Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #9

[Cliff Hardy]

Dotta, the saying is from 'Australia's most respected Detective', Ron Iddles. For cold cases, he says "The answer is always in the files" He had a 99% success rate and investigated over 300 murder cases. Nifty and I were referring to this retired detective. He is brilliant. He has done a series for TV.

Ron Iddles - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Iddles comes across as an outstanding human being as well.

 

[mondayschild]

The things that occurs to me about someone (alleged murderer) not revealing the location :
- shame about action leading to internal refusal to "budge" (i.e. psychological defence)
- finding the body would then implicate or expose involvement of another person (that alleged person either fears or has some other rship/bond/contract with)
- the location might reveal additional crimes lengthening potential sentence

 

[Cliff Hardy]

The things that occurs to me about someone (alleged murderer) not revealing the location :
- shame about action leading to internal refusal to "budge" (i.e. psychological defence)
- finding the body would then implicate or expose involvement of another person (that alleged person either fears or has some other rship/bond/contract with)
- the location might reveal additional crimes lengthening potential sentence

I think at least the first 2 of those apply to Chris Dawson, murderer of wife Lynnette.

 

[acutename]

That's always been my thought, that he just got lucky. So much bushland and countryside around the immediate area, not to mention within a 20-30km radius. Who knows what his plans were that day and how much free time he had that he didn't have to account for. If he's off far away from the scene of the crime disposing of her he wouldn't necessarily care that a search was happening in Mt Clear. If he's guilty of course. MOO

for sure a lot of bush around but:
if he went to work the following Monday (?) he had limited time to travel. At the very maximum (no sleep) approx. 23 hrs and he had to travel to a place and back so let's say 10 hrs one way. How much fuel does his truck hold and what is the fuel efficiency? Does he have a gas can with him? Odds are he would go to a place he has been before and go on a road or a track. Is there a hunting season coming up in AUS? (In the US a lot of missing are found by hunters)

 

[ProfCluezo]

for sure a lot of bush around but:
if he went to work the following Monday (?) he had limited time to travel. At the very maximum (no sleep) approx. 23 hrs and he had to travel to a place and back so let's say 10 hrs one way. How much fuel does his truck hold and what is the fuel efficiency? Does he have a gas can with him? Odds are he would go to a place he has been before and go on a road or a track. Is there a hunting season coming up in AUS? (In the US a lot of missing are found by hunters)

These are great points - and questions you raise, acutename…. However they also assume that the accused placed body in the current resting place on the day of the alleged murder. My understanding is that it has been suggested the alleged most likely moved the body… at least once but possibly more than once…. After all it appears the accused was not on the police’s radar for around two weeks….

JMO

 

[MadDoc]

As if the Ballarat area hasn't suffered enough tragedies in the past couple of months, this just happened.
(Clunes - the same place that Hannah McGuire was from.)

A woman has died at a wellness centre, after consuming a drink suspected to include poisonous mushrooms

Should we start a separate thread for this incident?

 

[drsleuth]

As if the Ballarat area hasn't suffered enough tragedies in the past couple of months, this just happened.
(Clunes - the same place that Hannah McGuire was from.)

A woman has died at a wellness centre, after consuming a drink suspected to include poisonous mushrooms

Should we start a separate thread for this incident?

Probably, what's going on Australia!!

 

[southgoldengirl]

I don't know what's going on in my country at the moment but it feels really weird....like we're in the Bermuda triangle or something.

 

[drsleuth]

I don't know what's going on in my country at the moment but it feels really weird....like we're in the Bermuda triangle or something.

I agree, feels very unsettling ......

 

[Leafy]

These are great points - and questions you raise, acutename…. However they also assume that the accused placed body in the current resting place on the day of the alleged murder. My understanding is that it has been suggested the alleged most likely moved the body… at least once but possibly more than once…. After all it appears the accused was not on the police’s radar for around two weeks….

JMO

I missed the information on the body having been relocated and can’t work out where it came from. Does anyone have a link?

 

[Dotta]

Not telling where the body is concealed,
allegedly means wanting to get the best outcome for the accused.

All burden of proof is
solely on Police/Prosecution.

JMO

 

[Dr Samoht]

As if the Ballarat area hasn't suffered enough tragedies in the past couple of months, this just happened.
(Clunes - the same place that Hannah McGuire was from.)

A woman has died at a wellness centre, after consuming a drink suspected to include poisonous mushrooms

Should we start a separate thread for this incident?

Same street … Frazer st.

 

[BreakingNews]

The things that occurs to me about someone (alleged murderer) not revealing the location :
- shame about action leading to internal refusal to "budge" (i.e. psychological defence)
- finding the body would then implicate or expose involvement of another person (that alleged person either fears or has some other rship/bond/contract with)
- the location might reveal additional crimes lengthening potential sentence

Once accused tells where the body is, he has in fact admitted to the murder. Or at least being involved somehow. Innocent until proved guilty. So he keeps quiet in the hope he will be acquitted.

 

[BreakingNews]

for sure a lot of bush around but:
if he went to work the following Monday (?) he had limited time to travel. At the very maximum (no sleep) approx. 23 hrs and he had to travel to a place and back so let's say 10 hrs one way. How much fuel does his truck hold and what is the fuel efficiency? Does he have a gas can with him? Odds are he would go to a place he has been before and go on a road or a track. Is there a hunting season coming up in AUS? (In the US a lot of missing are found by hunters)

Not big hunters in Australia. However some deer hunting in Victoria all year round and other deer hunting starts 1st April.

What you can hunt - SSAA Victoria

Hunting Update From 8:00pm Thursday 5 August 2021 restrictions across Victoria have changed. Under current restrictions, outdoor activities that can be undertaken without accessing a facility, such as hunting, are permitted within the 5km and...

ssaavic.com.au

 

[HoneyBunOne]

I don't know what's going on in my country at the moment but it feels really weird....like we're in the Bermuda triangle or something.

It certainly does feel very weird, and getting weirder. Every morning I wake up and wonder what today's news will bring. Always, but particularly now, I'm very grateful for our gun laws.
Society needs to change, but the only changes I can see are making things worse. Makes you wonder where it's all going to end.

 

[JLZ]

Once accused tells where the body is, he has in fact admitted to the murder. Or at least being involved somehow. Innocent until proved guilty. So he keeps quiet in the hope he will be acquitted.

And to play on police fear that he will be acquitted--so that he gets offered a plea deal. He can't afford to concede anything at this stage--and neither can police. Of course police are representing that their case for murder is impregnable.

 

[hillshaveeyes]

Bo

And to play on police fear that he will be acquitted--so that he gets offered a plea deal. He can't afford to concede anything at this stage--and neither can police. Of course police are representing that their case for murder is impregnable.

Borce Ristevski.
9 years increased to 13 years for Manslaughter.
6 Years parole increased to 10.

"denying any involvement in her disappearance until the eve of his trial"

"By the time the 47-year-old's remains were found in February 2017, the cause of her death could not be determined"

Charged with Manslaughter only.

Let's hope LE have more evidence than this case.

 

[Dotta]

Bo

Borce Ristevski.
9 years increased to 13 years for Manslaughter.
6 Years parole increased to 10.

"denying any involvement in her disappearance until the eve of his trial"

"By the time the 47-year-old's remains were found in February 2017, the cause of her death could not be determined"

Charged with Manslaughter only.

Let's hope LE have more evidence than this case.

I checked this case.

And ...
Ristevski was
initially charged with his wife's murder
but...
ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Let's hope history won't repeat itself.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Just supposing you had grown up in the area, know it well and had harboured terrible thoughts about a great place to hide a body since you were young - where would you be considering? Surely it would be the deep wells/mine shafts within that park? JMO MOO

 

[ProfCluezo]

The article below suggests Police do not necessarily need “hard evidence” to charge with murder. This conflicts with claims made previously on this site that “solid gold”, “irrefutable” evidence is required for vicpol to lay charges for murder…

Perhaps police do not have the level of evidence we have been lead to believe they must have? This could certainly go a long way to explaining why the body has not been recovered as yet…?

JMO

Do The Police Need Evidence To Charge You In Australia?

Understand your rights in Australia. Learn the legal intricacies of the question - 'Do the police need evidence to charge you?' - with our in-depth guide.

justicefamilylawyers.com.au