Alleged killer’s feminine pal breaks cowl close to the Ballarat retreat the place man accused of murdering Samantha Murphy was arrested

A girl believed to be an in depth pal of Samantha Murphy’s accused killer has been noticed close to the agricultural property the place he was arrested two days in the past.

The id of the person accused of killing Ms Murphy has been revealed as Patrick Orren Stephenson, the one son of former AFL star Orren Stephenson, after a suppression order was lifted on Friday.

Stephenson, 22, was arrested on Wednesday in Scotsburn – about 17km from Ms Murphy’s Ballarat East residence in Victoria. He was charged with homicide the following day. 

On Friday, a girl believed to an in depth pal of Stephenson’s was seen coaching and tending to a horse on the rear of a property not removed from the place he was arrested.

She refused to remark when approached by Every day Mail Australia however was noticed standing, sitting and blowing kisses on the horse.

Stephenson was arrested simply up the street at one other property on Yendon No 2 Street.

It’s understood detectives raided that property round 6.30am on Wednesday and seized a automotive.

Detectives are reportedly investigating if Ms Murphy might have been struck by a automotive on the Sunday she vanished, however police have dominated out a hit-and-run accident.

Stephenson, a tradie – who was additionally a famend native soccer participant himself – appeared in court docket in a vibrant orange hi-viz employee’s jacket on Thursday to face fees of murdering Ms Murphy on February 4 – the day she disappeared.

He appeared within the court docket proceedings occurring round him and stored his composure, often gazing at journalists and the Justice of the Peace and legal professionals. 

When requested by Justice of the Peace Michelle Mykytowycz if he may hear her, Stephenson, who had a scruffy beard, stated: ‘Sure, your honour’. 

The alleged killer’s id can solely now be absolutely revealed after a court-imposed gag order was lastly scrapped on Friday. 

A Justice of the Peace instantly banned media from figuring out him however the blackout was lifted after an attraction by media together with Every day Mail Australia at a court docket listening to on Friday morning.

Stephenson’s household life

Stephenson’s father Orren made headlines when he made his elite AFL debut on the age of 30 as a ruckman for Geelong in 2012 earlier than becoming a member of Richmond as a rookie in 2013.

He was the oldest first-round draft choose within the historical past of the game. 

Orren married his highschool sweetheart Whitney with the pair occurring to have three kids – Stephenson being the center baby and solely son.

‘It has been incredible and a large bonus. For my spouse and the children, it is one thing they will always remember so I am fairly blessed to have the ability to share it with them,’ Orren instructed AFL.com.au in 2013 when discussing his footy profession.

‘Patrick final yr was rolling across the rooms with the Geelong Cats and this yr he is rolling round with the Richmond Tiger boys.

‘He would not go it up for quids. He loves it and the ladies have had numerous enjoyable with it as properly. It is a large bonus that we will share these fairly good occasions in our lives with our children.’

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

The household moved to Ballarat in 2002 to be near Ms Stephenson’s household, and arrange an electronics firm, Elite Voice and Knowledge, which was run out of their residence in accordance with firm information. 

It’s understood the household has now left the world after a media horde descended upon their residence on Thursday afternoon.  

Orren started taking part in AFL for Ballarat’s Redan Soccer Membership and after profitable premierships in 2002 and 2003, he was awarded greatest and fairest participant in 2004.

He then joined North Ballarat Soccer Membership and performed for Victoria’s VFL league earlier than being promoted to the AFL competitors.

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

Stephenson following in his father’s footsteps 

Stephenson was eager to take after his father on the earth of soccer, taking part in for a similar native Redan facet which Orren had as soon as performed for.

In 2019, Stephenson appeared within the Ballarat Courier alongside teammates from the Redan Underneath 19s selling the Looking After Our Mates program.

It was an initiative that centered on decreasing the danger of gamers being impacted by crashes attributable to alcohol or different medication.

The alleged killer attended Ballarat’s St Patrick’s Faculty, a personal boys Catholic college, which prices round $7,000 to $8,500 yearly.

It’s understood Stephenson was residing between two houses when Ms Murphy vanished, splitting his time between his mum or dad’s home in Mount Clear in addition to a share home in Scotsburn – about 17kms from Ms Murphy’s residence. 

Stephenson’s first court docket look 

On Thursday, the court docket heard Stephenson, a tradesman, didn’t undergo from any drug issues or psychological well being situations. 

Nonetheless, his lawyer David Tamanika warned his shopper was susceptible to self hurt whereas behind bars. 

He was granted a suppression order on-the-spot, regardless of the protests of as much as a dozen journalists who sat in on the listening to. 

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

Legal professionals appearing for a swag of Australian information shops pounced on the court docket on Thursday afternoon, bringing the deliberate suppression order combat again from April to Friday. 

In the long run, no battle was wanted and the suppression order was withdrawn by Stephenson’s personal defence lawyer. 

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

‘It’s regarding that the appliance or granting of such orders will be, or is, instantly seen as being some type of underhanded transfer or manipulation by an accused individual,’ he stated. 

Mr Tamanika stated his shopper’s software for a gag order was made for ‘bona fide’ causes and was not an assault on the Murphy household. 

‘It had nothing to do with any type of disrespect or disregard to the place of Ms Murphy or her household,’ he stated. 

Mr Tamanika stated his shopper had hoped to maintain his father’s title out of the press. 

‘The interim order has seemingly had little impact to help in what the intention of the appliance was to be,’ he stated.

‘The present media storm has now develop into inclusive of household of the accused and the defence intention to help has solely develop into way more damaging.

‘It’s for these causes that my shopper has requested me to withdraw the appliance.’

Wearing a vibrant orange employee’s vest and sporting a bushy beard when he appeared in court docket on Thursday, Stephenson’s id had already been splashed throughout information web sites and tv broadcasts for hours.

On Friday morning, hours earlier than the 11am withdrawal of the gag order, Stephenson’s title might be extensively linked to the alleged homicide throughout the web and social media. 

In accepting the withdrawal of Stephenson’s software for a suppression order, Justice of the Peace Mykytowycz advised he had little hope of really securing a full blown order. 

The Justice of the Peace stated she had introduced the matter again to court docket after a dialogue with the Victoria’s Chief Justice of the Peace Justice Lisa Hannn.

‘Within the absence of any proof or enough credible data, I might not have made a continuing suppression order right now even when a few of that proof had been earlier than the court docket … it was very, very, not possible,’ she stated.

Throughout a press convention on Thursday, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton instructed reporters Stephenson was unknown to his alleged sufferer’s household. 

Nonetheless, detectives didn’t subject any warnings to most of the people about doable threats to their security all through the month-long investigation. 

Stephenson will stay behind bars till his subsequent court docket look in August.