‘Euphoric’ killer photographed after Molly Ticehurst murder

September 4, 2026 — 3:53pmWarning: Graphic contentDaniel Billings had every chance to turn back from killing Molly Ticehurst. Instead, he plotted her murder for days, recorded his plans and farewells, and carried out the savage attack – fully aware it would destroy the lives of her child and his own.In fact, a court heard, he appeared “jubilant” and “euphoric” in the aftermath.Daniel Billings pictured at Parkes Police Station in the hours after Molly Ticehurst’s murder.NSW Supreme CourtThe 28-year-old childcare worker was stabbed to death while alone in her home in Forbes in April 2024.Billings then drove to his friend’s house to drink rum, where he was quickly arrested before being photographed by police, images released by the court on Friday show.Ticehurst had accused Billings, her ex partner, of sexual assault after he had killed her dog with a hammer, smashed her belongings and threatened to kill her.But a local court registrar at Dubbo released him on bail.Molly Ticehurst and her son.Sharni Tolhurst PhotographyTwo weeks later, Billings rambled in hours-long videos about “becoming a monster” and the violence he would soon exact on Ticehurst for daring to leave him.The NSW Supreme Court on Friday heard submissions from prosecutors about Billings’ state of mind in the lead-up to his senseless attack.Daniel Billings pictured at a Supreme Court hearing last month.Rocco“Up until now I would never ever have put a finger on a female out of anger,” Billings said in a recording to a friend at 2pm, the day before the murder.“I’ve got a pretty foolproof plan, whether I get to her or any of her family, and they get away.“If you guys are going to lose me, and I’m going to lose, then they shall lose too. They shall not get away from this unscathed.”Crown prosecutor Lee Carr, SC, said those comments showed Billings was determined to exact violence against Ticehurst and her family.Billings’ mental capacity, including planning and behaviour before the murder, is important for Justice Natalie Adams, SC’s sentencing calculations.Hours of evidence on the subject was heard from two psychiatrists during the sentencing hearing on Thursday and Friday. Both agreed Billings had depression, but disagree about the severity and impact on his mindset.Molly and her father, Tony, who paid tribute to his beloved daughter on Thursday.Sharni Tolhurst PhotographyTicehurst had told police that Billings had threatened to come through her window and “cut her head off”. It was almost prophetic that he had made such threats, Carr said.“He has made the worst fear of (Ticehurst) come true,” he said.“This is something she had been fearing for some considerable period of time. She had moved out of the town for the safety of herself and her child.”Billings’ lawyers said his actions were “loose plans” and did not amount to proper planning.The 31-year-old’s callousness and moral culpability is also relevant to the sentence Adams will choose to hand down.Carr highlighted a video where Billings spoke about the impact his crime would have on those around Ticehurst and himself. He appeared “euphoric”, the prosecutor said.“If my kid’s going to have to grow up without his father, or with his father in a jail cell, then it’s eye for an eye,” Billings said in one video.“Now there’s going to be two kids without a parent, I’ve just ruined two little innocent children’s lives.”Billings in one video held up rosary beads and said they had been a gift from his child. They were the reason he chose not to kill himself following the murder, the court heard.Adams said Billings appeared “jubilant” after he killed Ticehurst, then had a creeping realisation of what he had done.Carr said Billings may have shown some empathy or caring for what he had done to the children – but he showed no thought for Ticehurst or her brutal death.Billings had exhibited some remorse, Adams said, but she had seen people show more in their letters to the court.He had complained, in his letter to the court which was also released on Friday, about his treatment in the media, and being trapped in a cell.Billings’ lawyers asked Adams to consider he had reduced moral culpability.From our partners