Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #11

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What is the psychology behind where bodies are placed?

We know in general terms that bodies are often disposed of in water, wells and mine shafts. The problem is knowing where to look. Often these places have some meaning to the perpetrator. I will give you an example.

Jane Rimmer (Victim of Bradley Edwards-Claremont serial killer) was disposed of in Wellard. This happened to be just off the direct route between Bradley Edwards home and his parents home on the coast.( It was a short cut) So he drove past the body site every time he visited his parents.( I figured that out). Ciara Glennon was found near a major Telecom route, north of Perth. I was never able to confirm whether he had a definite link there although he may have worked at that location. I did this work in order to work out whether Sarah Spiers could be found. The grief of her father really affected me.

Knowing a bit more about where he rode his motorbike or what he and his family did may help in narrowing down where Samantha Murphy may be. It may even have something to do with his schooling. Looking in the immediate area she disappeared is unlikely to be helpful as it has already been thoroughly searched. Is there are another different area close to Ballarat that also has significance for him? Its also possible that he dumped the phone in the opposite direction of where the body has been placed in case it was found.

What do we really know about his life?
 
australianwebsleuth said:
What is the psychology behind where bodies are placed?

We know in general terms that bodies are often disposed of in water, wells and mine shafts. The problem is knowing where to look. Often these places have some meaning to the perpetrator. I will give you an example.

Jane Rimmer (Victim of Bradley Edwards-Claremont serial killer) was disposed of in Wellard. This happened to be just off the direct route between Bradley Edwards home and his parents home on the coast.( It was a short cut) So he drove past the body site every time he visited his parents.( I figured that out). Ciara Glennon was found near a major Telecom route, north of Perth. I was never able to confirm whether he had a definite link there although he may have worked at that location. I did this work in order to work out whether Sarah Spiers could be found. The grief of her father really affected me.

Knowing a bit more about where he rode his motorbike or what he and his family did may help in narrowing down where Samantha Murphy may be. It may even have something to do with his schooling. Looking in the immediate area she disappeared is unlikely to be helpful as it has already been thoroughly searched. Is there are another different area close to Ballarat that also has significance for him? Its also possible that he dumped the phone in the opposite direction of where the body has been placed in case it was found.

What do we really know about his life?
Click to expand...

Just to add ...

In a study done in Korea they found that in 47 out of 54 murder cases the killers knew the geographical area where they dumped the bodies.

In spontaneous murders (heat of the moment), the victims were more likely to be found far away - over 40km away.

In killings where murder was not the intended crime, but a result of the crime (perhaps murder following sexual assault is an example of this, or murder to gain money), the victims were more likely to be found within 30km of the crime scene.

 
SouthAussie said:
Just to add ...

In a study done in Korea they found that in 47 out of 54 murder cases the killers knew the geographical area where they dumped the bodies.

In spontaneous murders (heat of the moment), the victims were more likely to be found far away - over 40km away.

In killings where murder was not the intended crime, but a result of the crime (perhaps murder following sexual assault is an example of this, or murder to gain money), the victims were more likely to be found within 30km of the crime scene.

Click to expand...
It's good to see you also take a scientific approach. I think the 47/54 cases knowing the geography is highly significant. She will likely be near a road or fire trail within a forrest well known to the assailant. He would have to have carried her. Comparing distance in a population dense country like South Korea may not be helpful.

This is where friends of the assailant could help in identifying prospective search sites. Given he was a motor cyclist, I thought an area used for trail bikes may be worth considering.
 
drsleuth said:
PS was very tight on time that day. The alarm was raised quickly.

My guess is Sam is within 20-30 km radius & off a road or trail about 10 -20mtrs.

IMO
Click to expand...
From the time she was murdered until the alarm was raised was , 8am to around 12.30pm - 1.00pm.... he has to tidy up, he has to get out and back, and he has no way of knowing how long he has, he doesn't know if she is on her outward bound track or her homeward track back on her run, he doesn't know where she lives. He didn't use the Western Highway, because that has CCTV all along it, and some of those ring roads around Ballarat do, too... he has to know what he's doing, he can't dart hither and yon, he has to have a definite destination in mind, perhaps. As soon as that alarm goes, he has to look calm and ordinary, just goin about his Sunday chores, whatever they were, he possibly had obligations and arrangements of his own to attend, ...
 
australianwebsleuth said:
What is the psychology behind where bodies are placed?

We know in general terms that bodies are often disposed of in water, wells and mine shafts. The problem is knowing where to look. Often these places have some meaning to the perpetrator. I will give you an example.

Jane Rimmer (Victim of Bradley Edwards-Claremont serial killer) was disposed of in Wellard. This happened to be just off the direct route between Bradley Edwards home and his parents home on the coast.( It was a short cut) So he drove past the body site every time he visited his parents.( I figured that out). Ciara Glennon was found near a major Telecom route, north of Perth. I was never able to confirm whether he had a definite link there although he may have worked at that location. I did this work in order to work out whether Sarah Spiers could be found. The grief of her father really affected me.

Knowing a bit more about where he rode his motorbike or what he and his family did may help in narrowing down where Samantha Murphy may be. It may even have something to do with his schooling. Looking in the immediate area she disappeared is unlikely to be helpful as it has already been thoroughly searched. Is there are another different area close to Ballarat that also has significance for him? Its also possible that he dumped the phone in the opposite direction of where the body has been placed in case it was found.

What do we really know about his life?
Click to expand...

Geographic profiling - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

According to Dr. Kim Rossmo there are four different types of offenders with regard to geographic profiling.
Hunter: the hunter singles out a specific victim without leaving his home territory. He will commit crimes where he lives.

Poacher: a poacher will travel out of his home territory to do his hunting.

Troller: A troller will realize an opportunistic encounter while occupied in other activities and then strike

Trapper: a trapper will draw the victim into him using different seemingly harmless situations.
 
Rocket333 said:
How do you know he didn’t use those roads?
Could account for some of the extensive cctv gathered?
Click to expand...
Good point, I don't know, I presumed he would not because of the cameras, but I see your point, clearly. They do keep those for months ,, I believe, there was some argument about it, NSW kept theirs for weeks, but then,, it seemed more prudent to keep the clips for years.. VICPOL has always promoted keeping the highway film in perpetuity, makes sense to me.

Having said that, I still think he took back roads, and bush tracks.. he was already in the murk with the Highway patrol from the incident back in September, and it seems reasonable to me, that he was on a restricted licence for that matter, ( it was the kind of offence that results in one's licence being immediately hampered..) he would not want to be picked up out of his allowed radius especially on that Sunday morning... I think the CCTV is other stuff, more graphic stuff, stuff that cannot be interpreted any other way than the occurrence of Mrs Murphy's deliberate murder by Stephenson.

( VICPOL puts your registration number into the data base on the camera's, it spits out the info of you on the road with your restricted licence, and Highway Patrol saddles up and blammo, there you go , again. )
 
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I think he probably used the Buninyong-Mt Mercer Road.

Sam's phone was found off Buninyong-Mt Mercer Road/Slaughterhouse Road. And the police had searched the Enfield State Park before that, same direction. Enfield State Park is 23.5km from Mt Clear.


a.jpg
Google maps

b.jpg
Link

The mother-of-three's phone was found on Thursday near Slaughterhouse Road, south of Buninyong, near Ballarat in Victoria. Link

April 10th: Search crews on Thursday combed an area in Enfield State Park, about 30 kilometres south-west of Ballarat. Link
 
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Trooper said:
I think the CCTV is other stuff, more graphic stuff, stuff that cannot be interpreted any other way than the occurrence of Mrs Murphy's deliberate murder by Stephenson.
Click to expand...
Media article from 28/02, so early on but I’ve read a few times that the hours of potentially relevant footage accumulated is right up there. Possibly more than just the graphic act (if that was in fact also captured)?

“Investigators are reviewing about 12,000 hours of CCTV footage and following up more than 500 pieces of information.”

www.nzherald.co.nz

'Keeping an eye': Crime expert's chilling new missing mum theory

A grim theory has been aired by a crime expert about missing mum Samantha Murphy.
www.nzherald.co.nz www.nzherald.co.nz
 
SouthAussie said:
And only about 20 minutes home to Scotsburn (house-sitting place) through the back roads, after that.

imo
Click to expand...
There’s always the possibility that it was all over quite quickly.
Just as there’s the possibility that he went to no trouble getting rid of the body and is now confused about how it hasn’t been found.

JMO
 
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SouthAussie said:
Just to add ...

In a study done in Korea they found that in 47 out of 54 murder cases the killers knew the geographical area where they dumped the bodies.

In spontaneous murders (heat of the moment), the victims were more likely to be found far away - over 40km away.

In killings where murder was not the intended crime, but a result of the crime (perhaps murder following sexual assault is an example of this, or murder to gain money), the victims were more likely to be found within 30km of the crime scene.

Click to expand...
Couldn’t view SA was that North or South Korea ?
 
emirates1957 said:
Couldn’t view SA was that North or South Korea ?
Click to expand...

The authors are both from a university in Canada, and are affiliated with Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, South Korea; Department of Psychology, Yeungnam University, South Korea; and their own university in BC, Canada.

So I would say the study is based on South Korean homicides.
 
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SouthAussie said:
Just to add ...

In a study done in Korea they found that in 47 out of 54 murder cases the killers knew the geographical area where they dumped the bodies.

In spontaneous murders (heat of the moment), the victims were more likely to be found far away - over 40km away.

In killings where murder was not the intended crime, but a result of the crime (perhaps murder following sexual assault is an example of this, or murder to gain money), the victims were more likely to be found within 30km of the crime scene.

Click to expand...
Thank you for this, fascinating. Jmo.
 
Cedars said:
IMO, he had already figured out where to take the body. He thought he had it all figured out.

Also, he is pleading not guilty. So why would he say anything?

JMO
Click to expand...
He , that is, his Barrister , has not made any plea at all. To anyone. I don't know where this info that he has pled not guilty has arisen, it has not happened. He has been assigned , ( most probably ) or has had a Barrister employed by his solicitor to manage his case, because Murder is a Supreme Court matter and requires the services of a Barrister.

( for Americans, the word Barrister equals a particular kind of attorney, a specialised Trial Attorney would be the closest level )

How the law works in Victoria, AU. Stephenson cannot be made to make any plea at all. By any method, coercion, or persuasion. It is entirely up to him, he is well within his constitutional rights to not say a single word, at any time.

At some point in the progression of the court, he will be asked how he intends to plead. He can still say nothing. This point, wherein he is asked what his plea will be has not happened yet, and won't happen until the Summary, and maybe not even then, might be a Second Summary . what has happened is a Mention,.. this is the point at which this event is up to currently.

In this instance, when it gets to the Summary point, and maybe a bit further on, the judge makes the call, and when the judge does it, it is ALWAYS 'not guilty' and the trial in the Supreme Court begins, without his input but he must attend. At any time , he can change that plea.

A guilty plea would attract a certain pro rata discount on the time served before applying for parole. This is the carrot part of the plea.

A not guilty plea dispenses with that discount, and if found guilty, no discount is assigned. This is the stick part of the plea.
 
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