The man charged with the murder of Victorian mother Samantha Murphy has been rushed to hospital.
7NEWS understands accused killer Patrick Orren Stephenson tried to take his own life inside the Melbourne Assessment Prison today.
Details of his condition are still unclear.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow
The 24-year-old was charged with Murphy’s murder in March 2024, and he is currently awaiting trial after pleading not guilty.
The mother-of-three, 51, went for a run near her Ballarat home, and disappeared on February 4, 2024.
Patrick Stephenson has been charged with Samantha Murphy’s murder. Credit: 7NEWS
Murphy’s planned 14km run was along a route she frequented in the Canadian State Forest.
About an hour after she left home, Murphy reached the Mount Clear area on foot, according to data gathered from her phone.
This was her last known location and it is unclear what happened to her after this point.
Despite extensive searches of bushland around the area, her body has never been found.
Her credit cards, licence and iPhone were located in mud at the bottom of a dam during a May 2024 search in Buninyong, not far from Murphy’s home.
Stephenson was arrested in March, 2024.
On two occasions Stephenson was escorted from the assessment prison to search areas in Ballarat.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Family of missing woman Samantha Murphy mark heartbreaking milestone
1 min read
Dramatic update in search for missing mum Samantha Murphy
1 min read