The alleged killer of Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy is expected to tune into his next court appearance from a prison office.
Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, will appear in Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday over the alleged murder of Ms Murphy.
Ms Murphy disappeared without a trace after leaving her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, Victoria, on the morning of February 4.
Sources told Daily Mail Australia that Stephenson is unlikely to make the trip from Melbourne Assessment Prison, in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, to Ballarat for the brief administrative hearing.
Instead, he is expected to be brought to court via video link from prison, where he is believed to be housed in a high-security protective unit.
While Stephenson’s arrest for the alleged murder provided some relief to the Ballarat community, it has not provided any answers as to where Ms Murphy’s body was dumped.
Victorian lawyers had largely avoided video links until the six Covid-19 lockdowns imposed by former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews forced them to use them.
In early March, almost five weeks after Ms Murphy disappeared, police charged Patrick Orren Stephenson (pictured) with her alleged murder.
While plans to scale back these once lockdown restrictions are lifted have long been discussed, the legal community has since embraced the concept.
High-profile criminal lawyer George Balot of Balot Reilly Criminal Lawyers told Daily Mail Australia that video links had traditionally only been used to help reduce the costs of bringing prisoners to court.
“Before the Covid pandemic there was a slight shift towards audio-visual appearances to save substantial costs involved in transporting prisoners to court,” he said.
‘In addition, the Bureau of Corrections’ frequent failures to transport prisoners to court resulted in frequent court costs orders against it in favor of the prisoners.’
Mr Balot said courts often preferred in-person appearances, particularly when the subject’s liberty was at stake.
“Technology is sometimes unreliable, logistical problems frequently arise when attorneys must obtain instructions from their clients during the course of the hearing and then all occupants of the court need to vacate the room to obtain those instructions,” he said.
‘In addition, bonds often expire and hearings inevitably have to be postponed because prisons are often unable to provide more bond time.’
Samantha Murphy, 51, vanished without a trace after leaving her home in Ballarat East, Victoria, for her morning run on February 4 (pictured)
Samantha Murphy is believed to have been killed while out for a jog.
Ms. Murphy’s disappearance sparked a massive community effort in the days that followed to try to find her.
The 51-year-old had set out at 7am for her morning run through nearby Woowookrung Regional Park, a 14km route she had done countless times before.
In early March, nearly five weeks after Ms Murphy disappeared, police charged Stephenson with her alleged murder even though her body was never found.
On Sunday, Ms Murphy’s family, friends and the wider Ballarat community marked six months since her disappearance.
Many expect this week’s hearing to begin answering questions about why Stephenson allegedly killed her.
In reality, though, the hearing is likely to raise more questions than answers, with issues such as witness lists and what documentation or evidence Stephenson’s defence team might still require discussed.
In March, the court heard that detectives requested a longer than usual period to gather information about evidence against Stephenson, saying there was a “significant” amount of material.
Stephenson was required to appear in court during that hearing and at a follow-up hearing a day later.
Ms Murphy’s husband Mick (left) and daughter Jess (right) faced the media for information in the days after she disappeared.
The case is one of Victoria Police’s highest priority criminal investigations, with the missing persons squad working tirelessly to gather evidence for the much-anticipated trial.
A breakthrough in the case came after police searched a dam on a property south of Buninyong, approximately 14 kilometres from his home, on May 29.
Officers located a mud-spattered mobile phone in a handbag at the water’s edge, believed to have been found by a police technology sniffer dog.
A breakthrough in the case came after police searched a dam on a property south of Buninyong, about 14km from her home, and found Ms Murphy’s phone.
In a statement issued shortly after finding the mobile phone, police said they had located some “items of interest” during the search for the missing mother.
The phone, along with other items found in the search, were subjected to forensic testing and sources confirmed The device belonged to Ms. Murphy.
Many hoped the phone would lead to Ms Murphy’s body, however police have remained silent on the evidence found on the device.
Police have launched a series of “targeted searches” in the bush and on properties across the area, hoping to locate the missing mother’s body or find crucial evidence to strengthen the case.
If the preliminary hearing goes ahead as expected, the murder trial in Victoria’s Supreme Court is unlikely to begin until mid to late next year at best.
The trial could be further delayed by new evidence from homicide detectives, who are continuing to investigate the case in the hope of finding Ms Murphy’s body.
Police allege Stephenson “deliberately attacked” Ms Murphy at Mount Clear, about 7km from her race.
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.
Stephenson is understood to have reserved his right to remain silent.
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