Evidence against alleged killer of Samantha Murphy described as ‘unprecedented’ in scope as case returns to court

The volume of evidence against the alleged killer of Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy has been described as “unprecedented”.

Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, appeared in court in Ballarat on Thursday charged with the alleged murder of Ms Murphy.

Stephenson appeared via video link dressed in white and left Melbourne Assessment Prison clean-shaven, having previously sported a full beard.

The court heard police had assembled a huge body of evidence against the alleged killer, which included an “extensive amount” of CCTV footage.

Stephenson’s lawyer, Moya O’Brien, told the court that both sides requested a three-month adjournment because of the sheer volume of evidence in the case file.

“Its magnitude is considered unprecedented,” she said.

Judge Mark Stratmann granted the request, but was concerned about the length of time Stephenson would remain in custody.

“Three months is quite a long time, both for your client and for the community,” he said.

In early March, nearly five weeks after Ms Murphy’s disappearance, police charged Patrick Orren Stephenson (pictured) with her alleged murder

Stephenson is not scheduled to appear in court again until November 16. Stratmann said at the time that he expected any issues in the case to be “ventilated.”

No one seemed to be looking at the court link to support Stephenson.

Mrs Murphy’s husband, Mick Murphy, was not seen on the video link or in court on Thursday.

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

The brief hearing did not provide information about how police defended their case against Stephenson.

The magistrate refused to grant the media access to documents related to the case and to additional traffic violations.

Ms O’Bryan declined to comment on the case as she left court.

Stephenson’s arrest in connection with the alleged murder has provided some relief to the Ballarat community, but it has not yet provided answers to the question of where Ms Murphy’s body was dumped.

Samantha Murphy, 51, disappeared without a trace after leaving her home in Ballarat East, Victoria, for her morning run on February 4 (pictured)

Samantha Murphy is believed to have been murdered while jogging

Mrs. Murphy’s disappearance sparked a massive community effort to find her in the days that followed.

The 51-year-old set off at 7am for her morning run through nearby Woowookrung Regional Park, a 14km route she has run countless times before.

In early March, nearly five weeks after Ms. Murphy’s disappearance, police charged Stephenson with her alleged murder, despite her body never being found.

On Sunday, family, friends and the community of Ballarat commemorated the six-month anniversary of Murphy’s disappearance.

Many hoped this week’s hearing would provide answers to the question of why Stephenson might have killed her.

Mrs Murphy’s husband Mick (left) and her daughter Jess (right) took to the media for information in the days after she disappeared

A breakthrough in the case came after police searched a dam on a property south of Buninyong, about 14km from her home, and found Ms Murphy’s phone

The case is one of Victoria Police’s highest priority criminal investigations, with the Missing Persons Unit working tirelessly to gather evidence ahead of the expected trial.

A breakthrough in the case came after police searched a dam on a property south of Buninyong, about 14 kilometres from her home, on May 29.

Officers found a mud-smeared mobile phone in a wallet at the water’s edge, probably found by a police sniffer dog.

Shortly after the cell phone was found, police said in a statement that they had found a number of “objects of interest” during the search for the missing mother.

The phone and other items found during the search were subjected to forensic examination. Sources confirmed that the device belonged to Ms Murphy.

Many hoped the phone would lead to Murphy’s body, but police are tight-lipped about the evidence found on the device.

Police launched a series of “targeted searches” in the wooded area and on surrounding properties in the hope of finding the missing mother’s body or finding crucial evidence to bolster the case.

If the preliminary hearing goes ahead as expected, the murder trial in the Victorian Supreme Court is unlikely to begin until mid to late next year.

The trial could be further delayed by new evidence from homicide detectives, who continue to investigate the case in the hope of finding Mrs Murphy’s body.

Police allege Stephenson ‘intentionally attacked’ Ms Murphy in Mount Clear, approximately 7km after she had been out for a run.

Stephenson, who has no connection to the Murphy family, was charged on March 7 with the murder of the mother of three.

He is the son of former AFL player Orren Stephenson, who played 15 games for Geelong and Richmond between 2012 and 2014.

It is believed that Stephenson reserved the right to silence.