Daniel Billings has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for the murder of Molly Ticehurst, bringing an end to a case that exposed months of threats, stalking and domestic abuse before the 28-year-old childcare worker was killed in her home in Forbes, New South Wales.
Billings, 31, must serve at least 20 years before he can apply for parole. New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Natalie Adams found the murder was at the high end of seriousness, saying he had killed Ms Ticehurst in the way he had repeatedly threatened to do.
Ms Ticehurst and Billings ended their on-and-off relationship for the final time in December 2023. After the separation, he told her he had killed her dachshund puppy with a hammer during an earlier break-up.
On January 3, 2024, Billings went to Ms Ticehurst’s home and threatened to kill her. She later reported to police that he had raped her during the incident.
Her father, Tony Ticehurst, changed the locks the following day and placed lengths of dowel in the window frames in an attempt to protect her. Weeks later, Billings arranged to meet Ms Ticehurst in public for what he described as “closure”, before smashing the window of her car.
The couple met again on March 4. Ms Ticehurst alleged that Billings raped her and threatened her with a knife during a drive. On March 27, he sent her a message saying that if he could not have her, he did not want anyone else to have her.
On April 3, Billings called Ms Ticehurst 15 times in 12 minutes and threatened to kill her. She went to Forbes police station two days later and reported the abuse.
Billings was arrested and charged with a series of offences, including stalking, intimidation, sexual assault, animal cruelty and property damage. He was granted bail at Dubbo Local Court on April 6 by a registrar, as no judge was on duty that Saturday morning.
Ms Ticehurst left Forbes in fear the following day and stayed away for a week. On April 20, Billings was captured on CCTV buying a large hunting knife.
Molly Ticehurst murder followed months of threats
In the early hours of April 21, Billings broke into Ms Ticehurst’s bedroom and stabbed her 15 times. The computer system in his ute recorded that he returned to the vehicle within 59 seconds.
Police arrested him the following day at a friend’s home about 100 kilometres from Forbes. He was wearing blood-stained clothing and was charged with murder.
Billings pleaded guilty to murder and breaching an apprehended violence order in November 2025. He also admitted animal cruelty and property damage, while the sexual assault charges were discontinued.
The case was repeatedly adjourned for more than 18 months as lawyers negotiated with prosecutors. Ms Ticehurst’s father said in November 2025 that the delays had brought the family further anxiety, sadness and trauma.
During the sentencing hearing, the court heard competing psychiatric assessments of Billings’s state of mind. A defence expert said he had been affected by severe depression, while a Crown psychiatrist said the killing was more closely linked to anger, resentment and domestic violence.
Justice Adams concluded that Billings had acted out of revenge and extreme hatred towards Ms Ticehurst. The court also heard that he had been fixated on the consequences of the sexual assault allegations made against him.
Ms Ticehurst’s family confronted Billings in court for the first time in more than two years. Her father told him that no sentence would ever be long enough and said: “I hope that every night Molly’s screams keep you awake.”
Her death prompted national protests against gendered violence and led to major changes to bail law in New South Wales. The reforms, widely known as “Molly’s Law”, removed registrars’ power to make bail decisions in serious domestic violence cases, introduced stricter requirements for accused people seeking release and provided for electronic monitoring.
Billings is expected to be eligible for parole in April 2044.
