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Son of former Cat charged with murder

March 8, 2024 12:42 pm in by

The identity of a man charged with the murder of Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy has been revealed, after a suppression order was lifted on Friday morning.

22-year-old Patrick Stephenson was arrested on Wednesday morning over the murder of the 51-year-old and charged with murder on Thursday.

Mr Stephenson is the son of former Geelong and Richmond footballer Orren Stephenson, who played 15 games across both clubs between 2012 and 2014.

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Almost a dozen media outlets fought the order to reveal the accused, after concerns he would not receive a fair trial due to the high profile nature of the case.

Police will allege Mr Stephenson murdered Ms Murphy on February 4, the morning of the day she was reported missing after not returning for a run.

The accused faced the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon, where he was remanded in custody ahead of a committal mention on August 8.

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