Molly Ticehurst, a bubbly and much-loved young mum, was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend Daniel Billings on April 21, 2024, after a long campaign of threats and abuse.
Billings was on bail when he broke into Ms Ticehurst's bedroom in Forbes, central western NSW, before midnight and stabbed her 15 times, just as he had long threatened to do.Â
The ferocity of the attack, along with his level of planning and intention, will be considered by a NSW Supreme Court judge when she hands down her sentence in Orange on Friday.
The 31-year-old former mine worker repeatedly threatened to kill Ms Ticehurst after she ended their on-and-off relationship in December 2023.
She reported his abuse to the police, leading to several charges of sexual assault, stalking, intimidation and property damage.
He was also charged with killing Ms Ticehurst's dachshund puppy with a hammer after an earlier break-up.
After being released on bail, Billings became obsessed with a belief he had been wrongfully accused of rape and sought violent retribution, according to prosecutors.
Billings made varying confessions after the murder, including that he planned to just talk to Ms Ticehurst, but killed her either when she told him to leave or when she started screaming.
His in-car computer system showed he returned to his ute within 59 seconds.
Justice Natalie Adams told a sentencing hearing she thought it was more likely Ms Ticehurst screamed.
"59 seconds is not a lot of time for a conversation," Justice Adams told the court on September 4, during legal argument about Billings' planning and intention.
A video Billings recorded of himself driving to Ms Ticehurst's house while cheerfully singing along to Johnny Cash's song The Man Comes Around was evidence of his intention to kill, Crown prosecutor Lee Carr SC told the hearing.
"That is prophetic," Mr Carr said.
"The Grim Reaper is another word that comes to mind."
The court heard Billings' crime could also be seen as a public justice murder.
Public justice offences involve interfering with the legal process, including injuring or threatening a witness.
Billings, in effect, murdered the "star witness" in his potential future sexual assault trial, Mr Carr said.
The judge will also consider an application by the Crown not to apply a discount on sentence for Billings' early plea in the local court.
Billings pleaded guilty in November 2025, which is considered an early plea despite 18 months of legal negotiations.
An offender would ordinarily have their sentence discounted by 25 per cent.
But a judge has the discretion to dispense with the discount if an offender's level of culpability is "extreme".
Defence barrister Sarah Talbert argued Billings pleaded guilty even though it was open to him to go to trial using a defence of substantial impairment due to his history of chronic depression.
He had also offered multiple expressions of remorse, including a handwritten letter in which he acknowledged being responsible for the Ticehurst family's suffering.
The judge will consider charges of animal cruelty, property damage and breaching an AVO when handing down her sentence.
Prosecutors withdrew the sexual assault offences when Billings pleaded guilty to murder.
The Crown has not sought a life sentence.
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