Murder trial date set in Samantha Murphy case
Patrick Orren Stephenson, who is accused of murdering Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy, will stand trial from April 8 next year following an extended pre-trial process.
A trial date has been set for the man accused of murdering Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy.
Patrick Orren Stephenson, who stands charged with Murphy’s alleged murder, will stand trial from April 8 next year following an extended pre-trial process that will stretch into late 2025.
The trial will begin shortly after the Easter period in 2026, bringing the case into the spotlight more than two years after Murphy’s death.
It comes after the accused was transported from Melbourne Assessment Prison to Enfield State Park, south of Ballarat, where excavators were used to dig up an undisclosed area.
It was the second time Mr Stephenson was escorted to the site by police, after a similar operation in November last year. No human remains were located during either search.
Murphy, a mother of three, vanished on February 4, 2023, after setting out on a 14km run through the Canadian State Forest, which she was known to frequent. Her disappearance triggered a major search involving police and volunteers, spanning bushland areas including the Canadian State Forest, Enfield State Park, and Buninyong Bushland Reserve.
Mr Stephenson was arrested a month later and charged with her murder. He has pleaded not guilty and was committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court.
Police have not disclosed what led them to return to the Enfield site, and there is no suggestion that Mr Stephenson’s attendance indicates he knows the whereabouts of Murphy’s body.
In June last year, Murphy’s credit cards, driver’s licence, and iPhone – which was inside a teal-coloured cover – were recovered from the bottom of a dam in Buninyong. The phone was reportedly in near-perfect condition.
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