Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat 100km NW of Melbourne, 4 Feb 2024 #6

[Dotta]

She might've known days prior, she might of contacted police leading up to a arrest, we don't know any of this, we don't know how she's truly going, I found it appalling DM taking photos of a person that at this stage police say had nothing to do with the crime, she is a young girl this would be devastating.. who knows that photo might've been the only time she was outside that day, seeking some companionship from her horses and DM decide to invade her privacy... She's a victim in this too, it's not going to be easy to heal from this especially if he wasn't always good to her.... She might be relieved he's gone, you can't tell how someone is feelin' from a DM photo, if that were the case MM looks like a smiley snail, instead of a man going through some tough situations and times.....
Her life has been turned upside down, why are the going to take photos of his sister's next and make an article about that too? Poor young woman, she dost deserve this kind of media attention after having her life exploded...
I hope the media leave her alone, it would've not easy to navigate this situation, the photos were dated and confirmed to be after his arrest.

I don't understand.
Do you think DM published the story/photos behind the girl's back?
Against her wishes?

 

[SleutherGirl]

I'm confident they have enough, I also think they will find Sam without PS's "help".

They seemed very confident in the presser.

All IMO of course

To be fair, of course they are confident in the presser. What are they supposed to say, "We have no idea, pretty please Mr. Suspect Man, help us?"

 

[drsleuth]

I don't understand.
Do you think DM published the story/photos behind the girl's back?
Against her wishes?

My bet is absolutely!

 

[mamamama9873]

Another day , and no closer to located Mrs Murphy's body.. Silence from the accused. . ...In Australia , his solicitor ( attorney) would not be advising him to stay silent on the matter, as a 'bargaining chip'.. This would be classified as a crime , and the lawyer would be disbarred. Once the police ask for information in regard to a murder, and information is withheld, ( since the police are not suggesting you come forward, they are directing you ) .. that's a felony..

He has no bargaining chip, in all reality, VICPOL wouldn't give lowering the charge a seconds thought, it's murder, he has to deal with it, VICPOL can wait, and they'll search until Kingdom come before watering down any charges currently underway..

They would be consulting the family, ... it would not be a decision in a vacuum, but the prevailing view would be to let him stew. Some theories about him being too ratted out to remember where he put the body are feasible, but this makes him even more dangerous, a bloke who can kill and not remember, ... ye gods.. ..

It is hard to tell with any certainty what Mr S. 's current frame of mind is, and I doubt that he is in Gen Pop in the remand centre.. ( lots of people walk past the Remand centre in Melbourne, not knowing, it's that grim grey skyscraper on the corner of Bourke and WIlliam St, just down a bit in William St, the defendants come to court in a sort of horse float truck, it drives up Bourke very slowly. ) He would not be allowed to be mixing with the other men on Remand, I don't think, for his own safety, and , I suppose, for theirs, because who knows...


I do honestly think that VICPOL will find that body with or without any input from the accused, it's not their first rodeo, they have methods and processes that he knows nothing about..

I’m very glad to read that the legal representative has an obligation to advise PS not to withhold details that have been requested (i.e. Location of the body). That seemed very cruel to the family to be legally somewhat in the offender’s interest to withhold the information. I’m so relieved to hear this is not the case. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

 

[nightrider17]

I can't really believe he hasn't been on Police radar for other incidents in the past, especially hearing he has been in fights on the previous Saturday night(It just points to him being volatile).IMO

His car is captured in the area on Sunday - like other cars. His phone pings in the Mt Clear area - BUT - he also has some history for the police to zero in on him. JMO

Maybe previous misdemeanours have been escalating and moving in this direction (alleged SA) for him to be singled out for the Police to follow up on. JMO

 

[mamamama9873]

She might've known days prior, she might of contacted police leading up to a arrest, we don't know any of this, we don't know how she's truly going, I found it appalling DM taking photos of a person that at this stage police say had nothing to do with the crime, she is a young girl this would be devastating.. who knows that photo might've been the only time she was outside that day, seeking some companionship from her horses and DM decide to invade her privacy... She's a victim in this too, it's not going to be easy to heal from this especially if he wasn't always good to her.... She might be relieved he's gone, you can't tell how someone is feelin' from a DM photo, if that were the case MM looks like a smiley snail, instead of a man going through some tough situations and times.....
Her life has been turned upside down, are they going to take photos of his sister's next and make an article about that too? Poor young woman, she dost deserve this kind of media attention after having her life exploded...
I hope the media leave her alone, it would not be easy to navigate this situation, the photos were dated and confirmed to be after his arrest.

Could not agree more. Why are they plastering her photos in the media. So irrelevant showing her tending to the horses.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

I’m reading the home being ‘sitted ‘ by PS and his gf is currently for sale having been on the market since November .
Read elsewhere it is owned by a Ballarat hairdresser .
Sounds a logical fit to have a local person with daily ties ( caring for her horses on parents nearby property ) to house sit an unoccupied property .

I can't recall where, but I believe the owner was known to either the defendant or his girlfriend. I'm not sure where PS was living prior to the house sit situation, but it might have just been a win-win situation for both parties - the home has the safety of being lived in while on the market, and PS and his girlfriend get somewhere to live together cheaply or for free.

 

[nightpaw]

I’m very glad to read that the legal representative has an obligation to advise PS not to withold details that have been requested (i.e. Location of the body). That seemed very cruel to the family to be somewhat in the offender’s interest to withhold the information. I’m so relieved to hear this is not the case. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Agreed I was also questioning how a withholding strategy could possibly be a legal line of defense surely that would also incriminate the lawyer..:

 

[Dr Samoht]

The house is listed for sale. My previous post about this got deleted but a simple Google search takes you to the listing. I got the address from a newspaper article after the suppression order was lifted.

I’m wondering if this was the home of the later well known Australian tv entertainer Ernie Sigley .
Ernie had a 5.6 hectare property somewhere near the foot of Mt Buninyong he developed into a private 9 hole golf course with ideas of promoting it as a weekend getaway for couples .. perhaps the sign outside is a legacy of that era .( research Ernie Sigley interview with Peter Mitchell 1998).

 

[mamamama9873]

I don't understand.
Do you think DM published the story/photos behind the girl's back?
Against her wishes?

100% they did. Look at her social media photos (they also published them) vs the horse photos (make up free, casual clothes). They are also shot from further away and zoomed in which you can tell by the quality of the photos. She was not consulted to have these photos and her ‘story’ published.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Could not agree more. Why are they plastering her photos in the media. So irrelevant showing her tending to the horses.

You have to consider the source. This publication has been finding anything and everything to stay relevant in this case. I'm starting to think they have eyes literally everywhere. The stuff they dig up.....

 

[Dezzie]

I expected that they would find the body soon after the arrest. Once they had a suspect I thought they would be able to track his movements and narrow down possible locations and find SMs body quite fast. Im surprised they still have not found her, even without PS cooperating.
There has been alot of debate over it being planned, targeted etc but regardless of motive, or the many possible theories, the alleged suspect has somehow come across her in the bush and apparently a murder has occured, but why still no body?

I dont think it would take alot of planning or intelligence to "take advantage" of the thousands of mineshafts in the area.
As another poster mentioned, the Under Investigation episode mentioned several times, that it would be almost impossible to find a body down a mineshaft, it felt strange at the time, almost like they were advertising it as an option, or now, i believe...preparing for the grim reality she may never be found.
I believe this is a likely scenario and they know there is not much hope of retrieving SMs body without a confession. The show could very well have given him renewed confidence of his very convenient "disposal location" which further encourages his silence.

 

[Dr Samoht]

My feeling is that we don't know enough about this matter.

It is very difficult for many people to pay two mortgages, if the owner has bought another place.

Consequently, many people put their house up for sale while they are still living there. And once their house has sold they can fund another house purchase. Or they can rent it out - short term - until their house sells.

The fact that the girlfriend was house-sitting could just mean that the property owner was away on holiday, because I cannot imagine house-sitting a place where the owner has emptied it of furniture and all the things a person needs to cook, clean, keep their food cold, and live.

imo

It’s likely the Yendon property is fully furnished and equipped for daily living as the real estate presentation series of interior photos depict .

 

[Neet_Mc]

As usual in such cases - alleged sexual attack IMO

Another day , and no closer to located Mrs Murphy's body.. Silence from the accused. . ...In Australia , his solicitor ( attorney) would not be advising him to stay silent on the matter, as a 'bargaining chip'.. This would be classified as a crime , and the lawyer would be disbarred. Once the police ask for information in regard to a murder, and information is withheld, ( since the police are not suggesting you come forward, they are directing you ) .. that's a felony..

He has no bargaining chip, in all reality, VICPOL wouldn't give lowering the charge a seconds thought, it's murder, he has to deal with it, VICPOL can wait, and they'll search until Kingdom come before watering down any charges currently underway..

They would be consulting the family, ... it would not be a decision in a vacuum, but the prevailing view would be to let him stew. Some theories about him being too ratted out to remember where he put the body are feasible, but this makes him even more dangerous, a bloke who can kill and not remember, ... ye gods.. ..

It is hard to tell with any certainty what Mr S. 's current frame of mind is, and I doubt that he is in Gen Pop in the remand centre.. ( lots of people walk past the Remand centre in Melbourne, not knowing, it's that grim grey skyscraper on the corner of Bourke and WIlliam St, just down a bit in William St, the defendants come to court in a sort of horse float truck, it drives up Bourke very slowly. ) He would not be allowed to be mixing with the other men on Remand, I don't think, for his own safety, and , I suppose, for theirs, because who knows...


I do honestly think that VICPOL will find that body with or without any input from the accused, it's not their first rodeo, they have methods and processes that he knows nothing about..

At first I was not onboard with sexual assault as his motive, however, I’m now leaning towards him not divulging the body’s location because it would show evidence of sexual assault.

 

[Toowong(s)]

100% they did. Look at her social media photos (they also published them) vs the horse photos (make up free, casual clothes). They are also shot from further away and zoomed in which you can tell by the quality of the photos. She was not consulted to have these photos and her ‘story’ published.

Thanks all, 100% the DM took these shots after the arrest. They also approached for comment. From the text in the article previously linked by others:

She refused to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia but was observed standing, sitting and blowing kisses at the horse.

Stephenson was arrested just up the road at another property on Yendon No 2 Road.

Alleged Samantha Murphy killer's close female friend breaks cover

A woman believed to a close friend of Patrick Orren Stephenson's was seen training and tending to a horse at the rear of a Scotsburn property not far from where he was arrested.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Neet_Mc]

I don't understand.
Do you think DM published the story/photos behind the girl's back?
Against her wishes?

She seems to be quite content taking candid footage of other people and broadcasting it, what’s the difference!? (And completely grateful of said footage because now we have actual picture of PS painted for us!)

 

[Toowong(s)]

I expected that they would find the body soon after the arrest. Once they had a suspect I thought they would be able to track his movements and narrow down possible locations and find SMs body quite fast. Im surprised they still have not found her, even without PS cooperating.
There has been alot of debate over it being planned, targeted etc but regardless of motive, or the many possible theories, the alleged suspect has somehow come across her in the bush and apparently a murder has occured, but why still no body?

I dont think it would take alot of planning or intelligence to "take advantage" of the thousands of mineshafts in the area.
As another poster mentioned, the Under Investigation episode mentioned several times, that it would be almost impossible to find a body down a mineshaft, it felt strange at the time, almost like they were advertising it as an option, or now, i believe...preparing for the grim reality she may never be found.
I believe this is a likely scenario and they know there is not much hope of retrieving SMs body without a confession. The show could very well have given him renewed confidence of his very convenient "disposal location" which further encourages his silence.

It’s interesting that police are yet to publish clear details of his vehicle, it’s currently known/assumed movements on the day, and further appeals for sightings or CCTV of THAT specific vehicle. From memory with Borce R. they even re-enacted the assumed/known route in the same or a similar car.

I’d have expected police to release some clear images, rego, description of the vehicle, where they currently think/know it was around that time. Get as much into as possible about its movements.

 

[Dotta]

I expected that they would find the body soon after the arrest. Once they had a suspect I thought they would be able to track his movements and narrow down possible locations and find SMs body quite fast. Im surprised they still have not found her, even without PS cooperating.
There has been alot of debate over it being planned, targeted etc but regardless of motive, or the many possible theories, the alleged suspect has somehow come across her in the bush and apparently a murder has occured, but why still no body?

I dont think it would take alot of planning or intelligence to "take advantage" of the thousands of mineshafts in the area.
As another poster mentioned, the Under Investigation episode mentioned several times, that it would be almost impossible to find a body down a mineshaft, it felt strange at the time, almost like they were advertising it as an option, or now, i believe...preparing for the grim reality she may never be found.
I believe this is a likely scenario and they know there is not much hope of retrieving SMs body without a confession. The show could very well have given him renewed confidence of his very convenient "disposal location" which further encourages his silence.

IMO
Wherever he allegedly took her,
there must be some evidence of this.
On the car - even microscopic traces of soil, foliage, etc.

And the place of concealment also allegedly guards evidence of perp's and victim's presence.

We always leave something behind wherever we go,
and always take something from the places we visit.

JMO

 

[HoneyBunOne]

My feeling is that we don't know enough about this matter.

It is very difficult for many people to pay two mortgages, if the owner has bought another place.

Consequently, many people put their house up for sale while they are still living there. And once their house has sold they can fund another house purchase. Or they can rent it out - short term - until their house sells.

The fact that the girlfriend was house-sitting could just mean that the property owner was away on holiday, because I cannot imagine house-sitting a place where the owner has emptied it of furniture and all the things a person needs to cook, clean, keep their food cold, and live.

imo

My opinion only, but looking at the listing for the property it looks like someone north of 50 owns this property, and quite possibly a lot older. The home doesn't look staged to sell, it looks lived in. Perhaps they have gone into care, or moved in with family for their well being. Maybe just down sized and moved into a unit in town. Perhaps even died. These situations wouldn't require you to completely empty out the house. Rural properties can take a lot longer than suburban homes to sell so you can have time on your side for considering what to do with the belongings inside.

 

[Dr Samoht]

My opinion only, but looking at the listing for the property it looks like someone north of 50 owns this property, and quite possibly a lot older. The home doesn't look staged to sell, it looks lived in. Perhaps they have gone into care, or moved in with family for their well being. Maybe just down sized and moved into a unit in town. Perhaps even died. These situations wouldn't require you to completely empty out the house. Rural properties can take a lot longer than suburban homes to sell so you can have time on your side for considering what to do with the belongings inside.

A good analysis.