Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat 100km NW of Melbourne, 4 Feb 2024 #7

[Deleted member 340727]

Goodness me, the ideas are flying this evening! Such bedazzlingly creative suggestions…. If I may add my musings to the mix, what is standing out to me as most intriguing about this case are the extensive improbabilities of almost every hypothetical scenario that is entertained… it’s almost like we are trying to solve a puzzle assuming the pieces fit within a single paradigm. However there are so many inconsistencies and irregularities that it seems almost like there are two puzzles rather than just one… or perhaps a 3D puzzle… ? Do we need to consider some kind of non linear paradigm…? I can’t help but feel there are major missing piece(S) of this puzzle which upend the possibilities we are currently considering…

Another thought is that the inconsistencies may be revealing something very important about the alleged offenders’ psyche - some kind of internal duality which is reflected in the perplexing nature of the seemingly incompatible puzzle pieces we are considering….?? Something along the lines of a Jekyll and Hyde, alter-ego type scenario where the alleged crime appears to have internally conflicting elements and modus operandi…?? Police are being (appropriately) tight lipped… However the more I think about this case the more my head spins… I feel there is a lot more critical info than what we currently have to work with… Hence why it doesn’t appear to be making sense…??!! JMO… MOO….

ProfCluezo, read my posting about the alleged perp. behaviour noting about the bottom over wood log fire flames and substance, consistent with a prankster type behaviour.
I really like your statement of content:
'Something along the lines of a Jekyll and Hyde, alter-ego type scenario where the alleged crime appears to have internally conflicting elements and modus operandi…??' MOO

 

[Dotta]

I agree Toowong(s) and my apologies, I should have been clearer with that as it has only been media reports of a 5 pm Ping. Mind you, we’re supposed to be able to believe the media, so maybe that was ‘fed’ to them at the time.

I just can’t work out the sense of saying a 5 pm ping, if that time was not true.

TBH, I can’t work out sense in any of this.

<modsnip - off topic>

I remember 5 pm ping from early MSM report.
And I believe it is true.
IMO the accused was getting rid of evidence at that time.

After allegedly concealing the victim,
and in opposite direction of this place he let the phone ping.
To mislead Police.

He allegedly was as busy as an ant that Sunday

JMO

 

[Deleted member 340727]

Have you got a theory why police haven’t bothered with divers, cadaver dogs, stopped searching mines and forest so early, and aren’t interested in public reporting sightings of the accused vehicle? And yet they believe they have enough to prosecute a murder charge

Thank you for inviting me for comment. I suspect that the alleged perp. has talked and that information and CCTV footage of his vehicle has secured his arrest warrant. The police have found dna evidence to secure the charge of murder. There are other matters that have me concerned about why SM was targeted however we don't have that extension available to us at the moment. However that posting tonight has elements of concern that I am going to sit on overnight. SM was murdered and I suspect in a rage no one could possibly imagine. It was planned. I want SM reunited with her children and closure. MOO

 

[T-dawg420]

<modsnip - off topic>
I remember 5 pm ping from early MSM report.
And I believe it is true.
IMO the accused was getting rid of evidence at that time.

After allegedly concealing the victim,
and in opposite direction of this place he let the phone ping.
To mislead Police.

He allegedly was as busy as an ant that Sunday

JMO

I 100% agree with you Dotta. This is the little piece of info that heavily influences my whole “theory”. I do believe this 5pm ping was factual, and I also believe this was the time the body was being completely removed from the area.

I can’t decide if it was at this time the ping was a deliberate attempt at misdirecting the police, or whether it remained pinging until 5 pm and then stopped, so that’s when the perp Completely destroyed her phone and watch etc.

There’s been a lot of conjecture about SM having “find my phone” and other gps tracking. So maybe it being left on isn’t the most logical theory.
If this perp is cold, calculating and well thought out, maybe he could have turned it on at 5pm to throw the scent off. But would you need an access code to turn it back on? Probably you would with a phone, but I’m not sure about an Apple Watch? Is it just as simple as turning it off and on? I don’t have any experience with any kind of smart watch tbh.

IMO

 

[Dotta]

I 100% agree with you Dotta. This is the little piece of info that heavily influences my whole “theory”. I do believe this 5pm ping was factual, and I also believe this was the time the body was being completely removed from the area.

I can’t decide if it was at this time the ping was a deliberate attempt at misdirecting the police, or whether it remained pinging until 5 pm and then stopped, so that’s when the perp Completely destroyed her phone and watch etc.

There’s been a lot of conjecture about SM having “find my phone” and other gps tracking. So maybe it being left on isn’t the most logical theory.
If this perp is cold, calculating and well thought out, maybe he could have turned it on at 5pm to throw the scent off. But would you need an access code to turn it back on? Probably you would with a phone, but I’m not sure about an Apple Watch? Is it just as simple as turning it off and on? I don’t have any experience with any kind of smart watch tbh.

IMO

I have never used anything Apple haha
Only Android
And Android always pings - even if turned off.

 

[iamshadow21]

I don't believe that this is the case at all. The police would notify the public if they found SM body. The police would not hold a body for autopsy et al. unbeknownst to the public becauset this would create an absolute mockery of the system. If they found SM body it would be announced almost immediately within 1-2 hours after the body is secured. MOO

If for no other reason, they would let the public know for the simple reason that volunteer searchers put themselves at risk every time they venture out to look for her, especially those who are venturing into areas riddled with derelict shafts.

I do not believe they would withhold her being found. Her family and community have suffered enough with this uncertainty, too much for it to be unnecessarily prolonged.

MOO

 

[Dr Samoht]

I think for sure Sam will be in some place with familiarity to him.

The police enacted three search warrants when they arrested the accused. I guess one would have been for his vehicle, seeing that they seized it.

imo

Purely speculation but could one of the local warrants be his gf’s parents nearby farm , they had been friends for some years , imagine he would have visited there often before the house sitting gig commenced .

 

[SouthAussie]

1. Police divers have not searched any local water bodies that we are aware of.

In the Day Six presser, the officer confirmed (when asked) that they were searching dams.

This is one of my previous posts about it.

Australia - Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat 100km NW of Melbourne, 4 Feb 2024 #2

I cannot imagine going for a run, or even a walk without any water. In northern Australia, you would be dehydrated in no time and simply faint or die. I couldn’t try going for a run like that.

www.websleuths.com

 

[SouthAussie]

Hi SA. I think it’s quite possible that the accused has completed his apprenticeship. It’s usually over 4 years, but he may’ve done his last 2 years at school ‘trade based’ as opposed to trying for Uni entry level grades.

And I guess that makes any difference, because if qualified he would be able to go off by himself to do jobs. imo

Somehow this has turned into a talking point, when what I was saying (in response to a post) is that the police have not said that Sam was attacked by a person with advanced skills. That was a theory in the Under Investigation show.

And that the accused is not a telecomms tech, he is a rookie or apprentice electrician.

FWIW, the DM has stated that he graduated high school in 2019 and entered a trade. It may be that he started his apprenticeship in early 2020 - after graduating high school - and has just completed it in 2024, if he passed all modules.

Whichever way he has completed his 4 year apprenticeship, he is still a junior tradesperson with limited formal experience.

imo

Former schoolmate lifts the lid on Samantha Murphy's accused killer

Patrick Stephenson, 22, was this week charged with allegedly murdering Samantha Murphy on February 4 after she left her Ballarat home, in Victoria, for a morning run.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Dotta]

Somehow this has turned into a talking point, when what I was saying (in response to a post) is that the police have not said that Sam was attacked by a person with advanced skills. That was a theory in the Under Investigation show.

And that the accused is not a telecomms tech, he is a rookie or apprentice electrician.

FWIW, the DM has stated that he graduated high school in 2019 and entered a trade. It may be that he started his apprenticeship in early 2020 - after graduating high school - and has just completed it in 2024.

Whichever way he has completed his 4 year apprenticeship, he is still a junior tradesperson with limited formal experience.

imo

Former schoolmate lifts the lid on Samantha Murphy's accused killer

Patrick Stephenson, 22, was this week charged with allegedly murdering Samantha Murphy on February 4 after she left her Ballarat home, in Victoria, for a morning run.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Did he go to vocational school?

In my country, to become an electrician,
one needs to graduate from a vocational/trade school.

People interested in further education can choose to attend a technical school with this profile
or take up engineering studies - and after graduating,
a future electrician may be responsible for the work of an entire group of electricians in a given workplace.

 

[SouthAussie]

Did he go to vocational school?
In my country to become an electrician, one needs to graduate from a vocational school.
People interested in further education can choose to attend a technical school with this profile or take up engineering studies.
After graduating, a future electrician may be responsible for the work of an entire group of electricians in a given workplace.

I don't think so. I was looking at the schools he attended, and it is not clear that they cater to vocations - although they might. I know my nephew's private high school helped give him a leg-up into a vocation (electrician apprenticeship) during his senior year.

In Australia, there is govt assistance when a tradesperson/company takes on an apprentice. They receive some money for taking them on (after 3 months), they receive a healthy percentage of the apprentice's wage back in a govt payment (every 3 months), and they receive some money when the apprentice completes their apprenticeship.

It is a scheme to encourage employers to hire an apprentice (because apprentices take a bit of time and management), and keep the skillset in Australia at an adequate level. Two companies I do work for have both hired apprentices due to this scheme, and I help to administer their govt paybacks.

imo

 

[Rocket333]

I tend to agree Wulfmoon - as I said myself left field and not probable. I’m just trying to think of a plausible theory for the lack of IMO what would be normal standard procedure for a missing body.

Have you got a theory why police haven’t bothered with divers, cadaver dogs, stopped searching mines and forest so early, and aren’t interested in public reporting sightings of the accused vehicle? And yet they believe they have enough to prosecute a murder charge.

I’m really perplexed by this. I think if we could work out why these seemingly standard things are not being done to help find SM, despite the big show of putting a huge team of experts on the case, there might be something interesting there.

Maybe they know what happened to her.
Maybe they know where she is not.

 

[Trooper]

Obviously, his parents don't seem to have any sway over him at all. Nor his sisters. They appear to be normal decent people, people attached to their community, living in peace with their neighbors for many years, one would think they would be leaning on him a bit ,, or a lot, actually, to give Mrs. Murphy's family some relief, some kind of closure, of a sort , and return her body to them.

In Au law, and in Victorian law, keeping quiet about where the body is of a someone you killed is not the bargaining chip it might seem at first glance to be. It is a negative , in the overall makeup of the crimes , the additional crimes he is likely to be charged with, such as, for example, interfering with a corpse, if he moved her body to another location, which it seems he must have.. or/and some peculiar aspect of the method he used in the murder, all these things are yet to come down on Mr S. It is more likely that the VICPOL will be adding extra charges to those that already hang about his neck, not less because the body is still missing..

There seems, in respect of this long silence, a clear pointer to some hugely dysfunctional dynamic in this family that they have not been able to persuade him of his best interests, considering his situation. Of a long standing nature, or, on the other hand he might be particularly stubborn and stupid, and that is always a possibility.

 

[BoysTown]

It’s possible he is telling his parents he didn’t do it. He’s being set up. Everyone hates him.

Some parents are completly blind when it comes to their offspring.

MOO

 

[JLZ]

Does anyone have any further details on the accused lawyer requesting the suppression order on the grounds of the accused might self harm because of arrest?? I can’t find the article but I vaguely remember something to this effect??
Self harm is pretty drastic in regards to the beginning of the arrest. And due to his age this would not necessarily mean that he would not get paroled after serving some time. Does this hint at the real severity of the accused actions ??
Charges can often be downgraded and I’m sure the lawyer would have explained that. So why would self harm immediately be considered by the accused? Even without a body? Does VICPOL have much more evidence than they specified??

Just an opinion: the lawyer wouldn't have had long to get to know the details of the case. I think the family wanted suppression and the lawyer asked for a temporary order while he could find out whether there were fair grounds for it--although at that stage it didn't look as if there were. The judge was considerate of the lawyer's plight.

 

[Trooper]

It’s possible he is telling his parents he didn’t do it. He’s being set up. Everyone hates him.

Some parents are completly blind when it comes to their offspring.

MOO

The parents left town on the first hour of his arrest. And have remained incognito since, as is their perfect right,... they certainly have not come out at a press conference to proclaim their boy's innocence , loudly and clearly. Don't know as yet if they are stumping up for headache inducing cost of one of Melbourne's best and brightest barristers , or if he is going to take his chances with one chosen by the court..

 

[BoysTown]

The parents left town on the first hour of his arrest. And have remained incognito since, as is their perfect right,... they certainly have not come out at a press conference to proclaim their boy's innocence , loudly and clearly. Don't know as yet if they are stumping up for headache inducing cost of one of Melbourne's best and brightest barristers , or if he is going to take his chances with one chosen by the court..

Time will tell.

I really did think they would have found her body this week.

 

[Rocket333]

Time will tell.

I really did think they would have found her body this week.

SM died in the forest. She’s not (it seems) in the forest. She was driven elsewhere. CCTV & GPS should have PS’s vehicle somewhat tracked and a good idea of where the car went should be known. Unless the vehicle went off camera remote. Or SM actually is in the forest and wasn’t transported away.

 

[Rocket333]

It’s possible he is telling his parents he didn’t do it. He’s being set up. Everyone hates him.

Some parents are completly blind when it comes to their offspring.

MOO

What’s he actually doing, and does it much matter? Is he not disclosing, denying or remaining silent? Is there a difference here?

 

[ProfCluezo]

Obviously, his parents don't seem to have any sway over him at all. Nor his sisters. They appear to be normal decent people, people attached to their community, living in peace with their neighbors for many years, one would think they would be leaning on him a bit ,, or a lot, actually, to give Mrs. Murphy's family some relief, some kind of closure, of a sort , and return her body to them.

In Au law, and in Victorian law, keeping quiet about where the body is of a someone you killed is not the bargaining at first glance to be. It is a negative , in the overall makeup of the crimes , the additional crimes he is likely to be charged with, such as, for example, interfering with a corpse, if he moved her body to another location, which it seems he must have.. or/and some peculiar aspect of the method he used in the murder, all these things are yet to come down on Mr S. It is more likely that the VICPOL will be adding extra charges to those that already hang about his neck, not less because the body is still missing..

There seems, in respect of this long silence, a clear pointer to some hugely dysfunctional dynamic in this family that they have not been able to persuade him of his best interests, considering his situation. Of a long standing nature, or, on the other hand he might be particularly stubborn and stupid, and that is always a possibility.

I agree it’s puzzling and quite likely there is a dysfunctional dynamic and/or the accused is particularly wilful and stubborn. However I would also caution against making assumptions based on how a family may “appear” from the outside. It is not uncommon for ostensibly picture perfect families (from the outside) to be riddled with dysfunction. Often, in fact, the most dysfunctional families are the ones most preoccupied with maintaining an outwardly “perfect” appearance. I am not making any judgments in relation to the accused’s family, but I am just cautioning against making assumptions on the basis of “appearances”. I agree, however, that the fact that the accused attended court without any family or friends suggests that relationships with significant others are, at best, highly strained…