Accused killer Patrick Orren Stephenson shared love of footy with his dad

Patrick Stephenson, 22, went from working as a tradie to being charged with one of the state’s most prolific murders. So who is he and what is he really like?

Orren Stephenson and son Patrick, then aged 10. Patrick has now been charged over the murder of Samantha Murphy.

A once wide-eyed footy fanatic who stood by the side of his AFL footballer dad at every game is now at the centre of one of Victoria’s most high-profile alleged murders.

This week, 22-year-old Patrick Stephenson, son of ex-Richmond and Geelong footballer Orren Stephenson, went from working as a tradesman near his Mt Clear home to the one person detectives believe holds the answers to the mysterious disappearance of Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy.

Mr Stephenson was arrested in his work gear and faced court for the first time on Thursday, before a temporary gag order barred any reporting of his name or identity.

After a major court battle ­involving a dozen media outlets, including the Herald Sun, the suppression order was thrown out, revealing it was Mr Stephenson, who police ­believed deliberately killed Ms Murphy before trying to hide her body on February 4, the same day she went missing.

Mr Stephenson, whose lawyer David Tamanika said was at risk of harming himself due to his young age and the seriousness of facing a murder charge, scanned a packed courtroom inside Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning as magistrate ­Michelle Mykytowycz gave the green light to lift the lid on his identity.

Flanked by two guards, he wore a grey, long-sleeved crew neck jumper. He was not handcuffed.

Throughout the hearing, he stared straight ahead, emotionless, towards magistrate Mykytowycz.

Asked if he could hear her, Mr Stephenson said: “Yes, your honour”.

Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged over the murder of missing, Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy.

Some of those closest to Mr Stephenson, including his former St Patrick’s College classmates, told the Herald Sun he was often on the outer and that he struggled with his mental health.

They said welfare staff at St Patrick’s College dealt with frequent “outbursts”.

He was described as showing some eccentric behaviour and was sometimes bullied at school.

Those former classmates said his mental health concerns were well known.

And while the families were not known to one another, Mr Stephenson and Ms Murphy’s eldest daughter, Jess Murphy, attended the same primary school – St Francis Xavier Primary in Ballarat East.

The Stephenson family settled in Ballarat after Orren ­followed his high school sweetheart, Whitney, from Wagga, where her family lived and, at 17, the couple became parents to daughter Emilie.

Two years later, Patrick arrived and, two years after that, daughter Sophie.

The oldest ever draftee in the AFL, Mr Stephenson’s father played 15 games for Richmond and Geelong between 2012 and 2014.

In an interview with AFL media in 2013, Orren Stephenson said his family had lived in Ballarat since 2002 after moving from the Riverina region of NSW.

Orren at the time said his son, then aged 12, rarely missed a game. “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 said.

“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.”

More recently, Orren has played some football with his son Patrick at Redan, the club Stephenson originally joined when he came to Victoria via Wagga, and a club named Mangoplah Cookardinia Eastlakes United.

News of the 22-year-old’s murder charge rocked the ­“absolutely wonderful” family’s closest neighbours.

Orren Stephenson with his wife Whitney and children Emilie, 12, Patrick, 10 and Sophie 8.

“Well it’s a shock, a total shock,” neighbour Catherine said.

“They’ve been a lovely family and great neighbours.

“(They are) wonderful, ­absolutely wonderful neighbours.”

Her husband Ken, 70, said he saw a huge group of cars outside the accused murderer’s home on Wednesday but did not understand why.

He said the family were closely connected to the Redan Football Netball Club.

“We just can’t believe it,” he said.

“We just wave, he (Patrick) parks over this side sometimes, that’s about it.

“The pinging they got on the watches and cameras and what have you was very close to here.”

Investigators had the tradie in their sights for about a fortnight before they swooped in the early hours of Wednesday morning, arresting him at a property in Scotsburn where he was believed to be staying with his girlfriend.

It will be about 20 weeks ­before detectives piece together all of the CCTV footage and phone data that will form their case against Mr Stephenson.

Accused killer shared love of footy with dad

While Orren Stephenson’s AFL career never reached any dizzy heights, he remains a record holder as the oldest first time draftee in AFL history.

Stephenson, or the Big O as he was dubbed, was a shock selection at age 29 with Pick 78 by Geelong in the 2011 AFL National draft.

A decorated VFL ruckman (three VFL Premierships) with North Ballarat by November, 2011, the politely-spoken Stephenson thought he had missed his AFL opportunity, having trained with both Hawthorn and St Kilda before being overlooked.

But his chance came at age 29 when the Cats came knocking after they had lost a pair of Premiership ruckmen in Brad Ottens and Mark Blake.

It was fitting that Stephenson’s pathway to the AFL would be unique given a life shaped by originality ever since his parents named him after a Tom Selleck character (Orrin Sackett) in the 1979 Western movie The Sacketts.

Orren Stephenson after he was drafted by Geelong. Picture: Darren Tindale

Raised in Albury before some years in Griffith and Wagga Wagga, he played rugby league until he was 17.

Stephenson followed his high school sweetheart, Whitney, from Wagga to Ballarat, where her family lived and, at 17, the couple became parents to daughter Emilie. Two years later, son Patrick arrived and, two years after that, daughter Sophie.

An electrician and Telecommunications technician in Ballarat, Stephenson played eight games with Geelong in 2012 before being moved on when the Cats recruited Hamish McIntosh from North Melbourne. He then got a second chance with Richmond in 2013, as he explained to AFL.com.

“Playing in the AFL has 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,” said Stephenson.

“Patrick (son) last year was rolling around the rooms with the Geelong Cats and this year he’s rolling around with the Richmond Tigers. He wouldn’t miss it for quids. He loves it and the girls have had a lot of fun as well. It’s a massive bonus that we can share these pretty good times with our kids.”

Orren Stephenson playing with the Cats.

Stephenson, 200cm, played a further seven games with Richmond in 2013-14 before returning home to Ballarat. In recent times he has played some football with his son Patrick at Redan, the club Stephenson originally joined when he came to Victoria via Wagga and a club named Mangoplah Cookardinia Eastlakes United.

“I came down and played with Redan, which was a very good side that won flags in 2002-2004. I tried out with North Ballarat in the pre-season in 2003, but they told me they couldn’t see me challenging for a senior position,” said Stephenson in an interview with this newspaper on the day he was drafted.

“So I went back to Redan for a couple of years and won the B & F in 2004. I came back to North Ballarat in 2005 when Gavin Crosisca was coach and played 15 reserves games and five in the seniors. I nearly left to go back to Redan but got talked into staying, which was the best thing I did. Gerard Fitzgerald became coach in 2007 and we started to play some finals.”

Orren Stephenson playing for the Tigers in 2013.

“Some finals” included three VFL premierships in 2008-10 and, by extension, four VFL team of the year selections, dual state selection and a Norm Goss medal as best afield in the 2009 VFL grand final.

Stephenson, 200cm and 104kg, knew he could match it with AFL ruckmen because he played with some success against the likes of Geelong’s Trent West and Western Bulldogs’ Will Minson at VFL level.

AFL clubs knew it, too. Hawthorn and St Kilda invited him to train in recent years before choosing men with AFL experience in Wayde Skipper and Adam Pattison.

Stephenson started to think his AFL chance was gone: “I guess you always dream but when there was no AFL contact last year I started to think the dream was over.

“I never say never but I was starting to think my time had passed. I used to think, ‘Geez, how much better would I be with a full-time program, not working all day?’