Molly Ticehurst's killer sentenced to 28 years

Daniel Billings has been sentenced to 28 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 20 years, for the April 2024 murder of Forbes childcare worker Molly Ticehurst, whom he stabbed to death while on bail for alleged offences against her. Justice Natalie Adams handed down the sentence in the NSW Supreme Court at Orange on Friday, September 11, 2026, backdating it to April 2024, when Billings first entered custody. The 31-year-old will be eligible for release around April 2044. Billings pleaded guilty to breaking into Ticehurst's home and stabbing her 15 times with a hunting knife. The attack occurred roughly two weeks after he was released on bail on charges including sexual assault, stalking, intimidation and property damage following the end of their on-and-off relationship in December 2023. Prosecutors withdrew the sexual assault offences when he pleaded guilty to murder in November 2025, and those allegations remain untested and denied. Justice Adams said she was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Billings had decided to kill Ticehurst by the time he drove to her house armed with a hunting knife.