Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #13

[Trooper]

I had a severe lapse in protocol , calling Mr Gibson , Raymond, even his own mother probably calls him Mr Gibson, KC , so please accept my sincere apologies....

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Raymond wrote the book on prosecuting.. the DPP Barrister rockstars , as a rule, avoid all publicity, unlike defence Barristers for whom it is their bread and butter, Mr Gibson has been a stalwart of Victorian justice for a very long time, a mentor , a teacher, an author, a man for all seasons.... I am looking forward to his presentation of this case, his manner in court is one of stately progression, from logical point to the next logical point, with an undertone of high drama and tension..

He will have a few paralegals and a junior as well, and that will just as interesting to me, because it will be an indicator of Raymonds choice of assistants, the pick of the crop, most likely.

It’s going to be mouth watering Troops… between his expert prowess at prosecution and the statements from Dr Sorrel etc…

 

[HoneyBunOne]

It’s going to be mouth watering Troops… between his expert prowess at prosecution and the statements from Dr Sorrel etc…

Sure seems like the finest of the finest will be working this case, and I'm here for it.

 

[Warshawski]

Raymond wrote the book on prosecuting.. the DPP Barrister rockstars , as a rule, avoid all publicity, unlike defence Barristers for whom it is their bread and butter, Mr Gibson has been a stalwart of Victorian justice for a very long time, a mentor , a teacher, an author, a man for all seasons.... I am looking forward to his presentation of this case, his manner in court is one of stately progression, from logical point to the next logical point, with an undertone of high drama and tension..

He will have a few paralegals and a junior as well, and that will just as interesting to me, because it will be an indicator of Raymonds choice of assistants, the pick of the crop, most likely.

Certainly imo VIC Police will have roped in the services of a high profile prosecutor

I’m interested to hear both sides of the story …. for me the various suggestions are inexplicable and so upsetting.

 

[Trooper]

Certainly imo VIC Police will have roped in the services of a high profile prosecutor

I’m interested to hear both sides of the story …. for me the various suggestions are inexplicable and so upsetting.

Actually, he isn't 'roped in' he, Mr Gibson is the actual Police Prosecutor, one of quite a few that are part of the Dept of Public Prosecution. He . along with his cohorts, in the DPP, do all of the prosecuting for the police, VIC POL have to run their case past the eyes of the DPP before a charge is laid, to verify that it is (a) a crime to be pursued in court, (b) a crime that the DPP has precedent in taking to court (c) that VICPOL has a handle on all aspects of the crime that the DPP can present to the judge, and (big one ) (d) is winnable.

It is a whole huge department ,the DPP is part of the State's justice system just like VICPOL, they are two sides of the same coin, consisting of paralegals, police liaison officers, Barristers, lawyers, juniors, all eminently qualified because they are going up against the defenders, the flamboyant boys and gals who swish around the Supreme court, the County court, the Magistrates court, ...

When one goes to law school, there is a point where one decides, if one is doing criminal law , that is, what way the feather is going to fall, working for the State in prosecuting crime or working for the poor innocents accused of crime.. .. if you choose to work for the State you go into the DPP,, where you beaver away the rest of your life being educated in exactly how criminal some folks can be! Lots of folks switch sides mid career, too,, not unusual.. work as a defender then go into prosecuting.,or vice versa....

Same as judges, too, they are chosen from both sides of the profession, some judges come in from a defending career , some from a prosecuting career..

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Directions Hearing today
10am

 

[drsleuth]

Major update on Sam Murphy's alleged killer

The man accused of murdering Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy has learnt when he will finally face justice.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Appearing via videolink, the court heard dates for his murder trial had been secured in September.

While Daily Mail Australia is unable to provide most of the explosive details due to legal reasons, it can be revealed prosecutors plan to cross examine eight witnesses before the trial to determine whether they need to be called for the main event.

Another witness, who has only recently been identified, is also expected to be examined after police obtain a statement from him.

The court heard he will appear in the court when he next appears in court on March 6 for a case conference between his lawyers and those acting for the prosecution.
Case conferences are held to determine if the case can be resolved.

 

[Trooper]

Major update on Sam Murphy's alleged killer

The man accused of murdering Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy has learnt when he will finally face justice.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Appearing via videolink, the court heard dates for his murder trial had been secured in September.

While Daily Mail Australia is unable to provide most of the explosive details due to legal reasons, it can be revealed prosecutors plan to cross examine eight witnesses before the trial to determine whether they need to be called for the main event.

Another witness, who has only recently been identified, is also expected to be examined after police obtain a statement from him.

The court heard he will appear in the court when he next appears in court on March 6 for a case conference between his lawyers and those acting for the prosecution.
Case conferences are held to determine if the case can be resolved.

Eight witnesses..... plus one currently without his statement verified....

For a murder, that is a lot of witnesses. I presuming that the eight are Stephenson's witnesses... to be cross examined by the Prosecutor, they would be defence witnesses , no hint of how many will be testifying for the Prosecution.....

The girlfriend?? parents? a neighbor? a mate??

 

[drsleuth]

Road expert and digital forensic specialists to be called in Samantha Murphy trial

Prosecutors have begun outlining the key experts they will rely on in the case of Patrick Orren Stephenson, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering the Ballarat mum.

www.theage.com.au

Erin Pearson​

February 26, 2025 — 12.57pm

Road expert and digital forensic specialists to be called in Samantha Murphy trial​

Key expert witnesses in road, digital forensics, DNA and phone data are expected to give evidence at the upcoming trial of the man accused of murdering Samantha Murphy.

They include road reconstructionist Robert Hay, digital data expert Jo Parkin and phone data specialist Matthew Sorell.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Appearing via videolink, the court heard dates for his murder trial had been secured in September.

The court heard he will appear in the court on March 6 for a case conference between his lawyers and those acting for the prosecution.

Major update on Sam Murphy's alleged killer

The man accused of murdering Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy has learnt when he will finally face justice.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Bats]

Eight witnesses..... plus one currently without his statement verified....

For a murder, that is a lot of witnesses. I presuming that the eight are Stephenson's witnesses... to be cross examined by the Prosecutor, they would be defence witnesses , no hint of how many will be testifying for the Prosecution.....

The girlfriend?? parents? a neighbor? a mate??

Could it not be that the witnesses are the prosecution's witnesses that are being cross examined Troops? Or at least, witnesses that have come forward during the investigation and the prosecution are determining if they'll be needed in trial.

I don't know, but in the accused's defence, i would expect the bar to be fairly low as to who they can bring as a witness and probably wouldn't require cross examination, pre-trial?
I'm no and expert! JMO

 

[Trooper]

Could it not be that the witnesses are the prosecution's witnesses Troops?

I don't know, but in the accused defence i would expect the bar to be fairly low as to who they can bring as a witness and probably wouldn't require cross examination, pre-trial?
I'm no and expert! JMO

the prosecutors witnesses get cross-examined by the defence barrister, the defence witnesses get cross-examined by the Prosecutor, which is why I figured the eight are his witnesses with a spare one coming in at 9.

Doing some simple arithmetic, Stephenson will have to produce rebuttal witnesses to the three prosecuting witness ( which I am sure is not the entire count ), the road man, the data lady and the phone man.. they will have to be experts too, but it will be hard to find one more expert than Sorell, so that leaves him with 6 witnesses, about what I have no clue. One of them will be a character witness... one probably will testify that he was with Stephenson the night before the murder, ... .. one might be a witness to his deportment and manner after the murder, and such like...

As to the low bar, it's entirely up to Stephenson to set the level of his own bar of his own defence, which he must stand by.. ( or fall down by ) . I can tell by the names of the prosecution witness, that no such of a low bar has been set for them, on the contrary.. but it's Stephenson's call... Barristers can only advise, they cannot make their client follow.

 

[drsleuth]

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/samantha-murphy-disappearance-alleged-killer-patrick-orren-stephenson-appears-in-victorian-supreme-court/news-story/ad81861c8d850f11c6e420dc9cf12326

The case was adjourned for a week by Judicial Registrar Tim Freeman and will return to court on March 6.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Road expert and digital forensic specialists to be called in Samantha Murphy trial

Prosecutors have begun outlining the key experts they will rely on in the case of Patrick Orren Stephenson, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering the Ballarat mum.

www.theage.com.au

Erin Pearson​

February 26, 2025 — 12.57pm

Road expert and digital forensic specialists to be called in Samantha Murphy trial​

Key expert witnesses in road, digital forensics, DNA and phone data are expected to give evidence at the upcoming trial of the man accused of murdering Samantha Murphy.

They include road reconstructionist Robert Hay, digital data expert Jo Parkin and phone data specialist Matthew Sorell.

What is the road relevance? Do they think she was killed in a road accident or not ???

 

[Trooper]

What is the road relevance? Do they think she was killed in a road accident or not ???

Logically, I think VICPOL are proposing that he used a vehicle to remove the body from the scene of the crime. Hard to believe he carried it, or hauled it away on a scooter, or on a bike.

 

[Marg944]

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Logically, I think VICPOL are proposing that he used a vehicle to remove the body from the scene of the crime. Hard to believe he carried it, or hauled it away on a scooter, or on a bike.

Possibly.
However, a road reconstructionist, or traffic collision reconstructionist, analyzes the scene of a car accident to determine how it occurred.

They use physical evidence and witness statements to recreate the events that led to the crash.


The Digital Team should be able to check if he was in the vehicle, or has connected his phone to its Bluetooth or wi-fi when he might mention he was at home etc.

They can pick up listening to music or send a WhatsApp message using CarPlay or Android Auto and was the vehicle’s satnav used to orchestrate a plan and navigate the route driven to commit a crime.

Digital forensic experts can investigate these types of data to uncover key digital evidence for use in a civil or criminal investigation.

 

[Marg944]

Hope we get an updated caricature of Stephenson. He is apparently sporting a bear these days.

The Age newspaper is using the one from August last year…..

 

[Marg944]

I meant “beard”!! Hehe

 

[Trooper]

Possibly.
However, a road reconstructionist, or traffic collision reconstructionist, analyzes the scene of a car accident to determine how it occurred.

They use physical evidence and witness statements to recreate the events that led to the crash.


The Digital Team should be able to check if he was in the vehicle, or has connected his phone to its Bluetooth or wi-fi when he might mention he was at home etc.

They can pick up listening to music or send a WhatsApp message using CarPlay or Android Auto and was the vehicle’s satnav used to orchestrate a plan and navigate the route driven to commit a crime.

Digital forensic experts can investigate these types of data to uncover key digital evidence for use in a civil or criminal investigation.

A road reconstructionist , or traffic collision reconstructionist , analyzes the scene of any incident, either accident or deliberate , that involves a motor driven conveyance, be it motorbike, scooter, roller skates, quadbike, golf cart, car , ute, etc to determine how it occurred.