The man accused of murdering missing mum Samantha Murphy has hired a top criminal defence lawyer.
Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with the murder of Ms Murphy, 51, in early March.
The mum-of-three, from Ballarat in rural Victoria, has not be seen since she vanished on an early morning run on Sunday, February 4.
Police allege that Stephenson killed her that morning. Her remains are yet to be found.
Now he has hired Paul Galbally from Melbourne-based law firm Galbally O’Bryan, reported The Australian.
Patrick Orren Stephenson (pictured), 22, was charged with the murder of Ms Murphy, 51, in early March
The mum-of-three, from Ballarat in rural Victoria, has not be seen since she vanished on an early morning run on Sunday, February 4
Mr Galbally represented the late Catholic Cardinal George Pell, who had his conviction for historic child abuse charges overturned by the High Court.
He has previously said he is not uncomfortable acting for individuals accused of the most serious crimes.
‘You either have a disposition or a personality that can deal with this work or you don’t,’ he said in a 2009 interview.
The Galbally O’Bryan website states Mr Galbally has ‘run some of the country’s largest and most complex criminal cases’.
‘His experience includes representing clients before public inquiries, royal commissions and in defence of Australian Securities and Investments Commission prosecutions,’ the website adds.
‘Paul is recognised throughout the legal profession for his judgment, sound strategic advice and discretion and is featured in Doyles Guide as one of Australia’s pre-eminent criminal defence lawyers.’
Patrick Orren Stephenson has hired Paul Galbally (pictured, left) from Melbourne-based law firm Galbally O’Bryan to represent him
Patrick Orren Stephenson (pictured)
Daily Mail Australia approached Mr Galbally for comment.
Last week, detectives made the first major breakthrough in the hunt for Ms Murphy since they arrested her alleged killer almost three months ago.
On Wednesday, police launched a new search in the hunt for her remains, with the focus on a dam at a property south of Buninyong, approximately 14km from her home.
Aerial footage from the scene showed officers locating the mud-splattered mobile phone in a wallet at the water’s edge, prompting jubilant celebrations among detectives standing nearby.
Video captured by the ABC showed police hugging, backslapping and shaking hands in the wake of the discovery.
The phone was later confirmed to belong to Ms Murphy.
The location is close to where her phone last made contact with a nearby tower in the Buninyong region before going silent.
The dam is about 15km from Ballarat East, where Ms Murphy was last seen when she left home for a run on February 4.
Police allege that Ms Murphy’s killer likely dumped the phone in the dam before heading into the Durham reserve to dispose of her body.