Patrick Orren Stephenson, the man charged with the murder of missing Ballarat mother Samantha Murphy, was taken to hospital from Melbourne Assessment Prison on 14 August after a reported attempt to take his own life. 7NEWS and 9News reported that paramedics attended the prison and that he was transported to hospital under guard; his condition was not publicly detailed. The reports concern an allegation of self-harm, not a finding by a court or a prison authority.

Murphy, a 51-year-old mother of three, disappeared after leaving her Ballarat home for a run on 4 February 2024. Her body has not been found. Stephenson was charged in March 2024 and has pleaded not guilty, so the murder allegation remains unproven and is to be determined through the judicial process. A previously scheduled Supreme Court trial was reported by the ABC to have been set for 2026, while contemporaneous reports described him as awaiting trial.