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

[Scooby-Doo]

It could be as simple as believing he will get away with it if he zips his mouth and then settling in to a "no comment" interview.

Re the phone's location, in this report there is mention of police working closely with a tech expert who helped find Samantha's mobile. The expert also worked on other high profile cases such as Karen Ristevski.

I don't think I'd call him meticulous. He was arrested and charged very quickly so obviously left some good crumbs for detectives, he's made mistakes. We don't know if police have the weapon or other any other evidence (other than what has been made public). It could be that luck has been on his side so far in terms of hiding Samantha's body. There are plenty of cases where a body has taken months to be found, Karen Ristevski is one.

We don't even know if he put the phone in the dam or was seen anywhere near the dam

 

[Trooper]

We don't even know if he put the phone in the dam or was seen anywhere near the dam

I'm thinking that news that the phone was found was a bit of a catalyst to suddenly sign on with Galbally , perhaps. Maybe he has figured out that someone has blabbed , maybe. Not him, though.

Of course, VICPOL may have divined that location of the phone due to a collective seance, but,.... I don't think so.

 

[Sor Juana]

I have been looking at cars and wonder if this may be the model of his car.

2014 Isuzu D-MAX LS-U​

Unable to find a comparison of one with the added snorkel, bull bar or enclosed back window.

vs vs
Hilux N80, Navara D23 and the killer's car

Looks more like Navara.

 

[Whatson]

View attachment 507810 vs View attachment 507809 vs View attachment 507812
Hilux N80, Navara D23 and the killer's car

Looks more like Navara.

It's a mid to late teen d'max... Confirmed months ago. Look at the side mirrors with the little blinker at the end of the black strip on the bottom. Also the funny shaped headlights, almost like butterfly wings.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

I'm thinking that news that the phone was found was a bit of a catalyst to suddenly sign on with Galbally , perhaps. Maybe he has figured out that someone has blabbed , maybe. Not him, though.

Of course, VICPOL may have divined that location of the phone due to a collective seance, but,.... I don't think so.

It does seem more than a coincidence that the appointment of legal counsel has followed so closely after the phone find.

Things might just have started to get real for the man at the pleasure of His Majesty.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I'm thinking that news that the phone was found was a bit of a catalyst to suddenly sign on with Galbally , perhaps. Maybe he has figured out that someone has blabbed , maybe. Not him, though.

Of course, VICPOL may have divined that location of the phone due to a collective seance, but,.... I don't think so.

Maybe he is talking to the AFP and the police are making out, he's still not co-operating to the media as to not jeopardise safety if there is more involved and police are following other lines of inquiry

 

[Whatson]

.

 

[Dotta]

Today - 4th June -
marks 4 months of Samantha's disappearance

"Dr Xanthe Mallett,
a criminologist from the University of Newcastle,
said she was 'surprised'
to hear the phone was in working order -
and this could potentially mean it had not been left out in the elements for the entire four months.

'The police were searching for it obviously for almost four months,
something took them to that dam,'
she told Seven's Sunrise on Tuesday morning.

'That hasn't been disclosed what evidence or intelligence that was yet, but yes, this could absolutely offer new clues that will help find Samantha'.

'As we know now, [the phone] is operational and downloadable.'

Dr Mallett speculated that a phone that had been underwater or in mud for four months would likely be 'beyond retrievable'.

'So does that indicate that it hasn't been there for the entire four months?'
she said.

'That's yet to be seen.
But it's that timeline that the police will be working on and it's certainly going to be essential in helping to develop that'.

'I think that there may be potentially more witnesses that may come forward because we now know about that dam, we know the phone is there,'
she said.

'So I'm hoping that now that information is public, other people may come forward and offer information as to

who may have dumped that phone and when'.

'You have to commend the investigators that have worked so hard on this'."

The single clue that could crack the Samantha Murphy case wide open

A leading criminologist believes Samantha Murphy's phone could reveal her final movements after the device was found in perfect working condition beside a dam.

www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

Expert reveals how Samantha Murphy’s ‘undamaged’ phone could lead to finding her body

Police have renewed hopes they will find the body of the missing Ballarat mother.

7news-com-au.cdn.ampproject.org

 

[Cliff Hardy]

Today - 4th June -
marks 4 months of Samantha's disappearance

"Dr Xanthe Mallett,
a criminologist from the University of Newcastle,
said she was 'surprised'
to hear the phone was in working order -
and this could potentially mean it had not been left out in the elements for the entire four months.

'The police were searching for it obviously for almost four months,
something took them to that dam,'
she told Seven's Sunrise on Tuesday morning.

'That hasn't been disclosed what evidence or intelligence that was yet, but yes, this could absolutely offer new clues that will help find Samantha'.

'As we know now, [the phone] is operational and downloadable.'

Dr Mallett speculated that a phone that had been underwater or in mud for four months would likely be 'beyond retrievable'.

'So does that indicate that it hasn't been there for the entire four months?'
she said.

'That's yet to be seen.
But it's that timeline that the police will be working on and it's certainly going to be essential in helping to develop that'.

'I think that there may be potentially more witnesses that may come forward because we now know about that dam, we know the phone is there,'
she said.

'So I'm hoping that now that information is public, other people may come forward and offer information as to

who may have dumped that phone and when'.

'You have to commend the investigators that have worked so hard on this'."

The single clue that could crack the Samantha Murphy case wide open

A leading criminologist believes Samantha Murphy's phone could reveal her final movements after the device was found in perfect working condition beside a dam.

www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

Expert reveals how Samantha Murphy’s ‘undamaged’ phone could lead to finding her body

Police have renewed hopes they will find the body of the missing Ballarat mother.

7news-com-au.cdn.ampproject.org

People are increasingly starting to think outside the square and the real answers may exist outside the square.

 

[Trooper]

People are increasingly starting to think outside the square and the real answers may exist outside the square.

Or, Cliffie, ,he could be just your ordinary idiotic ratbag psychopath, in a world of his own, suddenly infuriated by a blonde woman running, and blammo.. Suddenly finding himself standing over a dead body..... They are out there, they walk among us, daily.

 

[Oona]

It does seem more than a coincidence that the appointment of legal counsel has followed so closely after the phone find.

Things might just have started to get real for the man at the pleasure of His Majesty.

Yes, and media revealing to the public that Sam’s iphone is “operational and downloadable” seems a bit of added pressure.

I can’t help but think the information about the phone being in a working condition was something police were quite happy for the media to announce.

 

[Sor Juana]

It's a mid to late teen d'max... Confirmed months ago. Look at the side mirrors with the little blinker at the end of the black strip on the bottom. Also the funny shaped headlights, almost like butterfly wings.

and

Indeed! Finally, the perfect match, including that antenna in the middle. It's a D-Max from the 2012-2019 generation. To the best of my knowledge, Isuzu D-Max models from that generation do not come with telematic features as standard, alas.

 

[BGirl88]

View attachment 507810 vs View attachment 507809 vs View attachment 507812
Hilux N80, Navara D23 and the killer's car

Looks more like Navara.

@Sor Juana dont forget to use the word “accused” (ie. accused killer)

 

[Soulmagent]

@Sor Juana dont forget to use the word “accused” (ie. accused killer)

Alleged car or truck, actually . Tighten up.

J/K with ya.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

I think the family here moved away swiftly when the news came. I remember media hanging around the front of the residence looking for the parents, but they had already left. I recall the media also went around to the local football clubs and so on trying to get more details about them.

The media ended up just interviewing all the neighbours.

Can anyone tell me, do the parents in this situation need to get interviewed by Police? He wasn’t living with them I note.

It's been noted in some publications that he may have been splitting his time between his parents house, and the house sitting gig. I haven't seen any reference to how long the house sitting had been going on, although recent articles suggest the home has been for sale for around a year. It leads me to believe that he was still living with his parents before this gig, and may have even spent a fair bit of time there during, based on the mention of splitting his time between the two.

I always appreciate your comments Trooper, they are always well thought through.

I’ll preface this with it all being entirely hypothetical and my opinion only.

I recall, in the very early days of SM going missing, a local resident shared footage they had taken of someone driving extremely fast down the dirt roads in the area. The resident had been walking and, seeing the fast car approach, had taken their phone out of their pocket and filmed the hoon out of frustration and anger. They shared the video simply demonstrate that some people drive erratically down those bush tracks and to explore the possibility that SM had been hit and was lying down the side of a track somewhere.

What if SM had similar frustrations? Perhaps she saw the car hooning towards her and takes her phone out to video. PS sees that she is videoing and realises that further evidence of him driving dangerously will not bode well with his already impending court case. Maybe, as others have noted, he is on a restricted license and isn’t even meant to be driving.

Panicked and enraged (possibly still drug affected from the night before, but not necessarily), he either swerves, doubles back or stops, but either way, he has an altercation with her - he attacks her in some way, hitting her with the car or physically chasing her down. Either way, the video is still rolling and his deliberate attack is sent to the cloud, providing the irrefutable evidence that we are all curious for.

If he hit her with the car, it may explain why the police were initially asking about information about a damaged car.

He does not leave the scene (giving police plausibility to refute the “hit and run” scenario), but instead loads her into the back of his car.

A deliberate attack such as this may have been enough to warrant the murder charge, however, if we aren’t satisfied that is the case, perhaps she was still alive at this point, unconscious, which is possibly substantiated by her watch data. Further panicked about the situation he has found himself in, he ends her life in the back of his car, resulting in a substantial about of blood / dna in the back of his car (the has been talked about in other forums but is unsubstantiated).

Either way, her heart stopping is substantiated by her watch data, giving LA the confidence that she died at Mt Clear at 8am.

A scenario such as this would offer a motive and sufficient evidence. Again, just my opinion and entirely hypothetical.

As you say @Trooper , all will be revealed in time!!

Bold and italic by me - I agree with you.

Lots has been spoken of the words "hit and run", but LE have not elaborated any more on that front beyond saying it WAS NOT a hit and run. IE: Not "a road accident caused by a driver who does not stop to help" - according to the Oxford dictionary. This leaves it open to being a "hit and then murder", taking the body from the scene, or doing a damn good job of hiding it in the immediate vicinity. LE have never denied or acknowledged a car was involved AFAIK. The hit part may have been accidental, maybe not, but what happens next is the "deliberate act" resulting in murder. For reasons only known to the accused. To cover up his possible illegal driving (maybe speeding, maybe over the alcohol limit, maybe with drugs in his system, maybe on a suspended or restricted licence, maybe all of the above)? Overcome with rage for something Samantha may have said or done? Maybe just out of sheer fear for what this accident will do to his life, especially if Samantha was gravely injured and may have died? I'm hoping we'll find out when time for the trial. The fact police don't want to elaborate on this part, may be because they want to keep their cards close to their chests re the wording and elaborating on a vehicle being involved, or it starting as an accident. Don't forget that they also made casual mention (or was it?) of reporting any damaged cars in the early days and weeks. Curiously, a white car was also a rumour doing the rounds about then too.

are you sure about this, WW?? Not counting the compensation fees, and hush money fees to victims, etc? you don't think these judgements count as legal fees?

a small sample. ...

https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/hush-fund-catholic-church-paid-43-million-to-keep-abuse-secret/news-story/5092b669c77072952754eb1aeab5435f

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN15V046/#:~:text=Australia%27s%20Catholic%20Church%20has%20paid%20A%24276%20million%20%28%24213,church%27s%20schools%2C%20orphanages%20and%20residences%20has%20been%20revealed.

I can't speak for Wallyworld, but I see hush money and compensation for wrongdoings as very different to paying for a random potential parishioner's legal costs to defend a murder charge. Both are relating to matters of the law, but vastly different. My belief is that "legal fees" is a payment made to a legal professional for services rendered, along with disbursements. As per this definition:

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/legal%20fee

All just my thoughts of course.

 

[Soulmagent]

I can't speak for Wallyworld, but I see hush money and compensation for wrongdoings as very different to paying for a random potential parishioner's legal costs to defend a murder charge. Both are relating to matters of the law, but vastly different. My belief is that "legal fees" is a payment made to a legal professional for services rendered, along with disbursements. As per this definition:

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/legal%20fee

All just my thoughts of course.

I think it might depend on the tone the word "compensation" is said with,and who says it. .
No one wants to hear Alec Murdaugh say it at all.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

It does seem more than a coincidence that the appointment of legal counsel has followed so closely after the phone find.

Things might just have started to get real for the man at the pleasure of His Majesty.

Right there with you on that one.

Here's my opinion: I don't believe it was coincidental. I think the phone holds secrets, secrets that may quite quickly and fairly easily be exposed, leading to PS feeling like he may not be as invincible as he believed he was, knowing the secrets it hides. Things could be unravelling for him, and he may have believed that without any trace of material evidence (prior to the phone), he was best to keep quiet, plead not guilty, hope that nothing was ever found beyond what LE have on him now, and that a jury would have reasonable doubt.

Things just got very real PS.

 

[Soulmagent]

It does seem more than a coincidence that the appointment of legal counsel has followed so closely after the phone find.

Things might just have started to get real for the man at the pleasure of His Majesty.

Sounds like how it should happen in most U.S cases. except this is a Canadian case ! . Evoking his right to an attorney and using it correctly.

 

[Trooper]

I suppose, now that he actually is equipped with a barrister, he might apply for bail.

He could not do that before he had a Barrister, because his matter is a Supreme Court matter, and this requires a Barrister to apply to the Supreme Court for bail, ( after getting permission to apply) . HIs local solicitor would not be able to do that. A solicitor is not recognised by the Supreme court to do this,

Very , very , very, very few people charged with murder get bail, and Stephenson has no criteria that fits the possibilities as far as I can see... he is not the sole carer of elderly parents, or the sole providor for small children, or a crucial component of some necessary org... but , Galbally might just float the thing to see if it sinks or stands.

If he did get bail, where would he go? no one is at home at Mum and Dad's, the girlfriends housesitting job has ended...

 

[Trooper]

Sounds like how it should happen in most U.S cases. except this is a Canadian case ! . Evoking his right to an attorney and using it correctly.

except, he had an attorney, but he needed a Barrister. I don't think this is a Canadian case..

I know it says 'Canadian' in the title, but that refers to the Canadian Forest state park outside Ballarat, Victoria, Australia... It would have been a good slingoff to the Canadians though, if it had substance....
them and their strange legal ways, and all that...

Sort of like the difference ( or confusion ) between Melbourne , Florida USA and Melbourne , VIctoria, AU. But , look, it doesn't really matter, in the scale of things.. I rather liked your post, actually.