Patrick Orren Stephenson has been revealed as the 22-year old charged with the murder of Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy after an interim suppression order was lifted on March 8.
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Police charged Stephenson with one count of murder as a part of an investigation into missing Ballarat woman.
The 22-year-old from Scotsburn was arrested at his home just after 6am on March 6 and fronted court on Thursday March 7, 2024.
He is the son of former AFL player Orren Stephenson who played for Richmond and Geelong.
Overnight, a follow-up hearing on the interim suppression order by the Ballarat Magistrates Court was abridged to Friday, March 8, where Stephenson's lawyer dropped the application for the suppression order. The order was widely opposed by media organisations, both present in court and online.
The court heard from Stephenson's lawyer David Tamanika about his client's risk of self-harm in custody.
It will be Stephenson's first time in custody and Mr Tamanika said he may "have significant mental health challenges which arise from being charged with murder in a highly-publicised case".
The matter will return to court on August 8.
That follows a March 7 court appearance where Stephenson was formally charged with murder. He appeared impassive in the dock throughout court proceedings, dressed in orange and blue high vis workwear.
Police prosecutor Steve Repac said police were seeking 20 weeks to compile a brief of evidence in the case.
Mr Tamanika was confronted by media outside of the Ballarat Law Courts but remained tight lipped on questions about his client.
Earlier, Victoria Police commissioner Shane Patton said investigators will allege Ms Murphy was likely killed on February 4, the day she went missing.
Police are yet to recover Samantha's body and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with CCTV or dash-cam-footage is urged to come forward to come forward to police.
"Today's charge follows a significant investigation and extensive searches of the Canadian Forest area over the past month," a March 7 Victoria Police statement said.
"These searches have involved a range of specialist units from across Victoria Police and many local community members have also volunteered their time to assist the search.
Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt said it comes after a significant search in an effort to find Ms Murphy.
"This has included a dedicated and committed investigative effort led by the Missing Persons squad and also involving detectives from right across Crime Command, Counter Terrorism Command and Western Region," Superintendent Hatt said.
"This has been further supported by a range of specialist resources from across Victoria Police.
"To get to a position where we have been able to charge someone is testament to the commitment and dedication from all those areas.
"We have also had exceptional support from many people in the Ballarat community, particularly local search volunteers and members of the SES and CFA.
"I know that Samantha's disappearance has had a profound impact on the Ballarat community and I want to thank all of those people who have assisted police in many different ways over the past month."
Samantha is described as Caucasian, about 173cm tall with a slim build and shoulder-length blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing black half-length leggings and a maroon/brown coloured singlet.
Anyone with any other information about Samantha's current whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers.com.au
