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

[hillshaveeyes]

Wonder if there’s a relationship between the property owners and PS, or if he had worked there before? He could have been familiar with the place and gone there whilst no one was home and dumped Sam and the phone. Wonder if there’s more items yet to be found in that water….

Didn't he go to the moto Cross track close by?

 

[Rumination1]

I guess we all have to wait for the wheels of justice . It’s interesting how soon after the tv show he was arrested…, has to have been a link / informant

 

[hillshaveeyes]

Hard dry earth, it's like concrete , in February. Unless he bought along some tools. Specific to digging a grave..that is, a hammer would not work, neither would a screwdriver, he'd need big stuff, spades, hoe, pick, shovel, .. a jackhammer would be handy.

All this stuff makes a lot of noise, too, as well as him groaning and huffing. He could not do it with his bare hands, even attempting it would cause injury,

I wonder if he had access to a small 1.7 tonne excavator.

a hand dug grave, forgive me for being perhaps insensitive, takes a long time. That's why professionals use big mechanical equipment, the sides have to be shored up, there is a certain amount of engineering in it, otherwise it defeats the purpose. At some stage someone has to get IN it, and dig upwards and this is dangerous stuff..

It is reasonable to assume that whatever was done to hide the body, it was efficient, at the very least, considering the killer had no way of knowing how much time he had , when the alarm would sound for his victim...

No one can find it.

A small 1.7 tonne excavator would do the trick. But if BIG O had one it'd be in LE compound and we'd know all about it.

 

[Rocket333]

I guess we all have to wait for the wheels of justice . It’s interesting how soon after the tv show he was arrested…, has to have been a link / informant

Agreed. Something bothers me about his whole family picking up and leaving immediately too.
The need for breathing space away from the media & the locals is totally understandable, but there’s something not sitting right with it for me if they all felt they had to just stop their lives and leave.

 

[Cedars]

. It’s interesting how soon after the tv show he was arrested…, has to have been a link / informant

IMO, even if someone turned him in, police would not just arrest and charge him. They would have to confirm it through more solid evidence.

For eg, there have been cases where police and/or a girlfriend suspects someone, and she wears a wire and gets him to talk about what happened.

Or, phone pings/CCTV put him/truck in the vicinity, and LE got DNA off the truck.

Or paint from the truck was found at the site, and exactly matched a damaged spot on his truck.

Or, they found something like blood at the scene of the crime with his DNA, and tracked it to him using phone pings/CCTV of his vehicle in the vicinity.

IMO, human witnesses are not reliable enough to lay charges, they have to have evidence that comes from forensics or techology.

JMO

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Agreed. Something bothers me about his whole family picking up and leaving immediately too.
The need for breathing space away from the media & the locals is totally understandable, but there’s something not sitting right with it for me if they all felt they had to just stop their lives and leave.

I agree, and it's amazing with all the media around, there hasn't been one bit of information or some photos of them outside somewhere. I can imagine for safety as well, but maybe there is a lot more information to come out that they are aware of

 

[BreakingNews]

Agreed. Something bothers me about his whole family picking up and leaving immediately too.
The need for breathing space away from the media & the locals is totally understandable, but there’s something not sitting right with it for me if they all felt they had to just stop their lives and leave.

I don't find it odd. We don't know the family dynamics. I would be considering the protection of the 2 daughters

 

[BreakingNews]

DBM

 

[Trooper]

I don't find it odd. We don't know the family dynamics. I would be considering the protection of the 2 daughters

Especially the two daughters. I'd be off to Brazil. Or even if VICPOL advised them to do so, that is entirely possible, and rationally, one would take that kind of advice seriously.. .... or, maybe , PS has cut himself off from them and they see this as necessary. People have different solutions to the problems they face, and this problem is unique to them specifically, in their community, and this is their way of resolving it.

Considering the press treatment the parents of the Bondi bloke got, who's to say it's the wrong decision?

 

[Rocket333]

I don't find it odd. We don't know the family dynamics. I would be considering the protection of the 2 daughters

Yeah I get it. How full on having to stop & abandon your life as you know it. He’s such a *advertiser censored*. BTW his initials get deleted now haha

 

[Rocket333]

Especially the two daughters. I'd be off to Brazil. Or even if VICPOL advised them to do so, that is entirely possible, and rationally, one would take that kind of advice seriously.. .... or, maybe , PS has cut himself off from them and they see this as necessary. People have different solutions to the problems they face, and this problem is unique to them specifically, in their community, and this is their way of resolving it.

Considering the press treatment the parents of the Bondi bloke got, who's to say it's the wrong decision?

Yeah you’re right. Imaging being in their shoes I think I’d bolt straight away too. The alternative wouldn’t be easy at all in a big country town.

 

[jjleroche]

Agreed. Something bothers me about his whole family picking up and leaving immediately too.
The need for breathing space away from the media & the locals is totally understandable, but there’s something not sitting right with it for me if they all felt they had to just stop their lives and leave.

I agree - particularly as the decision seems to have been made very quickly. (I haven't been able to find a specific timeline so far, but it seems to have been within a day or so of PS being named as the alleged murderer of Samantha.) JMO

It's such massive decision to make very quickly, since the daughters were born and raised in Ballarat, and their parents had lived almost their entire adult lives there. I'm speculating that this decision also entailed cessation of business operations.
IIRC from all accounts both parents were highly-regarded and very well-liked.

On the other hand, if PS' parents had been considering moving away for a while, the situation may have just been a catalyst. IIRC PS' mother has parents living in NSW to whom she is close. Maybe moving closer to them may have been on the cards for a while.

IMO it's possible that family members have been experiencing considerable stress for a while, and the arrest is the straw that broke the camels back.

JMO

 

[Rocket333]

Did PS still have a license after crashing his bike into a tree and failing a breath test last October?
Wondering if he was on a restricted 'work' licence and if he was using his ute or his bike in the bush that fateful morning.

Alleged killer of Samantha Murphy hit with fresh charges

Patrick Orren Stephenson has been hit with fresh charges of drink and drug driving after he allegedly crashed a motorbike in Ballarat last year.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[HoneyBunOne]

You reckon? I’ve read all of the threads. It seemed to originate from the DM, another chat site and a video of him snorting something without much context. I don’t care either way but if it’s just conjecture, maybe he didn’t have a blinder the night before and was more clear minded on the day than is realised.

I don't know where I saw it, but there was a point in time that a longer version of the alleged cocaine snorting video was circulating. The longer one showed him snorting the substance, the shorter one that was shared everywhere - news outlets, Facebook, etc only showed him looking like he was off his face, and not partaking in any kind of substance use. It must be noted that this video is NOT from the night before the alleged murder, it was several weeks earlier from memory. It does appear to show - blurred out for privacy - people in the close vicinity snorting drugs. The conclusion I drew, from seeing the longer version, is that the accused is a drug user and is capable of consuming enough drugs, and/or alcohol - he's been seen in other photos with alcohol in his hand, so he does drink - to appear quite impaired.

Whether you'd want to call that longer version evidence of being a drug user, that's up to you. It appears clear to me that's what he was doing in that particular video.

MOO of course.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

I agree - particularly as the decision seems to have been made very quickly. (I haven't been able to find a specific timeline so far, but it seems to have been within a day or so of PS being named as the alleged murderer of Samantha.) JMO

It's such massive decision to make very quickly, since the daughters were born and raised in Ballarat, and their parents had lived almost their entire adult lives there. I'm speculating that this decision also entailed cessation of business operations.
IIRC from all accounts both parents were highly-regarded and very well-liked.

On the other hand, if PS' parents had been considering moving away for a while, the situation may have just been a catalyst. IIRC PS' mother has parents living in NSW to whom she is close. Maybe moving closer to them may have been on the cards for a while.

IMO it's possible that family members have been experiencing considerable stress for a while, and the arrest is the straw that broke the camels back.

JMO

I did happen very, very quickly, within a day or two as you said.

It's a huge decision to make, knowing that it will likely be for a very long time. His father had a business to run, his mother had a job to go to, and I'm guessing the daughters had either work, school or a combination of them both. They all would have had friends, commitments, potentially partners for the girls etc. Anyone who's moved an entire family knows it doesn't just happen overnight, in ideal circumstances anyway. Even a last minute weekend away or holiday takes some planning. However, if it was all very last minute, I guess you grab all the bags you can, fill them with your immediate needs and wants, and hightail it out of there, worrying about all the finer details later. Perhaps have a close friend access the home later to take care of things that you couldn't do last minute. It's hard to know what the long term plan was for them - leave until the immediate circus died down, leave until the trial is over, leave for several years until it's no longer such a hot topic, or leave for good. The area they lived in would still have a small town feel in these circumstances, with gossip, stares, crazies camped outside your house etc.

It leads me to wonder if someone within his immediate family knew or suspected something, and could have informed police of their concerns? Perhaps they had somewhat of a "heads up" that the you-know-what would hit the fan in the next day or so? This option would give them a bit of thinking time before news broke and the decision to leave wouldn't be quite as last minute as it appeared. You also have to wonder if LE advised them to leave, for whatever reason. Retribution, if indeed someone within his family dobbed him in? All my thoughts only.

 

[Trooper]

I did happen very, very quickly, within a day or two as you said.

It's a huge decision to make, knowing that it will likely be for a very long time. His father had a business to run, his mother had a job to go to, and I'm guessing the daughters had either work, school or a combination of them both. They all would have had friends, commitments, potentially partners for the girls etc. Anyone who's moved an entire family knows it doesn't just happen overnight, in ideal circumstances anyway. Even a last minute weekend away or holiday takes some planning. However, if it was all very last minute, I guess you grab all the bags you can, fill them with your immediate needs and wants, and hightail it out of there, worrying about all the finer details later. Perhaps have a close friend access the home later to take care of things that you couldn't do last minute. It's hard to know what the long term plan was for them - leave until the immediate circus died down, leave until the trial is over, leave for several years until it's no longer such a hot topic, or leave for good. The area they lived in would still have a small town feel in these circumstances, with gossip, stares, crazies camped outside your house etc.

It leads me to wonder if someone within his immediate family knew or suspected something, and could have informed police of their concerns? Perhaps they had somewhat of a "heads up" that the you-know-what would hit the fan in the next day or so? This option would give them a bit of thinking time before news broke and the decision to leave wouldn't be quite as last minute as it appeared. You also have to wonder if LE advised them to leave, for whatever reason. Retribution, if indeed someone within his family dobbed him in? All my thoughts only.

I've wondered if whatever VICPOL told the Stephenson Dad and Mum, it must have been convincing, enough to leave a thriving electrical business, mum is a teacher, she has to leave that, one of the daughters works in a real estate office, she has to leave that ,the other in school, she has to leave that, must have been some hard, hard rock hard stuff VICPOL laid out on them. Something unarguable , undeniable, unrefutable. It would have to be, to provoke this reaction . That decision would not have been easy, but it must have been unavoidable . Who would do that on a whim? no one, that's who.


Of course, the same rock hard stuff must have been laid on Mick Murphy, for him , his wife''s death is a reality, whatever VICPOL told him , he was convinced enough to no longer hope for her eventual return alive. In a way, 2 families riven .

 

[Trooper]

Did PS still have a license after crashing his bike into a tree and failing a breath test last October?
Wondering if he was on a restricted 'work' licence and if he was using his ute or his bike in the bush that fateful morning.

Alleged killer of Samantha Murphy hit with fresh charges

Patrick Orren Stephenson has been hit with fresh charges of drink and drug driving after he allegedly crashed a motorbike in Ballarat last year.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The Highway Patrol in Vic have the power to restrict your licence on the spot, depending, naturally, on the severity of the crime , but a bit of back and forth on here came up with the idea that his licence is restricted, but that Dad woud have written a letter to the court to keep him able to ride, or drive, on a very limited basis ( work and back ) because of Dad's business and this would apply only up until the case is heard, in August.

But... other events intercepted this program.. After that court case re the accident and the tree etc, (both his traffic charge, and some other mystery charge, plus the murder charge are all 1st week August ) it's all a moot point, I suppose, since he can't do much driving around in prison.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Didn't he go to the moto Cross track close by?

Everyone is talking about this alleged motor bike track, yet I can't find any evidence of it on google maps. Is this just the alleged track seen on private property in aerial shots of the area where the phone was found?

I've wondered if whatever VICPOL told the Stephenson Dad and Mum, it must have been convincing, enough to leave a thriving electrical business, mum is a teacher, she has to leave that, one of the daughters works in a real estate office, she has to leave that ,the other in school, she has to leave that, must have been some hard, hard rock hard stuff VICPOL laid out on them. Something unarguable , undeniable, unrefutable. It would have to be, to provoke this reaction . That decision would not have been easy, but it must have been unavoidable . Who would do that on a whim? no one, that's who.


Of course, the same rock hard stuff must have been laid on Mick Murphy, for him , his wife''s death is a reality, whatever VICPOL told him , he was convinced enough to no longer hope for her eventual return alive. In a way, 2 families riven .

I think you are right, whatever evidence LE have it's strong enough for a desperate husband to believe his wife is indeed dead, despite her body not being found, and for an entire family to uproot their lives, in a matter of hours or days and show no support towards their wayward son. It's enough for LE to be very strong and clear in saying that they allege it was a deliberate act of murder, by the accused, at 8am or thereabouts, in the Mt Clear area. Short of screaming it from a mountain top, they have made it incredibly clear that this is what they allege happened, no ifs, buts or maybes. Very, very sure this is what occurred.

MOO of course.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Just deleting my double post.

 

[ProfCluezo]

It’s possible that last October’s encounter with police (due to PS allegedly slamming into a tree on his motorbike while under the influence of alcohol and/drugs) may have had the family already preparing for how to potentially manage the fallout of possible charges and a police record for 4 months preceding SMs disappearance. I have always leaned towards the theory that actions like this do not come from nowhere - and by 22 years old a fairly significant consolidation of personality has already become apparent. I suspect that the family were shocked but at the same time not entirely suprised (sadly). Plans to consider leaving may have been in motion for some time and this may have been the final impetus they needed…

All entirely conjecture and JMO.

PS: Please keep the theories rolling sleuthers - it’s great to hear different ideas