Victoria Police charge man with murder after disappearance of missing mother Samantha Murphy
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton has confirmed a man has been charged with murder after Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy disappeared in early February.
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00:00 As a result of those investigations, he has today been charged with the murder of Samantha.
00:07 We will be alleging that murder occurred at Mount Clare on the day she disappeared.
00:14 In the interview with the suspect, he has not disclosed to police where Samantha's body
00:19 is.
00:20 I want to be very clear.
00:23 I'm limiting what I can say, given that there has now been a charge of murder laid.
00:29 The suspect, as I say, has been charged and he will be appearing before Ballarat Magistrates
00:34 Court.
00:35 As I came into the press conference, he was very close to being confronted before the
00:41 magistrate.
00:42 Samantha's family has been advised of this tragic news this afternoon by detectives from
00:48 the missing persons squad.
00:50 And obviously, this is a tragic outcome, knowing that she has been murdered.
00:55 Our thoughts and support are with her family.
00:59 I do just want to say something about the family.
01:03 Since the outset, in these cases, it's often that the family come under scrutiny.
01:09 They were under intense scrutiny at the outset.
01:12 And we, Victoria Police, said everyone should keep an open mind and let us go about our
01:17 business.
01:18 They have been cooperative with us.
01:19 They have provided everything we needed.
01:22 And they have had no involvement whatsoever in this matter.
01:27 I want to thank all members of the public, public and Ballarat surrounding communities.
01:32 They've been fantastic in the way they've assisted the volunteers, particularly members
01:37 of the SES, the CFA.
01:40 They've helped in the line searches, in continuing searches, but also in the information that
01:45 has been provided.
01:47 I know that Samantha's disappearance has had a profound impact on the Ballarat community.
01:54 Some cases, some disappearances, some murders bring out outpourings of grief.
02:03 And we've seen that here.
02:05 So thank you to the community and all those involved, all those who provided assistance
02:10 in all of those areas.
02:11 Lastly, I want to thank all of the Victoria Police officers involved.
02:15 Those who have been involved in the searches from the outset, the responders, those specialist
02:21 areas, search and rescue, a whole range of other areas.
02:25 Those who have been involved in the painstaking and methodical investigation that's occurred
02:29 in the bush area.
02:31 But as well, those detectives from the missing persons unit who've worked very long hours,
02:38 intensive hours since this occurred.
02:40 They've been assisted by other members from Crime Command, other detectives from there,
02:46 those from the Western region, as well as detectives from our Counterterrorism Command
02:51 to make sure we had significant resources to solve this case.
02:56 This investigation is far from over though.
02:59 Obviously, we're going to be continuing to gather further evidence, we'll be taking further
03:04 statements and investigations will continue at a very heavy pace.
03:10 Importantly, doing everything we can to locate Samantha's body for the family is absolutely
03:18 vital and something we'll be focusing on.
03:21 I would call on the public.
03:23 We've had amazing assistance in terms of intelligence reports being made.
03:27 But anyone who has any information, even the slightest bit of information that you think
03:33 might not be that relevant, please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
03:41 Any little clue could be vital in helping us locate her body.
03:46 I'm happy to answer any questions, but as I say, I am very limited in what I can tell
03:51 you given that a person has now been charged with murder.
03:56 Will police be able to allege whether the 22-year-old charged man is known to Samantha
04:01 or her family?
04:04 It's my understanding this man is not known to the family.
04:09 There are reports that you're searching 'Lal Lal' for her remains, is that true?
04:14 I'm not going to go into operational detail as to where we're searching for remains.
04:19 The search has been ongoing for a period of time and it continues whenever we get additional
04:24 information.
04:25 We're calling on members of the public to help us because that's our primary role now
04:30 to try and get Samantha back for her family.
04:33 Is he cooperating with police, the man accused?
04:36 It's not for me to comment on whether the suspect has cooperated with police or not.
04:42 I will simply say that he has been charged with murder and he has not disclosed where
04:50 her body is.
04:51 Do police believe that he worked on his own or are you looking for other people as well?
04:57 We're not looking for anyone else.
04:58 It's not alleged at this stage that there's any accomplice.
05:01 Murder is premeditated.
05:02 Will police allege whether this was planned or it was an accident?
05:09 He has been charged with murder so by its definition we're saying this was a deliberate
05:14 attack on Samantha.
05:16 Is there any suggestion it's opportunistic?
05:20 I'm not going to go into the details, motive or any of those further details in regards
05:26 to what has or hasn't happened when she has been killed.
05:31 I will simply say he has been charged with murder which by its definition means it was
05:36 an intentional act.
05:37 How did police find this man?
05:38 Was it the mobile phone data?
05:39 Was it a tip from the public?
05:43 He's been located through a range of investigative outcomes that have come together.
05:49 As you would be aware we've been clear, we've been pinging phones, we've been following
05:55 up on investigation reports from members of the public, we've done ground searches, we
06:02 have done door knocks so it's a whole range of information coming together.
06:05 I'm not going to identify what has specifically led us to this man other than to say it has
06:12 resulted as it came about from painstaking detective work with great assistance from
06:18 the public.
06:19 How do you believe she, sorry, how do you believe Samantha died if that's the assumption
06:24 being made?
06:25 I'm not going to go into the details of how Samantha died, I'm simply going to say she
06:30 was murdered on the day of her disappearance by the staff.
06:35 Police are also looking for a weapon as well?
06:38 We continue to look for evidence in respect to the murder.
06:42 Was the accused known to police previously?
06:44 I'm not going to go into whether the accused is known to police or not.
06:48 When wasn't the arrest disclosed until today when I believe it was 6am yesterday when it
06:55 occurred?
06:56 We don't disclose operational matters that could impede or in any way impair our investigation.
07:02 Has the search area narrowed since his arrest or changed perhaps?
07:10 As I say I'm not going to go into details of anything to do with the outcome of the
07:17 investigation at this stage or what it might mean.
07:20 We're still at a critical stage of this investigation where we are trying to locate Samantha's body
07:26 as well as a whole range of other evidence so it's not appropriate that I give a blow
07:30 by blow description about what we're going to do, what we might be doing or what our
07:36 investigation might take us towards.
07:38 It's simply this, we have identified through a very painstaking methodical investigation
07:46 an offender, we've charged that person with murder.
07:50 They are now or could be at this very moment or will have a short time ago or this evening
07:54 be fronting at Ballarat Magistrates Court to face that charge.
08:00 But again and I really do want to reiterate it, we are calling on members of the public
08:04 who may know even the slightest snippet of information, please contact Crime Stoppers.
08:09 Are you able to say when Samantha's family was told about the arrest and how they received
08:16 the news?
08:17 Samantha's family was told about the arrest last night and they were told this afternoon
08:22 about the charging the mail.
08:24 I won't go into how they've received the news, obviously though anyone being told a loved
08:30 one has been murdered.
08:33 It's tragic.
08:34 So it was the day that she went missing that you believe she was killed?
08:37 We're alleging she was murdered at Mount Clare on the day of her disappearance, the 4th.
08:41 I understand you're not able to give too much detail but is there a physical search currently
08:47 happening today for her body?
08:49 I'm not going to go into any details about what the investigation is doing at the moment.
08:53 Will police be alleging that this was a hit run?
08:58 No.
08:59 Where were the search warrants you mentioned before that have been executed in the last
09:04 day since the arrest, where were they executed?
09:07 We executed a number of search warrants yesterday at some residential addresses in that area
09:12 in the vicinity of where the male lives in Scotsburg.
09:16 Can you disclose how many homes?
09:18 No, I'm not going into that.
09:21 Was a car allegedly involved at all?
09:25 I'm not going to go into any further detail other than to say this was a, we're alleging,
09:29 a deliberate attack which has caused the death of Samantha.
09:36 You said that he wasn't known to the family, was he known to Samantha?
09:41 I don't have that knowledge, I don't believe that to be the case.
09:45 Is your interaction with the man refined the parameters in which you're searching for the
09:50 body at all?
09:52 Again, I'm not going to scope down what the investigation extent will or won't be.
09:57 It's not helpful for anyone to speculate on what the outcomes now of the investigation
10:03 mean for us, what our avenues of inquiry take us to.
10:07 We will be led by the evidence and there's still a whole range of it that we're processing
10:12 and that's what we'll do and we'll continue to do this in a methodical approach as has
10:18 been to date.
10:19 Why did you, as Chief Commissioner, decide you needed to speak to us today about this
10:23 particular case?
10:24 Yeah, I thought it was important I came here because such has been the outpouring of grief
10:29 in the community, the feeling of emotion that we've heard right across not just the Ballarat
10:36 and surrounding area but right across Victoria, indeed across the nation and internationally.
10:43 It was important for me to stand here to express my appreciation to the public, the members
10:49 of all those communities who've assisted, the information we've got from them but as
10:55 well to the police officers who've been engaged in this and given up many hours of long, long
11:03 haul days so that I can say to them thank you for what you've done and because of the
11:09 importance of that, that's why I'm standing here.
11:13 Have you spoken to any witnesses specifically relating to the movements of the accused?
11:19 I'm not going to go into details about what the investigation has or hasn't done to date.
11:25 It's just not something we're going to touch upon.
11:28 The person has been charged so now we are bound by a number of rules in relation to
11:33 what we can and can't say in regards to evidence and this is where we're at.
11:37 Will prosecutors be opposing bail?
11:40 It's a charge of the, we'll be opposing bail.
11:42 Are you alleging some sort of weapon of any kind was used?
11:45 I haven't alleged what transpired in the death other than that this is a deliberate attack
11:51 which has resulted in the murder of Samantha.
11:54 Was there a motorbike weapon?
11:57 Again, I'm not going to speculate on any other details about the death other than to say
12:05 it was deliberate.
12:06 Is there any alleging of whether drugs or alcohol were involved on part of the charged
12:12 man?
12:13 Again, I'm not going to go into the evidence and speculate about the evidence.
12:18 So in Victoria, when someone's charged, irrespective of what people's views may be, the details
12:28 of that evidence are tested in court, not at press conferences.
12:32 Just to confirm something that you said earlier, so it's not being treated as an alleged hit
12:38 run?
12:39 No.
12:40 Was Samantha and her family hopeful of further healing?
12:41 I imagine they're obviously distraught.
12:42 In terms of recovery, is that something that's of the utmost importance to them?
12:56 Obviously, it goes without saying, any family or someone who's lost a loved one, the recovery
13:03 of Samantha is of primary importance to them to get their loved one back.
13:10 And that's why the focus from our investigators will be not stepping back at all.
13:18 In fact, we'll be going even harder to try and recover a body.
13:22 Is there a sexual nature to the murder?
13:25 Again, I'm not going to canvass any details to do with the evidence in respect to the
13:31 murder.
13:31 I'm just going to go ahead and say that the evidence is there.
13:32 I'm not going to go into the details of the murder.
13:33 I'm just going to go ahead and say that the evidence is there.
13:33 Thank you.
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