By court reporter Kristian Silva, ABC News
Police believe Samantha Murphy was killed the day she went missing on 4 February. Photo: Victoria Police / Supplied
The man charged with murdering Victorian woman Samantha Murphy can be revealed as 22-year-old Patrick Orren Stephenson.
An interim suppression order preventing publication of the man's name was lifted a short time ago, after a challenge in the courts by media outlets, including the ABC.
Stephenson is from the Ballarat area and is the son of former AFL player Orren Stephenson.
Patrick Stephenson was arrested on Wednesday, after a police investigation into the disappearance and suspected killing of 51-year-old Samantha Murphy, who was last seen alive on 4 February.
Stephenson faced a brief court hearing on Thursday and was remanded in custody, until his next court hearing in August.
Further details of the allegations against Stephenson were not mentioned in court on Friday.
He was not required to enter a plea to the murder charge.
Identity revealed after court lifts suppression order
On Thursday, Stephenson's lawyer David Tamanika applied for an interim suppression order, telling the Ballarat Magistrates Court he wanted his client's name kept secret due to concerns about his mental health and fears he would not receive a fair trial.
Under the Open Courts Act, Tamanika was not required to provide any credible evidence to back up his claims, and the interim suppression order was granted until 12 April.
However on Friday, Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz said she had been in discussions with the Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan to urgently bring the suppression hearing back before the courts.
Friday's hearing was set to determine whether the suppression order should stay in place, but Tamanika formally withdrew his application for the gag order.
It enabled the magistrate to lift the suppression order and formally allow publication of Stephenson's name.
Defence lawyer lashes media over reporting
Tamanika read out a short statement to the court, defending his bid to suppress his client's details yesterday.
"It had nothing to do with any form of disrespect or disregard to the position of Ms Murphy or her family," he said.
He also used the opportunity to criticise the media reporting of the Samantha Murphy case.
"The current media storm has now become inclusive of the family of the accused, and the defence intention to assist has only become far more destructive as a mechanism to the client," he said.
Taminika said there had been a number of "critical" articles published about suppression orders in the aftermath of yesterday's hearing.
"It is concerning that the application or granting of such orders can be or is immediately seen as being some form of underhanded move, or manipulation tactic by an accused person," he said.
Magistrate Mykytowycz said even if Stephenson's legal team had provided evidence to the court for a suppression order to be kept in place, it was "very, very, very unlikely" she would have agreed to it.
At the end of the hearing, media lawyer Conor O'Beirne thanked the magistrate for re-listing the case quickly so that a decision could be made.
"We do often write letters to the court seeking that these matters be listed urgently," he said.
Stephenson was present in the courtroom for Friday's suppression hearing, and sat silently in the dock flanked by two security guards.
Search continues for Samantha Murphy
Police are still searching for the body of Murphy, who they will allege was murdered on the day she vanished after leaving her Ballarat East home for a morning run on 4 February.
On Thursday, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said police would allege Murphy died in a "deliberate attack" in the Ballarat suburb of Mount Clear.
Chief Commissioner Patton would not confirm what led police to arrest the man.
He said police believed the 22-year-old was not known to Murphy or her family.
Several search warrants were executed at a number of properties near the man's home as investigators continue to search for clues.
"This investigation is far from over," Chief Commissioner Patton said.
"We're going to be continuing to gather further evidence, taking further statements and investigations will continue at a very heavy pace."
Community to gather for sense of closure
Ballarat community members involved in the weeks-long search for Murphy will come together tonight for a vigil.
Locals will gather at the Eureka Stockade Memorial Park in Ballarat at 7:45pm, to pay tribute to the 51-year-old, and offer their condolences to her loved ones.
Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said the events had deeply affected the town and beyond.
"The outpouring of community concern, not just in our community, but this was a story that resonated around Australia," he said.
Chloe Rizz helped organise community searches for Murphy, and spoke with ABC Melbourne radio about Friday night's vigil.
"I think it's important to have some sort of a debrief as a community together in-person after such horrific news," Rizz said.
She said the vigil was also being put on to show the Murphy family how invested the community was for their family's wellbeing.
This story was originally published by the ABC.
