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

[bearbear]

i was reading the local person who mentioned the yarrowee river area, south of the phone tower pings, has said they found items there in deep water when they first recently discovered the area,
which they handed to police, and this is where police are currently searching,
how eerie for this person to have been in the possible area of interest not knowing there may be a body concealed there at the time, this is just general chat from a local so may or may not be of interest,
im thinking the local people of ballarat have possibly helped hugely coming forward with valuable information

 

[ProfCluezo]

I can only reiterate what the Police Commander stated, , that it was an 'attack'.. ( deliberate, calculated ) and that she was murdered. Murdered meaning, with intent to kill, intent to extinguish life, . Not assaulted, or accidentally killed, not a 'hit and run' car incident. .... but murdered.


I have no idea what his defence barrister will put up in court for some sort of mitigation. Truly, it could be anything. Heard voices, God told him, the tea leaves said so, I mean.. I don't know. It is hard to figure out any possible mitigating factor when a stranger kills another stranger. It's not as if there is background of annoyance, or belligerence. He was a stranger to her, she was a stranger to him. .. Motiveless, malicious, .... *shrug*..


We know that whoever did it knew it was wrong, because the body was hidden and the person did not come forward, when the hue and cry began. If they didn't know it was wrong , they would have said, ''oh. hey, I did it.... you're looking in the wrong place, it's over here.'.........

Please entertain me for a moment as I don my wig and take on the auspicious role of The Devil’s Advocate…

I am not saying that the following applies in this particular case, but I am aware that the presence of certain psychiatric symptoms such as command hallucinations (for example), can reduce legal culpability…

Command hallucinations could, conceivably, also take the form of instructing a person not to disclose information (including location of the body) to Police….

Persons with command hallucinations (voices ordering particular acts, often violent or destructive ones) are commonly assumed to be at high risk for dangerous behavior…

Sometimes, non-linear paradigms are useful in attempting to understand the Un-understandable.

Un-understandable
impossible to understand : not understandable
Karl Jaspers held, famously, that schizophrenic phenomena are ununderstandable.—Naomi Eilan

The clinical significance of command hallucinations - PubMed

 

[JLZ]

i was reading the local person who mentioned the yarrowee river area, south of the phone tower pings, has said they found items there in deep water when they first recently discovered the area,
which they handed to police, and this is where police are currently searching,
how eerie for this person to have been in the possible area of interest not knowing there may be a body concealed there at the time, this is just general chat from a local so may or may not be of interest,
im thinking the local people of ballarat have possibly helped hugely coming forward with valuable information

Yarrowee River is 5-6km away from the Buninyong Bush Reserve and Skirkas Road.

 

[Deleted member 293720]

If sexual assault has occurred... How long does that evidence stay in/on a decomposing body?

In a post-mortem, they will check the body for other signs, pubic hair from the accused, if finger nails allow for any semen to be underneath

Photographing with special lens to pick up extra evidence, internally and outside

Was there any clothing still on/ removed

signs of broken certain bones etc...

 

[Hestia's Fire]

If sexual assault has occurred... How long does that evidence stay in/on a decomposing body?

I found an interesting paper while trying to look this answer up.

https://evawintl.org/wp-content/uploads/SAR10-3-1TimeLimitsforConductingaForensicExamination.pdf

clothing and other objects from the crime scene are often the best source of evidence in a sexual assault case (citation 20). Unlike the human body that continues to change as a result of biological needs and hygiene, crime scene evidence such as clothing is typically stable. Therefore, DNA evidence that is recovered from such a source is likely to be detectable for many years and perhaps even decades following a sexual assault.

So even if it has been too long to find evidence in or on Samantha's body, there may still be evidence available on her clothing or anything she might have been wrapped in to conceal her.

 

[tiff]

New search area metres from where Sam Murphy's alleged killer arrested

DM “The Buningyong Bushland Reserve is a comparatively smaller area of bushland with a hidden dam and only a few properties scattered on its borders. ”

Hidden dam…

 

[pavlovsdaughter]

Would any of these scenarios be classed as mental health issues? Because the initial lawyer for stated that he had no drug or mental health problems. I feel like that would detrimentally hurt any defense even hinting at a mental health condition.
MOO

They would be, but if he’s experiencing the onset may not be diagnosed yet. Again, no evidence for this at all, I’m purely speculating.

 

[Kemug]

Would any of these scenarios be classed as mental health issues? Because the initial lawyer for stated that he had no drug or mental health problems. I feel like that would detrimentally hurt any defense even hinting at a mental health condition.
MOO

Maybe that could mean no known mental health problems (at this time).

 

[JLZ]

New search area metres from where Sam Murphy's alleged killer arrested

DM “The Buningyong Bushland Reserve is a comparatively smaller area of bushland with a hidden dam and only a few properties scattered on its borders. ”

Hidden dam…

I can see a very obvious dam from above, but Google Maps streetview doesn't go there.

 

[DetectiveStanleyBuganski]

New search area metres from where Sam Murphy's alleged killer arrested

DM “The Buningyong Bushland Reserve is a comparatively smaller area of bushland with a hidden dam and only a few properties scattered on its borders. ”

Hidden dam…

It appears there are quite a few properties scattered within the area also. The entirety of the bushland is not far off woowookurung..

 

[Dr Samoht]

L

New search area metres from where Sam Murphy's alleged killer arrested

DM “The Buningyong Bushland Reserve is a comparatively smaller area of bushland with a hidden dam and only a few properties scattered on its borders. ”

Hidden dam

Lol… hidden dam .. shrouded by trees perhaps .
Bit of a stretch DM.

 

[DetectiveStanleyBuganski]

Maybe that could mean no known mental health problems (at this time).

even so, Kemug, I feel it would impact the possibility of using mental health as a defense in the future..

 

[MrJ]

I hope Samantha's body is found today, especially for her family's sake. Horrible situation for them and of course for her.

 

[Whatson]

In reference to the hidden dam... There are a few there...

 

[thegoogler]

i was reading the local person who mentioned the yarrowee river area, south of the phone tower pings, has said they found items there in deep water when they first recently discovered the area,
which they handed to police, and this is where police are currently searching,
how eerie for this person to have been in the possible area of interest not knowing there may be a body concealed there at the time, this is just general chat from a local so may or may not be of interest,
im thinking the local people of ballarat have possibly helped hugely coming forward with valuable information

Big Footy?

 

[nao]

What type of farming do they do out there. If she is on private property, she could be out there a long time, till farmer checks his fences. Maybe he has done electrical work out on some of the farms....oo

 

[ProfCluezo]

Would any of these scenarios be classed as mental health issues?

Absolutely. By numerous accounts it would appear the accused ingested booze and stimulant drugs in the 12 hours preceding the alleged offense. Who knows what was in the drugs he ingested….

See link below for further info re link between meth (for example) and psychosis…
Meth and Psychosis

Note: I am not saying this scenario applied in the present case, I am just acting as Devil’s Advocate in the potential to challenge even ostensibly “solid gold” evidence of murder, on the basis of challenges to the assumption of mens rea

JMHO….

 

[Lemony]

Would any of these scenarios be classed as mental health issues? Because the initial lawyer for stated that he had no drug or mental health problems. I feel like that would detrimentally hurt any defense even hinting at a mental health condition.
MOO

I wonder if that statement about the drugs and mental health will age well. It seemed premature at the time IMO.
Perhaps no official diagnosis and no previous charges relating to drugs was enough for his lawyer to make that statement.

 

[bearbear]

Big Footy?

yes

 

[JLZ]

I wonder if that statement about the drugs and mental health will age well. It seemed premature at the time IMO.
Perhaps no official diagnosis and no previous charges relating to drugs was enough for his lawyer to make that statement.

Lawyers are required not to mislead the court, but what they say isn't evidence. I can't see it having consequences for the accused.