playing along at home, Lachlan Young will be under the same regime, into the annex , not in the courtroom, apparently he has much more reasons to be absolutely heavily guarded at all times , and at the same time , allowing the court to go about it 's business.
 
Be careful folks. Somewhere out there, in a seemingly abandoned warehouse, is an outlaw motorcycle gang member keeping a close eye on Websleuths.com to make sure no websleuther comes too close to solving what happened
 
HoneyBunOne said:
il.co.uk/news/article-13170739/patrick-orren-stephenson-patrick-afl-samantha-murphy-alleged-killer.html[/URL]

Trooper, you seem to have a good understanding of the legal process. Do you have any insight as to whether the parents could have been informed of when the accused would appear before a judge?

Apparently he had the legal right to call a friend/relative along with a legal representative when taken in for questioning. Who knows if he exercised that right, and who he called. His parents, girlfriend, mate, a potential accomplice?
Click to expand...
edited by me for brevity

Yes they would have been told, the Stephensons would have had a Family Liaison Officer at their home every day, and probably every night. That was his actual home, his girlfriends place was a temporary residence. They would be informed all the way.

The legal right etc. Actually, he does not have that right as you have expressed it there, because he is 22. If he was 19 ,or 18, maybe, they might bend the rules, depending on a whole lot of factors, mental health, emotional grasp, a whooole lot of stuff, very rarely bended, though, but over 18 one is considered an adult, in legal matters. His legal rep would be allowed. But that's it.

So that is not quite how it works. Probably for the very reason you projected there., anyone could rock up.
 
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Scooby-Doo said:
I am sure the opportunity was there, but we will see in his next court appearance, when he will enter a plea
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Scoobs, look ... The judge in his Summary hearing would , like the magistrate, discuss this with the Ballarat coppers, because they, the Ballarat coppers , are responsible for decorum and good order, and no traffic jam, and keeping the press in line, and making sure the business of the court is paramount, and is not disturbed by people being hunted down by the press.

They would not be seen by the press. There is an entrance that the magistrate and the judge use, and the jury if one is called up for a case. If they went, police would ensure that's how they entered and their exit would be where the police probably exit..

Security is everything, and even though this court is a regional one, not like the Supreme Court, in Melbourne, it still has world class security, it is not a pushover. They would not sit in the gallery in the court house like the rest of us do, arrangements would be made for them to attend well out of public view. This is how courts operate.

If they go, the press will not know. Is my point. So it cannot be assumed they did not go, and a spurious motive assumed.
 
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HoneyBunOne said:
I think we're all just curious about what their silence and absence means for the accused. We don't know what they know, if anything. They could be witnesses for all we know, and therefore relevant to the case. I think their movements could be quite telling in regards to the relationship they had with the accused and how he felt, came to develop his personality traits etc. I'd like to think none of us are going to hunt them down, in real or cyber life.
Click to expand...
I agree with Seni. Let's just leave them alone. It's not what we are about.
 
Trooper said:
edited by me for brevity

Yes they would have been told, the Stephensons would have had a Family Liaison Officer at their home every day, and probably every night. That was his actual home, his girlfriends place was a temporary residence. They would be informed all the way.

The legal right etc. Actually, he does not have that right as you have expressed it there, because he is 22. If he was 19 ,or 18, maybe, they might bend the rules, depending on a whole lot of factors, mental health, emotional grasp, a whooole lot of stuff, very rarely bended, though, but over 18 one is considered an adult, in legal matters. His legal rep would be allowed. But that's it.

So that is not quite how it works. Probably for the very reason you projected there., anyone could rock up.
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According to Legal Aid Victoria, he's allowed 2 phone calls. There are exceptions though, so it's not definite whether he did I guess.

www.legalaid.vic.gov.au

Being arrested

What happens when you are arrested by the police and your rights in custody.
www.legalaid.vic.gov.au www.legalaid.vic.gov.au
 
I have heard from someone who worked in the legal space that the word in Barwon Prison is that it's bikie related, but of course it could just be gossip and completely untrue. I myself don't believe that.
Havn't heard any links between PS and bikies. Although it wouldn't surprise me, i'm ruling it out myself.

In my younger days I knew a guy who you would describe as the aggressive/crazy. He was on some kinda drug, perhaps cocaine. My mate used to buy weed of him. I was in passenger seat and this guy for no reason smashed the window and starts kicking me, the look in his eyes like a was scarily intense. I could see in his car his girlfriend looking down scared. I didn't even get a bruise from it but the point of this is to highlight that these kinda guys can just snap, for paranoid reasons or sudden rage, whatever it is.
I believe he snapped that morning. He was driving his car perhaps with a mate. Something happend involing him hitting her with a car. She wasn't dead, he thought I'm stuffed now, unless I hide everything. He grabs a tool and finishes her off. He goes home and has a sleep. He checks the news just in case. Already news she's missing. He decides to move her further away. He knows somewhere familiar to him, near the area he house sits. He dumps the body and makes little effort to conceal her. On the way back or on his way to his house sit he realises he still has her phone and better get rid of murder weapon too. Again little effort given. Thrown from side of road into dam.
I believe he hasn't kept his mouth shut around his mates and one has then told police.

This link to the stats of where/how etc bodies of homicide are found is very interesting:

Body Disposal in Homicide

Body disposal sites are the most objective crime scene locations available because they represent the last known whereabouts of the victim.
www.crime-scene-investigator.net www.crime-scene-investigator.net

I think now she's either not too far off a road in a reserve and not well concealed.
This is all just my theory and may be totally incorrect. All is IMO.
 
Whatson said:
Be careful folks. Somewhere out there, in a seemingly abandoned warehouse, is an outlaw motorcycle gang member keeping a close eye on Websleuths.com to make sure no websleuther comes too close to solving what happened
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You're the only one mentioning motorcycle gang member ;)
 
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