A criminal psychologist has detailed what evidence police are likely to reveal during a long-awaited court hearing over the alleged murder of Samantha Murphy.
Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, is set to face Ballarat Magistrates’ Court for a committal mention via video link on Thursday, accused of murdering Ms Murphy.
The hearing is expected to finally provide some answers about the case against Stephensen after he was charged on March 7, more than four weeks after the mother-of-three went missing.
Ms Murphy vanished without a trace after she left her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, Victoria, on the morning of February 4.
The 51-year-old had set out for her morning run at 7am through the nearby Woowookrung Regional Park – a 14km route she had done countless times before.
Months of desperate searches have failed to find any trace of Ms Murphy’s body, only resulting in the mysterious discovery of her mobile phone at a dam.
Police have since remained tight-lipped about any information surrounding the phone and any other evidence which led to the arrest of Stephenson.
However, criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro said police will be forced to reveal their hand at Thursday’s hearing, with a magistrate to ultimately rule on whether there is enough evidence for Stephenson to face trial.
The alleged killer of missing mother-of-three, Samantha Murphy (pictured), will face court on Thursday preceding a hearing that will reveal police’s case against him
Dr Watson-Munro said that a lack of physical evidence – such as Ms Murphy’s body or a murder weapon – meant prosecutors would mostly rely on technological evidence.
This could include tracking data relating to Ms Murphy and Stephenson’s phones.
‘I think (prosecutors have) got their work cut out for them in the absence of a body, in the absence of witnesses, in the absence of a motive – or certainly one that we know about or don’t know about,’ Dr Watson-Munro told Daily Mail Australia.
‘And an absence of a record of interview or any confessions or acknowledgments referable to the alleged crime.
‘There may be other evidence that we don’t know about, and if there is I’d revise my opinion, but generally speaking this stuff gets leaked.’
Dr Watson-Munro said a lack of public information about the case could be due to Stephenson refusing to speak to police until they found physical evidence.
Patrick Orren Stephenson (pictured) is accused of killing the mother-of-three after she vanished on a 14km run through Woowookrung National Park on the morning of February 4
‘In general terms, people don’t necessarily give a comprehensive record of interview or anything until they’re presented with other evidence,’ he said.
‘Usually, police find a body, a weapon, corroborative evidence that supports their claims that might be enough then for the individual to start talking.’
Dr Watson-Munro said the lack of a body would be concerning for police.
He added that six months of searches from Ballarat locals had been made extremely difficult because the area is ‘riddled’ with abandoned mines.
‘Some of them run very deep… you’d be looking for a needle in a haystack, I suspect,’ he said.
The case is one of the highest priority criminal investigations for Victoria Police, with the missing persons squad working tirelessly to compile compelling evidence for the trial.
A breakthrough in the case came after police searched a dam at a property south of Buninyong, approximately 14km from her home, on May 29.
Officers located a mud-splattered mobile phone in a wallet at the water’s edge, believed to have been found by a police tech detector dog.
Police have been tight-lipped regarding details of evidence found during the investigation but will be forced to reveal more at an upcoming committal hearing (police divers pictured at a dam)
In a statement issued shortly after the mobile phone was found, police said they had located some ‘items of interest’ during the search for the missing mum.
The phone, along with other items found in the search, underwent forensic testing with sources confirming the device belonged to Ms Murphy.
Many were hopeful the phone would lead to Ms Murphy’s body, however, police have remained tight-lipped on the evidence found on the device.
Police launched a series of ‘targeted searches’ in bushland and on properties across the area, with hopes of locating the missing mum’s body or finding crucial evidence to strengthen the case.
Police allege Stephenson ‘deliberately attacked’ Ms Murphy in Mount Clear, about 7km into her run.
Stephenson, who has no connection to the Murphy family, was charged with murdering the mother-of-three on March 7.
He is the son of former AFL player Orren Stephenson, who played 15 games for Geelong and Richmond between 2012 and 2014.
It is understood Stephenson, who remains in custody, has reserved his right to silence.
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