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Missing mum Samantha Murphy murder: Fresh details about alleged killer emerge

Author
Heath Moore,
Publish Date
Fri, 8 Mar 2024, 1:01pm

Missing mum Samantha Murphy murder: Fresh details about alleged killer emerge

Author
Heath Moore,
Publish Date
Fri, 8 Mar 2024, 1:01pm

Fresh details have emerged about the man charged with the murder of missing Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy following his arrest.

A听22-year-old man was arrested听on Wednesday just after 6am from his home in Victoria and taken into custody. On Thursday, he was charged with murder.

Ballarat Magistrates鈥 Court granted the man interim name suppression despite strong opposition from more than a dozen Australian media outlets.

Despite his lawyer David Tamanika telling the court the 22-year-old had no mental health or drug issues, he appealed for name suppression claiming there was a risk of self-harm given the seriousness of the charges.

None of the man鈥檚 family were present at the court hearing.

Today, the court will have a full suppression hearing where he may be publicly named and identified.

Samantha Murphy. Photo / Victoria PoliceSamantha Murphy. Photo / Victoria Police

What we know about Samantha Murphy鈥檚 alleged murderer

The man charged with the 51-year-old mother of three鈥檚 murder is understood to be the son of a former AFL player.

According to the Age, his father would often bring him to games and hang out at teams鈥 clubrooms where he would mix with the players.

He was reportedly living between his own home and his parent鈥檚 house when he was arrested.

Neighbours who became aware of the arrest of the 22-year-old were left stunned, with some telling the Age the murder suspect lived a happy childhood and loved being around the AFL scene that his father gave him access to.

鈥淚 was totally amazed, I didn鈥檛 expect it at all, didn鈥檛 know what was going on, particularly when I got home [to the street] full of cars,鈥 a neighbour told The Age.

He was described as coming from a great family who were wonderful neighbours.

鈥淭hey were wonderful, absolutely wonderful neighbours,鈥 said one. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really know [the man], I only really know girls.鈥

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said the alleged murderer had not disclosed the location of Murphy鈥檚 body and her whereabouts is still unknown.

鈥淭he investigation is far from over. We鈥檙e doing everything we can to find her body.

鈥淔or the family it鈥檚 absolutely vital, and it鈥檚 something we鈥檒l be focusing on.鈥

Police said they don鈥檛 believe the man was known to Murphy or to her family.

What police will allege happened to Samantha Murphy

Patton said police would allege Murphy鈥檚 murder was a 鈥渄eliberate鈥 attack, but refrained from providing further details surrounding the circumstances.

鈥淗e has been charged with murder so by its definition we are saying this was a deliberate attack on Samantha.

鈥淲e are alleging that this is a deliberate attack that has resulted in the murder of Samantha.鈥

Police confirmed they would not allege the mother of three was killed in a hit-and-run, but firmly believe she was killed the day she went missing.

Crews scoured dense bushland in the Canadian State Forest for missing woman Samantha Murphy.Crews scoured dense bushland in the Canadian State Forest for missing woman Samantha Murphy.

Police and specialist detectives are continuing a desperate search for the body of Murphy, who was last seen on February 4.

鈥淚nvestigations will continue at a very heavy pace,鈥 Patton said.

鈥淒oing everything we can to locate Samantha鈥檚 body for the family is absolutely vital.鈥

Police are not looking for anyone else at this stage in connection to the alleged murder.

Murphy family breaks silence following murder charge

After news broke of the arrest and murder charge, Murphy鈥檚 husband Mick addressed the media saying there was a mixture of 鈥渞elief鈥 and heartache.

鈥淭he adrenaline with everything that鈥檚 been going on, it鈥檚 just, it鈥檚 trying to be brave for everybody,鈥 he told reporters, explaining that it was a 鈥渞elief鈥 to see the case being resolved.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something you wouldn鈥檛 want anybody to experience.鈥

鈥淚t is [a relief]. Definitely. It鈥檚 like something has just let the pressure valve off sort of thing. It hasn鈥檛 been a good near on five weeks. Anyway, we鈥檙e doing as good as we can. Keeping a brave face.鈥

Michael (Mick) Murphy, the husband of missing woman Samantha Murphy, has appealed for any information from members of the public about the whereabouts of his wife.Michael (Mick) Murphy, the husband of missing woman Samantha Murphy, has appealed for any information from members of the public about the whereabouts of his wife.听

He revealed his family was 鈥渄oing the best we can under the circumstances鈥.

Murphy鈥檚 father, John Robson, also spoke to media, saying they hope they鈥檝e got the right person and that a conviction would bring an element of closure for the family.

鈥淚 can only hope that he is the bloke responsible because that way, we might get a bit of closure.

鈥淵ou know, it鈥檚 sort of too late to think that she might still be alive.鈥

Murphy, a mother of three, left her home at Eureka St in Ballarat East on February 4 to go jogging and has not been seen since

鈥淒espite a significant investigation and extensive searches of the Canadian Forest area, no trace of the 51-year-old has been located,鈥 police said in a statement on Thursday.

Officers have spoken to several people as part of their investigation into the disappearance, police said.

In late February, Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt said it was most likely her disappearance involved one or more parties.

Police were doubtful she was still alive and had been looking at the possibility her body was moved from where she vanished, Hatt told reporters on February 23.

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