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Samantha Murphy Ballarat * Patrick Orren Stephenson Charged With Murder

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Allegedly
 
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The mobile phone records of both and movement will be interesting especially what data was recoverable on SMs phone.
If they can use an app like Google maps to pin the actual location vs if they are just relying on tower pings could strengthen the location evidence.
Also locations will be crucial. Tower coverage is weaker in the bush and can be impacted by trees valleys etc .The tech expert will be grilled to an inch if his life.
Than this will have to match with some correlating evidence?
Did he say something to someone?
What picked up on surveillance.
Is there physical evidence SM was in his vehicle?
Was there a connection or a random encounter?
Also why have police chosen to search in certain areas? What evidence were they using? Why has nothing been found?
Just reading the book "In the Dead of the Night" about Russell Hill and Carol Clay. The data analysis of the movement of Russell's phone, which was in Greg Lynn's vehicle, took 12 months.
 
Agree, It just seems unbelievable that this could happen like this without being premeditated? Otherwise, you would think the police would have found SM by now and more clues would have been picked up.
If he did this, he wouldn't have been drug or alcohol effected, but acted coherently.

Timing would have played a big part, and possibly at what point SM was attacked ? Not to be seen by witnesses, waited until SM was getting a bit tired into her run, (7km) so she was easier to handle, then had to get her (supposedly) into a vehicle very quickly and drive away, knowing a search would be commenced shortly.
What plans he had organised before this ? Possibly with his girlfriend or others, on Sunday, 4 February 2024

There have been hundreds of searches organised through groups and police, in so many areas and there is still no trace of her or any belongings, except for her phone later on
I would have thought one of her running shoes or even sock/s could have slipped off during the assault or thrown into the bush or AirPods (If SM was wearing them)

What's interesting, we have not seen any CCTV from her security cameras of her leaving the house for her run and a full length of her clothing and shoes, but one still photo, holding a bag without date and time, the police have shown
I feel police seem a bit reluctant on describing the items SM had on her, at the time her phone, no description with her watch (model, colour band etc) what colour running shoes she was wearing on the day and did she have AirPods ? Why haven't the police been really upfront on these descriptions, so the public can be vigilant?

Then her phone turns up on 29 May 2024. Miraculously in good working order, with all her cards in place, despite being buried in mud at the edge of a private dam, why that particular dam?

PS being a young guy, not prison wise, isn't exactly banging the doors down either to want to get out after being in remand since March 6, 2024. He has remained silent and has pleaded not guilty

I just feel something is amiss here ?



I also find fascinating PS is still suffering from injuries from his motorcycling accident, 1 October 2023

Those injuries included a fractured vertebra, lacerated spleen, broken pelvis and ribs and minor head trauma.

But then Police allege he would go on to murder Ms Murphy just three months later despite his injuries.

Stephenson's lawyer Moya O'Brien told the court her client still suffered from those injuries, which had seen him return to hospital while behind bars.

The court heard Stephenson had lost control on a bend, going into a slide that left him crippled on the road.


You make some good points.
All the defence have to do is punch holes in the narrative (especially with a circumstantial case) not necessarily proving an alternative but suggesting one.
If I was the defence I'd be:
Questioning the phone data? Was it GPS or tower signal triangulation? Are they even sure it's completely accurate given the rural area and potential for interference.
And even if it proves location that's not enough. How given the injuries and tight time frame has POS managed to do all this and disappear the body without a trace?
Why have police traced and searched certain areas only for there to be nothing?

Prosecution I reckon rather than leading with all 10000 pages needs to be specific. We know they were in this location. We have this phone smart watch data? We know POS is unaccounted for/ these were his movements.This other evidence we have (whatever it is what he said where he went etc) proves no other alternative is possible.

Unlike the camper GL case doubt POS will testify. Just need a witness to corroborate yeah he was here at this time here at another thus time frame doesn't fit.
 
Just reading the book "In the Dead of the Night" about Russell Hill and Carol Clay. The data analysis of the movement of Russell's phone, which was in Greg Lynn's vehicle, took 12 months.
Yeah and the data matched with CCTV. They used phone pings from memory? And then used a road camera to match the pings in the area to 16 or so cars at the same time and get their allibies . And GL was the only one who couldn't verify.
Maybe something similar here.
Problem is they have to match POS and SM together. The campers site was found which gave a location.
Do we know which way up Mt Clear SM actually went? Her data may be impacted by weak towers trees etc?
Anyway all we can do is wait. It will be legally interesting to see exactly what they do have thou.
Also with GL he's contradictory stories what did him in minus the caution.
When interviewed the police bluffed him and made it seem like they had more evidence then they did. (They had location no crime scene evidence at that point. Thats when he told his story and led them to the bodies. If he had of stayed quiet as his duty solicitor told him he may likely not have been convicted)
 
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Yeah and the data matched with CCTV. They used phone pings from memory? And then used a road camera to match the pings in the area to 16 or so cars at the same time and get their allibies . And GL was the only one who couldn't verify.
Maybe something similar here.
Problem is they have to match POS and SM together. The campers site was found which gave a location.
Do we know which way up Mt Clear SM actually went? Her data may be impacted by weak towers trees etc?
Anyway all we can do is wait. It will be legally interesting to see exactly what they do have thou.
Also with GL he's contradictory stories what did him in minus the caution.
When interviewed the police bluffed him and made it seem like they had more evidence then they did. (They had location no crime scene evidence at that point. Thats when he told his story and led them to the bodies. If he had of stayed quiet as his duty solicitor told him he may likely not have been convicted)
We think there might have been camera in the forest - (to monitor rubbish dumping?).

In the case of GL, they were able to detect the phone at the various towers quite quickly and match it to his vehicle movements. It was the deep dive into the data that took the time, and there is only one person here with the skill/credentials to analyse the data and present it in enough detail to put before the Court.

So eventually, GL would have been charged, but due to comments he made in the vehicle, they thought he was about to suicide and they had to act earlier than they would have liked.
 

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Re phone towers - wasn't one of the ones in the local area out of action on that date? I remember something being mentioned about it earlyish last year.
 
Re phone towers - wasn't one of the ones in the local area out of action on that date? I remember something being mentioned about it earlyish last year.
I believe it was SM’s uncle who said a lot of towers were down and everything was going through 1 tower. … which would make location analysis difficult. However they apparently have this whiz bang phone data guy tight on it, so his presentation will be interesting.
 
POS is supposedly returning to court tomorrow, 18th February. It's just a directions hearing so I don't imagine it will have much substance.

I'm still perplexed why he waived the right to the committal hearing. The committal process allows the evidence to be laid out before the trial one would think that POS and his attorney would have wanted to know exactly what they were dealing with before the trial.
 

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POS is supposedly returning to court tomorrow, 18th February. It's just a directions hearing so I don't imagine it will have much substance.

I'm still perplexed why he waived the right to the committal hearing. The committal process allows the evidence to be laid out before the trial one would think that POS and his attorney would have wanted to know exactly what they were dealing with before the trial.
The Defence have to given each component of the evidence that is going to presented to the eventual jury, so there's nothing to be gained from that. The defence know exactly what they are dealing with and are acutely aware how this evidence will be presented

As happened in the Wonnagatta Murders a commital hearing does give the opportunity to test some of the evidence to see whether it will be accepted by the Court.

I'd suggest that a lot of the evidence in this trial is going to be complex and will challenge anybody without a year 12 STEM education.

The discussion of acceptability of evidence conducted in Voir Dire, where the Jury is sent out, the evidemce they are going to receive is going to be disjointed and the narrative interrupted

Any evidence presented in Voir Dire has restrictions on being reported in real time

Easier to create a feeling of reasonable doubt if the evidence is heard over a few days with interuptions

Stops Whirlpool and Reddit forums providing "advice" on the limits of Telecommunications in real time

Both the Defence and the Prosuction will have "gamed" the Court case extensively and the Defence have chosen how to proceed with the casre to maximise their chances of aquittal
 
What’s STEM?

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

But you knew that didn't you?

How are you with trigonometry, inverse square law, Doppler shift? I'd suggest you would need a tyro's grasp of the basis of mobile phone technolocy to keep track of the evidence and the Prosecutor is going to double up as a science educator
 
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

But you knew that didn't you?

How are you with trigonometry, inverse square law, Doppler shift? I'd suggest you would need a tyro's grasp of the basis of mobile phone technolocy to keep track of the evidence and the Prosecutor is going to double up as a science educator
Yeah I could have looked it up 😉.

Studied chem and physics to year 10, maths to second year uni. Self-taught in technology to a reasonably functional level. Interested in engineering but not a lot of knowledge beyond year 10 physics.
 

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Samantha Murphy Ballarat * Patrick Orren Stephenson Charged With Murder


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