Dramatic moment Samantha Murphy’s husband stares at the man accused of killing his wife – as he finally confronts him for the first time

The heartbroken husband of missing Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy has faced her alleged killer for the first time in court.

Mick Murphy could barely contain his emotions on Thursday as Patrick Orren Stephenson pleaded not guilty to his wife’s murder.

Sitting at the front of the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court, Mr Murphy glared at the video screen in the courtroom where Stephenson appeared from a room at the Melbourne Assessment Prison.

Now with long hair and a woolly beard, Stephenson appeared calm as he officially denied killing Ms Murphy, whose body has still not been found.

With his arms folded, a relaxed Stephenson simply said the words: “Not guilty, Your Honor” when asked for his plea.

The case will now go straight to the Supreme Court of Victoria, paving the way for a jury trial likely to take place sometime late next year.

Flanked by Attorney General Ray Gibson and Homicide Squad police, Murphy declined to comment on a waiting media pack outside the court.

Although Stephenson has previously appeared in court both in person and via video link, it was the first time Murphy had seen his wife’s alleged killer since he was charged.

A shattered Mick Murphy (far right) leaves the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court behind the police and prosecutor

Stephenson, dressed in white, heard three new statements had been obtained by detectives since he was last in court.

One of those witnesses was named Doctor Matthew Sorrell, an expert in digital forensics.

With the case heading straight to the Supreme Court of Victoria, the public will know next to nothing about how police brought their case against Stephenson until the jury trial gets underway.

Alleged murderers traditionally hear their cases through a preliminary hearing at the lower magistrates’ court, where their lawyers can test the police case before it goes to trial.

In these hearings, witnesses are often put on the witness stand and questioned in public hearings that are fully reportable.

Such a hearing was held in the case of killer Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn, who was later found guilty of murder.

Samantha Murphy disappeared in February and is now presumed dead

Mrs. Murphy, mother of three children, disappeared without a trace on the morning of February 4 after leaving her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, Victoria.

Her family reported her missing later that day after she failed to show up for a family brunch.

Few developments in the police case have been made public since May 29, when police found Ms Murphy’s phone, raising hopes they could soon find her remains.

The phone was recovered from the muddy banks of a dam along the Buninyong-Mount Mercer Road in the same region where the phone last connected to a mobile phone tower before nightfall.

An image of the device recovered from the scene showed what appeared to be an Apple iPhone in a wallet filled with ID cards.

Samantha Murphy’s husband Mick Murphy leaves court in Ballarat on Thursday

Samantha and Mick Murphy in happier times

The dam is about 15km from Ballarat East, where Ms Murphy set off for her final run early on Sunday morning.

Aerial footage from the scene showed police officers hugging, backslapping and shaking hands as they examined the phone.

Mr Murphy later confirmed he immediately recognized his wife’s phone when seeing the dramatic television footage.

His wife had long used such a wallet to protect her phone and store her various credit cards and ID cards.

He was pictured in a Facebook photo next to Mr Murphy, in a cheerful snapshot from their latest trip to Bali.

The contents of that phone and what help, if any, it provided investigators in finding Ms. Murphy’s body remains unclear.

Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, is accused of murdering Ms Murphy while she was jogging on Sunday.

The last terrifying image of Samantha Murphy alive on the day of her last jog

Police are celebrating after finding Mrs Murphy’s phone in a dam

Forensic tests on the phone remain ongoing as police try to obtain data in an attempt to receive further leads.

Reports indicate that the phone is in near perfect condition.

Police are remaining tight-lipped about the progress of the investigation, only advising that the search for Ms Murphy’s body continues.

Stephenson, 22, is accused of killing Ms Murphy while she was jogging on Sunday.

It is understood Stephenson, who was arrested five weeks after Ms Murphy was murdered, has not told police the whereabouts of her body.

He is due to appear for a preliminary hearing at the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court in August.

Stephenson is the son of former AFL Richmond and Geelong AFL player Orren Stephenson and is not known to the Murphy family.