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 #7

[mondayschild]

I think this is the staging area for police?

Royal Park

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looks like it - via street view of the building (6 Hedrick St)

 

[Deleted member 293720]

Interesting, as well, other searches in Ballarat area.....

“Hopefully today’s search will benefit the investigation or provide further avenues of enquiry for police,” he said. “We will also look at further searches in the Ballarat area as the investigation progresses"

 

[jjleroche]

It has to solid gold stuff, DR. S.... VICPOL are not mucking around, here.. Someone posted that the police often downgrade charges, in this instance, I would not want to be hanging by my fingernails for a downgrade, VICPOL doesn't go for murder without a whole lot of backup, it serves no purpose, to charge high then go low. It is more likely that more charges will be laid against the suspect. Not less. 'Interfering with a corpse' comes to mind, which has obviously been done. Since her body is not where she was murdered.

Him refusing to give the location of the body gives him no leverage, and merely exacerbates his already precarious situation. VICPOL are experienced in taking a murder charge thru court, with a conviction , without the body.

What has surprised me is, he seems to have no Barrister promoting his innocence. Usually, there would be a cross looking barrister, clobbered up in court gear, outside the Supreme court , fresh from winning his latest case, to heap scorn on VICPOL, ' a bunch of charlatans, ' and defiantly announce his client will defend the outrageous claim. .. This has not happened, and this, to me , is highly unusual.

He is 22, probably has no assets, except his ute, his Legal Aid application would have nothing to do with his parents situation, or his sisters, it rests on his only, he being an adult, so that should be well and truly in the pipeline by now, all done and dusted. Legal Aid is what any citizen is entitled to, who is financially hampered by cost. Tax payer funded, and run, usually very well. A panel of legal experts examine your case, and even if it looks hopeless, you are entitled , in Victoria, to the very best legal representation. No ifs, or buts. The only difference is, if you pay yourself, you are in charge, on Legal Aid, you are not in charge, you have to be guided by the expert panel. ..... so there is that catch.


So why are we not seeing his 'barking dog' barking for him?? mystery.

As always Trooper, you've transformed what could have been some rather dry information into a very interesting post - and raises some questions in my mind - in particular "Who let the dogs out?"
Looking forward to the next instalment.

 

[Deleted member 293720]

"Following new information"! From the accused? Or someone else? Is the accused still being pretty constantly questioned, I wonder?

PS Ah, they're now saying "from a number of sources", I see.

I have a feeling the accused is still not co-operating

This information is significant and from a number of sources

 

[Voluspa]

Please let today be the day Samantha is found.

Anyone know if this area has been previously searched before today?

 

[Whatson]

Helicopter heading out. How long does it fly before needing to refuel?

Max 4.5 hours

 

[Deleted member 340727]

I have a feeling the accused is still not co-operating

But someone has. It's a lead but let's hope they find something.

 

[BreakingNews]

I’m hopeful this is it. Police have limited resources so wouldn’t search an area without being pretty sure she’s there. Coupled with the fact they’ve announced it to the media.

And closed the area to the public

 

[BreakingNews]

N

But someone has. It's a lead but let's hope they find something.

New intelegence

 

[Deleted member 340727]

Look for the dogs in any footage you watch and please post that info. here. Thank you.

 

[Deleted member 293720]

Please let today be the day Samantha is found.

Anyone know if this area has been previously searched before today

Please let today be the day Samantha is found.

Anyone know if this area has been previously searched before today?

And closed the area to the public

Interesting, they are also searching other areas of Ballarat as the investigation progresses ?

So not just this area

I wonder If other houses/ people they are searching ?

 

[drsleuth]

But someone has. It's a lead but let's hope they find something.

BBM : Not necessarily, could be just data they now obtained from intelligence sources IMO

 

[drsleuth]

Look for the dogs in any footage you watch and please post that info. here. Thank you.

I doubt we are going to get any footage, they've closed it to the public & I assume the media too...this is Vic Police not NSWPF

IMO

 

[JLZ]

And closed the area to the public

Which area has been closed?

 

[Deleted member 293720]

But someone has. It's a lead but let's hope they find something.

Information has come in through a number of sources.

 

[ProfCluezo]

It has to solid gold stuff, DR. S.... VICPOL are not mucking around, here.. Someone posted that the police often downgrade charges, in this instance, I would not want to be hanging by my fingernails for a downgrade, VICPOL doesn't go for murder without a whole lot of backup, it serves no purpose, to charge high then go low. It is more likely that more charges will be laid against the suspect. Not less. 'Interfering with a corpse' comes to mind, which has obviously been done. Since her body is not where she was murdered.

Him refusing to give the location of the body gives him no leverage, and merely exacerbates his already precarious situation. VICPOL are experienced in taking a murder charge thru court, with a conviction , without the body.

What has surprised me is, he seems to have no Barrister promoting his innocence. Usually, there would be a cross looking barrister, clobbered up in court gear, outside the Supreme court , fresh from winning his latest case, to heap scorn on VICPOL, ' a bunch of charlatans, ' and defiantly announce his client will defend the outrageous claim. .. This has not happened, and this, to me , is highly unusual.

He is 22, probably has no assets, except his ute, his Legal Aid application would have nothing to do with his parents situation, or his sisters, it rests on his only, he being an adult, so that should be well and truly in the pipeline by now, all done and dusted. Legal Aid is what any citizen is entitled to, who is financially hampered by cost. Tax payer funded, and run, usually very well. A panel of legal experts examine your case, and even if it looks hopeless, you are entitled , in Victoria, to the very best legal representation. No ifs, or buts. The only difference is, if you pay yourself, you are in charge, on Legal Aid, you are not in charge, you have to be guided by the expert panel. ..... so there is that catch.


So why are we not seeing his 'barking dog' barking for him?? mystery.

If VICPOL have such “solid gold”, “industrial strength” evidence, is it theoretically possible that a “barking dog” barrister could not make claims of “innocence” per se, but alternatively may be aiming to argue for reduced culpability, on the basis of the accused being “off his chops” on booze and drugs?? Or, hypothetically, due to some kind of mental health impairment?

Another possible explanation for the absent “barking dog” is that the accused and/or his barrister may have learnt a thing or two from Shakespeares’s Hamlet - not wanting to fall into the trap of “protest[ing] too much…” ?

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks" is a line from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

 

[Deleted member 293720]

 

[BreakingNews]

Interesting, they are also searching other areas of Ballarat as the investigation progresses ?

So not just this area

I wonder If other houses/ people they are searching ?

Maybe looking in one area for SM and another area for phone etc.

 

[Trooper]

If VICPOL have such “solid gold”, “industrial strength” evidence, is it theoretically possible that a “barking dog” barrister could not make claims of “innocence” per se, but alternatively may be aiming to argue for reduced culpability, on the basis of the accused being “off his chops” on booze and drugs?? Or, hypothetically, due to some kind of mental health impairment?

Another possibility is that the accused and/or his barrister may have learnt a thing or two from Lady Macbeth - and are seeing silence as preferable to “protest[ing] too much…” ?

In all fairness, Prof.. every Barrister ever born claims his/her client's innocence due to various outside influences, the conjunction of the planets, the moon in Jupiter, some trauma in the far distant past, and so on. It is par for the course, and his barrister will be no different in that regard. His first lawyer claimed in front of the judge, at his first committal hearing, that he had never had a problem with drugs or alcohol or any mental problems, until the moment of his arrest, and then it all came down, so that hurdle has to be overcome , as well. .

My amateur opinion is.. he has not budged an inch, a centimetre.... something else has come to light. Perhaps someone in that area being searched has inadvertently stumbled across some sort of evidence..

I noticed that the search area seems to be near a well kept up local football ground, complete with night lights ( they do these things in country towns, mens sport is so important ) maybe he played at that ground a few times thru the winter............

 

[bearbear]

allegedly ps family left town just after the arrest, i wonder if any of them visit him, or just abandoned him,
also i now wonder if any family member dobbed him in to police, especially if they thought he was capable of this crime and noticed odd behaviour or something on his phone?
would he be on suicide watch in the remand holding cells?