The man charged with the murder of Ballarat mother-of-three Samantha Murphy is 22-year-old Patrick Orren Stephenson, the only son of a former AFL footballer.
Stephenson, 22, was arrested on Thursday in Mount Clear, a suburb of Ballarat, about 5 kilometers from Murphy’s home in Ballarat East, Victoria.
The identity of the alleged killer can only now be fully revealed after a court-imposed gag order was finally lifted on Friday.
Patrick Orren Stephenson has been charged with the murder of Samantha Murphy
The tradie, who was also a well-known local football player, appeared in court wearing a bright orange high-visibility workman’s jacket on Thursday to face charges of murdering Ms Murphy on February 4.
A magistrate immediately banned the media from identifying him, but the block was lifted after an appeal by media, including Daily Mail Australia, at a court hearing on Friday morning.
Stephenson’s father Orren made headlines when he made his senior debut at the age of 30 as a Richmond ruckman in 2012 before joining Geelong as a rookie in 2013.
His son followed in his footsteps and played for the same local Redan team that his father had played for.
In 2019, Stephenson appeared in the Ballarat Courier alongside his Redan Under 19 teammates promoting the L.How to Cook After Our Mates Program.
It was an initiative that focused on reducing the risk of players being affected by accidents caused by alcohol or other drugs.
The alleged killer attended Ballarat’s St Patrick’s College, a private Catholic boys’ school that costs between $7,000 and $8,500 a year.
It is understood that Stephenson was living between two houses at the time of Murphy’s disappearance, dividing his time between his parents’ home in Mount Clear and a shared house in Scotsburn, about 17 kilometers from Murphy’s home.
He is one of three adult children of Orren Stephenson and his wife Whitney.
The 41-year-old retired player grew up in Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, the birthplace of true AFL champion Wayne Carey.
The family moved to Ballarat in 2002 to be near Ms Stephenson’s family and set up an electronics company, Elite Voice and Dats, which was run from their home, according to company records.
Patrick Orren Stephenson (right) and his former AFL footballer father Orren in happier times
It is understood the family left the area after a horde of media invaded their home on Thursday afternoon.
Orren began playing in the AFL for Ballarat’s Redan Football Club and, after winning premierships in 2002 and 2003, was awarded the best and fairest player award in 2004.
Orren then joined the North Ballarat Football Club and played for Victoria’s VFL league before being promoted to the AFL competition.
He was delisted at the end of the 2014 season.
Location of Samantha Murphy’s body unknown
On Thursday, the court heard that Stephenson, a shopkeeper, did not suffer from any drug problems or mental health problems.
However, his lawyer David Tamanika warned his client was at risk of self-harm while behind bars.
He was immediately granted a suppression order, despite protests from up to a dozen journalists who attended the hearing.
That gag order was thrown out Friday amid a storm of backlash over Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz’s quick decision to impose the gag order.
Lawyers representing several Australian media outlets went to court on Thursday afternoon, delaying the fight against the planned suppression order from April to Friday.
In the end, no battle was necessary and Stephenson’s own defense attorney withdrew the suppression order.
But In an extraordinary tirade to the court, Tamanika criticized the Australian media for its advocacy of an open justice system and insisted her application for the gag order had “good faith” reasons.
“It is worrying that the application or granting of such orders can be, or is, immediately seen as a form of manipulation or covert movement by an accused person,” he said.
Tamanika said his client’s request for a gag order was not an attack on the Murphy family.
“It had nothing to do with any form of disrespect or disregard for the position of Ms. Murphy or her family,” he said.
Tamanika said his client hoped to keep his father’s name out of the press.
“The interim order has apparently had little effect in helping to fulfill the intent of the application, as the current media storm now includes the defendant’s family and the defense’s intent to assist has become much more destructive,” he said. saying.
Dressed in a bright orange worker’s vest and sporting a full beard, Stephenson’s identity had already appeared on news websites and television broadcasts for hours.
On Friday morning, hours before the gag order was lifted at 11am, Stephenson’s name could be widely linked to the alleged murder on the internet and social media.
During a press conference on Thursday, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton told reporters that Stephenson was unknown to the family of his alleged victim.
However, detectives did not issue any warnings to the general public about possible threats to their safety during the month-long investigation.
Stephenson will remain behind bars until his next court appearance in August.