A neighbour has spoken out about the tattooed tradie accused of murdering teaching assistant Molly Ticehurst, after their quiet enclave in a small country town was transformed into a grisly crime scene.
Police found the body of Ms Ticehurst, 28, inside a Young Street home in Forbes, about 370km west of Sydney, just before 2am on Monday.
Her estranged ex partner Daniel Billings, who was on bail for rape charges, was arrested at a property in Fifield, about an hour west of Forbes, a short time later.
A fellow Young Street resident told Daily Mail Australia the street was quiet until the 29-year-old man moved into a home with with the mother-of-one about a year ago.
The neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said they often heard loud noises coming from the home but did not hear any suspicious noises on the street in the early hours of Monday when Billings is alleged to have murdered Ms Ticehurst in a ‘violent’ manner.
‘I often heard raised voices coming from their joint – but not that night,’ the neighbour said.
‘She [Molly] seemed polite, didn’t know her, she kept to herself, but that tattooed bloke was always cursing and muttering to himself.’
Daniel Billings has been charged with the murder of Forbes woman, Molly Ticehurst
Molly Ticehurst was found dead at a home in Forbes on Monday morning
It emerged on Tuesday night that Billings was previously married
The neighbour recounted the bizarre behaviour he witnessed from the amateur boxer.
‘The turkey would walk up and down the street during winter when it’s zero degrees outside, puffing his chest and checking out his tattoos,’ they said.
‘I often saw the little fella [Molly’s child], thankfully he was away with his dad [not Billings] when this all went down.’
It emerged on Tuesday night that Billings was previously married, with a wedding video showing him shadow boxing as he prepared for his nuptials.
A clip shows Billings again shadow boxing in front of guests as he waits for his bride to arrive.
The shocked and saddened community placed floral tributes on the curb outside the home on Tuesday where forensics continued gathering evidence at the scene.
The front window of the home remained shattered amongst a car seat, clothes dryer and a pet carrier.
A wedding video shows Billings shadow boxing as he prepared for his nuptials
Forensics seen leaving the property with bags of evidence on Tuesday afternoon
Floral tributes sat outside the home while forensics continued gathering evidence
A floral tribute left by Molly’s father Tony
A team of forensics seen looking through a broken window at the front of the ramshackle home
The front exterior of the home was heavily fingerprinted by forensics officers as children’s toys lay strewn across the yard.
While the victims’ pristine Ford Everest vehicle with a personalised number plate that spells out her name was parked idly alongside the ramshackle property.
Court documents show he was on bail at the time of the killing for a series of charges against Ms Ticehurst.
Billings, who is originally from Dalby in Queensland, did not appear when his case was briefly mentioned in Orange Local Court on Tuesday morning.
He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused by magistrate David Day.
Ms Ticehurst vehicle had customised plates spelling her name
Daniel Billings did not appear when his case was briefly mentioned in Orange Local Court on Tuesday morning
The mum-of-one was a beloved member of the Forbes community
The tattooed amateur boxer was seen in Forbes walking shirtless in Winter
Billings was charged with charges recklessly destroying a car window and a pedestal fan at her house and aggravated animal cruelty against her 12-week-old dachshund puppy
Day also revoked Billings’ bail regarding the earlier charges, including three counts of sexual intercourse without consent and four counts of stalking and intimidating Ticehurst in recent months.
The earlier charges further included two counts of recklessly destroying a car window and a pedestal fan at her house and aggravated animal cruelty against her 12-week-old dachshund puppy.
Billings had not entered pleas that were due on those charges, the court heard. ‘That’s not good enough,’ Day said.
Billings remained in custody at Parkes police station after detectives spent the morning canvasing another property where he was residing, seizing a number of items including her mobile phone.
Before the court appearance, detecting Inspector Jason Darcy described the killing as ‘brutal’, adding it had left Ticehurst’s family devastated. ‘Naturally, they’re just distraught,’ he told reporters on Monday.
The case has prompted wider concern about why Billings was freed on bail and the strength of apprehended violence orders.
Premier Chris Minns said those were ‘legitimate questions’ and the government would work on answering them.
Details of a review of the case were being finalised on Tuesday evening and will be announced on Wednesday.
‘A family has lost their daughter and the circumstances are horrifying for that community and that family,’ he told reporters on Tuesday.
‘Listening to her dad … your heart breaks for him, he’s justifiably angry, he’s completely heartbroken, he wants answers as to what happened.’
