Patrick Orren Stephenson: Tradie accused of murdering Samantha Murphy went on a pub crawl in Ballarat the night before the mum-of-three vanished

The man accused of murdering Samantha Murphy allegedly hit the town for a pub crawl with mates the night before the mother-of-three disappeared. 

Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, who detectives believe allegedly killed Ms Murphy, was reported to have gone from pub to pub with a group of friends on a night out in Ballarat on Saturday, February 3.

Hours later, at around 7am on Sunday, Ms Murphy left her East Ballarat home to go for a jog but was reported missing later that morning when she failed to show for a scheduled brunch with her family.

A witness, who does not wish to be identified, told Nine newspapers that police have been visiting venues in Ballarat trying to gather CCTV footage of Stephenson on the Saturday night in question.

Stephenson is said to have been at a party before heading to The Deck in Ballarat, which stays open until 3am. It is not clear when he left. 

A video that circulated on Snapchat from the party appears to show lines of white powder racked up on a mobile phone. There is no suggestion Stephenson had anything to do with the powder.

A suppression order was lifted on Friday allowing media outlets to name Stephenson, who is the son of former AFL star Orren Stephenson.

Police are yet to find the missing mum’s remains. 

Meanwhile, hundreds of locals gathered at a vigil being held in Ballarat’s Eureka Stockade Memorial Garden on Friday night to reflect on Ms Murphy’s life.

Attendees were encouraged to hold up a candle or a lit phone as part of the solemn tribute.

‘I had someone reach out to me that while she could not be there, she would be lighting a candle and placing it in her front window,’  Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson said.

Ms Murphy has also been remembered as a stalwart of Ballarat’s theatrical community.

Stephenson was arrested on Wednesday in Scotsburn – about 17km from Ms Murphy’s Ballarat East home in Victoria. He was charged with murder the next day. 

Detectives reportedly also towed away a 4WD vehicle that had been parked outside the Yendon No 2 Road. 

On Friday a woman believed to be a close friend of Stephenson was spotted near the property where he was arrested.

She refused to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia but was observed standing, sitting and blowing kisses at the horse.

Detectives are reportedly investigating if Ms Murphy may have been struck by a car on the Sunday she vanished, but police have ruled out a hit-and-run accident.

Stephenson, a tradie – who was also a renowned local football player himself – appeared in court in a bright orange hi-viz worker’s jacket on Thursday to face charges of murdering Ms Murphy on February 4 – the day she disappeared.

He appeared interested in the court proceedings going on around him and kept his composure, occasionally gazing at journalists and the magistrate and lawyers. 

When asked by Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz if he could hear her, Stephenson, who had a scruffy beard, said: ‘Yes, your honour’. 

The alleged killer’s identity can only now be fully revealed after a court-imposed gag order was finally scrapped on Friday. 

A magistrate immediately banned media from identifying him but the blackout was lifted after an appeal by media including Daily Mail Australia at a court hearing on Friday morning.

Stephenson’s family life

Stephenson’s father Orren made headlines when he made his elite AFL debut at the age of 30 as a ruckman for Geelong in 2012 before joining Richmond as a rookie in 2013.

He was the oldest first-round draft pick in the history of the sport. 

Orren married his highschool sweetheart Whitney with the pair going on to have three children – Stephenson being the middle child and only son.

‘It’s been fantastic and a massive bonus. For my wife and the kids, it’s something they’ll never forget so I’m pretty blessed to be able to share it with them,’ Orren told AFL.com.au in 2013 when discussing his footy career.

‘Patrick last year was rolling around the rooms with the Geelong Cats and this year he’s rolling around with the Richmond Tiger boys.

‘He wouldn’t pass it up for quids. He loves it and the girls have had a lot of fun with it as well. It’s a massive bonus that we can share these pretty good times in our lives with our kids.’

The retired 41-year-old player grew up in Wagga Wagga in New South Wales – the birthplace of bonafide AFL champion Wayne Carey. 

The family moved to Ballarat in 2002 to be close to Ms Stephenson’s family, and set up an electronics company, Elite Voice and Data, which was run out of their home according to company files. 

It is understood the family has now left the area after a media horde descended upon their home on Thursday afternoon.  

Orren began playing AFL for Ballarat’s Redan Football Club and after winning premierships in 2002 and 2003, he was awarded best and fairest player in 2004.

He then joined North Ballarat Football Club and played for Victoria’s VFL league before being promoted to the AFL competition.

The veteran was delisted at the conclusion of the 2014 season.

Stephenson following in his father’s footsteps 

Stephenson was keen to take after his father in the world of football, playing for the same local Redan side which Orren had once played for.

In 2019, Stephenson appeared in the Ballarat Courier alongside teammates from the Redan Under 19s promoting the Looking After Our Mates program.

It was an initiative that focused on reducing the risk of players being impacted by crashes caused by alcohol or other drugs.

The alleged killer attended Ballarat’s St Patrick’s College, a private boys Catholic school, which costs around $7,000 to $8,500 annually.

It is understood Stephenson was living between two homes when Ms Murphy vanished, splitting his time between his parent’s house in Mount Clear as well as a share house in Scotsburn – about 17kms from Ms Murphy’s home. 

Stephenson’s first court appearance 

On Thursday, the court heard Stephenson, a tradesman, did not suffer from any drug problems or mental health conditions. 

However, his lawyer David Tamanika warned his client was at risk of self harm while behind bars. 

He was granted a suppression order on-the-spot, despite the protests of up to a dozen journalists who sat in on the hearing. 

That gag order was on Friday scrapped amid a firestorm of backlash over Magistrate Mykytowycz’s swift decision to impose the gag order. 

Lawyers acting for a swag of Australian news outlets pounced on the court on Thursday afternoon, bringing the planned suppression order fight back from April to Friday. 

In the end, no battle was needed and the suppression order was withdrawn by Stephenson’s own defence lawyer. 

But Mr Tamanika blasted Australia’s media for advocating for an open justice system.

‘It is concerning that the application or granting of such orders can be, or is, immediately seen as being some form of underhanded move or manipulation by an accused person,’ he said. 

Mr Tamanika said his client’s application for a gag order was made for ‘bona fide’ reasons and was not an attack on the Murphy family. 

‘It had nothing to do with any form of disrespect or disregard to the position of Ms Murphy or her family,’ he said. 

Mr Tamanika said his client had hoped to keep his father’s name out of the press. 

‘The interim order has seemingly had little effect to assist in what the intention of the application was to be,’ he said.

‘The current media storm has now become inclusive of family of the accused and the defence intention to assist has only become far more destructive.

‘It is for these reasons that my client has asked me to withdraw the application.’

Dressed in a bright orange worker’s vest and sporting a bushy beard when he appeared in court on Thursday, Stephenson’s identity had already been splashed across news websites and television broadcasts for hours.

On Friday morning, hours before the 11am withdrawal of the gag order, Stephenson’s name could be widely linked to the alleged murder across the internet and social media. 

In accepting the withdrawal of Stephenson’s application for a suppression order, Magistrate Mykytowycz suggested he had little hope of actually securing a full blown order. 

The magistrate said she had brought the matter back to court after a discussion with the Victoria’s Chief Magistrate Justice Lisa Hannn.

‘In the absence of any evidence or sufficient credible information, I would not have made a proceeding suppression order today even if some of that evidence had been before the court … it was very, very, very unlikely,’ she said.

During a press conference on Thursday, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton told reporters Stephenson was unknown to his alleged victim’s family. 

However, detectives did not issue any warnings to the general public about possible threats to their safety throughout the month-long investigation. 

Stephenson will remain behind bars until his next court appearance in August.