Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #12

[Trooper]

I am very aware of that, but he wanted it made clear and loud..!

If he had not made it clear and loud, the warden would have given him a shove.. he HAS to answer. That is the process, if he had not the judge would have called it for him.

 

[Trooper]

I'd be very surprised if the trial begins before Christmas.

The court might bundle a bit more of his murder offence into his traffic offences appearance on Dec 2nd, ... who knows? . lots going on at Ballarat Magistrates court, and now it has to gear up and be a Supreme Court of Victoria , at Ballarat... so far he is making two appearances, NOV 27 and then DEC 2... lots going on.

 

[Whatson]

Fortunately it's only 2 weeks away, so only 2 weeks of proceedings speculation to deal with.

 

[Bats]

I can only think his defence will be either, he is not in full possession of his faculties, or, he was in Broome , WA at the time. And has proof thereof..

or. .. the whole thing was an accident, and she got up and walked away......to where, he has no idea. Got nothing to do with him.

Yes, I agree. In my opinion, there's a couple of possibilities for the "not guilty".

A) he's claiming he was "not in full possession of his faculties"

B) he's maintaining his innocence in order to hang on to a thread of rapport. He also feels he's smarter than the police.

I was toying with a possibility he is covering for someone else though I'd doubt the case would get this far through the system if there was such a plausible possibility.

MOO

 

[Trooper]

Yes, I agree. In my opinion, there's a couple of possibilities for the "not guilty".

A) he's claiming he was "not in full possession of his faculties"

B) he's maintaining his innocence in order to hang on to a thread of rapport. He also feels he's smarter than the police.

I was toying with a possibility he is covering for someone else though I'd doubt the case would get this far through the system if there was such a plausible possibility.

MOO

It's way past time where someone else is involved, IMO.. I don't think this Stephenson bloke is your granitejawed heroic type, covering for a mate. Nor do I think there are any mates out there covering for him. .. He is playing the odds, in that, you have to be in the game to win the game, he is banking on some error, somewhere.. my conclusions, only.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Some other possibilities, he thinks he's going to get off because the evidence is weak
or
he's going to reveal a third party involvement to the court and then be put into witness protection

Very interesting

 

[Scooby-Doo]

If he had not made it clear and loud, the warden would have given him a shove.. he HAS to answer. That is the process, if he had not the judge would have called it for him.

I know the process, Lol. But deliberately made sure the whole of Victoria heard to express himself

 

[Bats]

Some other possibilities, he thinks he's going to get off because the evidence is weak
or
he's going to reveal a third party involvement to the court and then be put into witness protection

Very interesting

If there were to be a 3rd party revealed, what would be the reason for the accused waiting for so long do you think?

I think the DPP would see there were holes and potential doubt and would stop the case moving forward. Having the possibility that there is another party involved would need to mean there is a huge hole in the evidence i would think.

JMO

 

[SouthAussie]

He has skipped the committal and gone straight to trial, pleading not guilty, so they've fast tracked him. ..

''''He has elected to stand trial,” he said.

Murphy, 51, was last seen on 4 February, when she left her Ballarat East home to go for a run. She was captured on CCTV in the driveway of her family’s home, dressed in a maroon singlet and black running pants.

Police charged Stephenson in March.

Investigators allege Stephenson murdered Murphy in the Mount Clear area, about 7km from her home, on the day she disappeared.

Murphy’s family reported her missing when she did not return home from the run.

Magistrate Mark Stratmann committed Stephenson to stand trial in the state’s supreme court.'


( no hint as yet as to what his defence is... )

The thing with fast tracking (as we have discovered in the Erin Patterson case) is that we hear absolutely no evidence until the trial. And the trial date is at the mercy of the Supreme Court calendar.

 

[SouthAussie]

his next appearance is the 27th Nov.. pretty fast track, all things considered!!.. thats just over a fortnight away... ! The Magistrate was keen to get it moving on, in light of the extension already granted to the defence when the DPP handed over all their goodies way back in winter.

It may be that on 27th November his lawyer asks for a Sec 198 hearing (again, like the Erin Patterson case). This is where they test portions of the evidence, in secret. Hear from witnesses, in secret. Cross examine witnesses, in secret. No reporting.

So it is fast tracking, but it is not fast tracking, at the same time. They said Erin Patterson had fast tracked her trial by skipping the Committal. In reality, it wasn't scheduled any quicker due to the Sec 198 hearing. Two years after the alleged murders before she goes to trial.

 

[Trooper]

The thing with fast tracking (as we have discovered in the Erin Patterson case) is that we hear absolutely no evidence until the trial. And the trial date is at the mercy of the Supreme Court calendar.

We are being given the opportunity to exercise our patience and capacity to hang by the thumbs until something happens... lucky us. There are two murder trials to take place in Ballarat Court ( which becomes the Supreme Court if a Supreme Court judge sits in it ) and they have been leapfrogging each other for months now, one has so much evidence presented by the DPP that the defence is granted an extension, so the other one goes in front, he skips committal and moves another step ahead, and then the other one skips committal and moves ahead to where he was in the first place..

Mrs Murphy was murdered before Hannah McGuire, and Stephenson was arrested just before Lachlan Young was arrested for Hannah's murder, but at this point it looks like it will be Stephenson still behind Young by a half head, as they say at the racecourse...

 

[Trooper]

It may be that on 27th November his lawyer asks for a Sec 198 hearing (again, like the Erin Patterson case). This is where they test portions of the evidence, in secret. Hear from witnesses, in secret. No reporting.

So it is fast tracking, but it is not fast tracking, at the same time. They said Erin Patterson had fast tracked her trial by skipping the Committal. In reality, it wasn't scheduled any quicker due to the Sec 198 hearing. Two years after the alleged murders before she goes to trial.

the secret stuff, maddening.. ... it still maybe that Stephenson drops some bombshell before nov 27.. This time round he is not being represented by a woman barrister, which was optically appealing.. .. some kind of schism has errupted there between that lot of barristers, and this lot now representing him..

 

[Scooby-Doo]

If there were to be a 3rd party revealed, what would be the reason for the accused waiting for so long do you think?

I think the DPP would see there were holes and potential doubt and would stop the case moving forward. Having the possibility that there is another party involved would need to mean there is a huge hole in the evidence i would think.

JMO

Other scenario, he could have been threatened with his family to say nothing

He's taken on one of the best legal eagle representing him, he didn't just pick anybody either

 

[Scooby-Doo]

If there were to be a 3rd party revealed, what would be the reason for the accused waiting for so long do you think?

I think the DPP would see there were holes and potential doubt and would stop the case moving forward. Having the possibility that there is another party involved would need to mean there is a huge hole in the evidence i would think.

JMO

Other scenario, he could have been threatened with his family to say nothing

He's taken on one of the best legal eagle representing him, he didn't just pick anybody either

 

[Bats]

Other scenario, he could have been threatened with his family to say nothing

He's taken on one of the best legal eagle representing him, he didn't just pick anybody either

But doesn't this mean the mountains of evidence the police have would need be tossed in the bin? It would be a rather peculiar situation, would it not?

 

[Trooper]

Other scenario, he could have been threatened with his family to say nothing

He's taken on one of the best legal eagle representing him, he didn't just pick anybody either

We don't know if he picked Micheal Allen to represent him. He might have been assigned to represent him. We just don't know. .. I suspect Micheal Allen was assigned to him when Galbally brothers dropped out, and why they did , I don't know. Sure, he could be paying for all this, but at 23, and in remand all this year.. ..

At this point, I can't find any murder trials that Allen has been the legal defence, ... lots of regulatory bodies, and a couple of inquests, some fraud, some disciplinary stuff, been admitted to the bar in 2016, not that long ago, in jurisprudence terms... 8 years as a barrister.. that's really not a lot, .... I mean, it's enough, but it's not a lot. I don't think he's even taken silk.... It does not put Allen up there in the 'best' category'.. imo.

 

[Kemug]

Sounds like young Patrick just can't wait to get back to his normal good life!

 

[Scooby-Doo]

But doesn't this mean the mountains of evidence the police have would need be tossed in the bin? It would be a rather peculiar situation, would it not?

His defence team know what's going on. Maybe he's going to reveal everything at the trial ?

We just don't know what will happen until the trial and what the evidence will be

But just my thoughts, another possibility, he was not the only one, and he's kept his mouth shut all this time

He might not have killed her ?
Her body has still not been found

The police might have evidence of him standing next to her body only and his phone pinging at the same location as Samantha, but If there was a third party, they might not have taken their phones, so they weren't picked up.

And he's kept his mouth shut to protect him and his family

I am interested in Samantha's phone on how long it's been at the dam and If the accused has been linked to that

But he's pleaded Not Guilty and he and his defence team sound like they want this over and done with quickly, avoiding a committal hearing

 

[Trooper]

His defence team know what's going on. Maybe he's going to reveal everything at the trial ?

We just don't know what will happen until the trial and what the evidence will be

But just my thoughts, another possibility, he was not the only one, and he's kept his mouth shut all this time

He might not have killed her ?
Her body has still not been found

The police might have evidence of him standing next to her body only and his phone pinging at the same location as Samantha, but If there was a third party, they might not have taken their phones, so they weren't picked up.

And he's kept his mouth shut to protect him and his family

I am interested in Samantha's phone on how long it's been at the dam and If the accused has been linked to that

But he's pleaded Not Guilty and he and his defence team sound like they want this over and done with quickly, avoiding a committal hearing

Do you know who his defence team is?? I've had a look at Parnell and he is not a KC or even an SC..

 

[Trooper]

Sounds like young Patrick just can't wait to get back to his normal good life!

bit of fishin, shootin, chasin rabbits, chuggin beers, snorting coke, killin wimmin , thrashin the bike around, all the usual stuff...

Why do you think he is cultivating this beard, K?? ahaha.. disguise!!