Molly Ticehurst’s killer acted like the ‘Grim Reaper’ as he set out to kill her before making a chilling confession to a Tinder competition, a judge has heard.
“I’m sorry, I killed her,” Daniel Billings told the Tinder match during a phone call at 2:02 a.m. on April 22, 2024, two hours after the brutal stabbing.
The woman, who met Billings on the dating app in early 2022, told police she was shocked when he described the murder during their brief conversation.
“In an ideal world, I wanted to go there and talk to her,” Billings said, according to the woman’s statement to his NSW. Supreme Court sentencing hearing.
“But she started screaming and I did what I did.”
The call was made from a mutual friend’s property and residents quickly alerted police, according to a statement of facts.
The court publicly released images of Billings on Friday shortly after his arrest on murder charges, including his mugshot and a photo of him in his bloodstained clothes.
The 31-year-old former miner has pleaded guilty to stabbing Ms Ticehurst 15 times in a frenzied attack after breaking into her bedroom at her Forbes home late April 21.
Daniel Billings at Parkes Police Station, hours after the murder of Molly Ticehurst. Supreme Court of NSW
Billings while appearing on video link in the NSW Supreme Court
Billings ultimately pleaded guilty to murder in November 2025, after more than 18 months of legal negotiations
He underwent a two-day hearing in Orange, with a verdict on September 11.
Billings had been released on bail by the local court registrar a fortnight before the murder, accused of a series of assaults and domestic violence against Ms Ticehurst.
Once he learned of her allegations of repeated rapes, Billings adamantly denied the crimes and developed an obsession with clearing his name.
The court watched about 90 minutes of footage recorded by Billings before and after the murder, in which he repeatedly cries and rages about his claims that he was wrongly accused of rape.
One of the videos showed Billings driving along dark country lanes from his home in Parkes to Mrs Ticehurst’s house, singing along to Johnny Cash’s The Man Comes Around.
The song includes the lyrics: “When the man comes along, the hairs on your arm will stand up with terror.”
Molly’s father Tony Ticehurst described her as big-hearted and much loved
Police found Molly Ticehurst dead in her Forbes home in April 2024 after being murdered by her ex-boyfriend Daniel Billings
A NSW Corrective Services truck carrying Daniel Billings arrives at the Orange courthouse, in central west NSW, on Friday, September 4, 2026.
Senior prosecutor Lee Carr SC said the video was evidence of his intention to kill Ms Ticehurst.
“That’s prophetic,” Carr told the court Friday afternoon.
“The Grim Reaper is another word that comes to mind.
“The Crown says… that he has committed his intention to kill in his mind.”
Judge Natalie Adams agreed that the footage appeared to show Billings in a “jubilant” mood immediately after the murder.
The series of videos also hinted at a plan for him to kill himself after killing Ms Ticehurst.
Friends and supporters of Molly Ticehurst outside Orange Court House, NSW, on Friday, September 4, 2026
Molly Ticehurst’s mother Kate Ticehurst (front center) and supporters leave Orange Court House, NSW, on Friday, September 4, 2026
Tony Ticehurst, father of Molly Ticehurst, outside Orange Court House, NSW, on Friday, September 4, 2026
Forensic psychiatrist Olav Nielssen, called in by the defense team, told the court that many of the recordings could be interpreted as “farewell videos” and that Billings was suffering from severe depression.
But David Greenberg, the Crown’s expert, said Billings’ suicide threats could also be interpreted in the context of his months of domestic violence against Ms Ticehurst.
“Several times he threatens the victim and her family,” Professor Greenberg told the court on Friday.
“The acts of domestic violence have the context of these suicide threats.”
Billings listened to the events on a raised wooden scaffold, often leaning forward to stare at the floor.
He was seen shaking his head occasionally.
The sexual abuse charges against Billings were eventually dropped when he pleaded guilty to murder in November 2025, after eighteen months of legal negotiations.
Public defender Sarah Talbert told the court there was evidence of Billings’ chronic depression and his remorse.
“There were multiple and consistent expressions of remorse,” Ms Talbert said.
The court heard victim impact statements from Ms Ticehurst’s family on Thursday.
Her mother Kate’s statement was read out by a family friend.
“Molly was my only child and my best friend,” her statement said.
‘I’m devastated that my girl is no longer with me.’
Outside court on Friday afternoon, her father Tony Ticehurst made a short statement thanking Australians for their support.
He broke down when asked how he would remember his daughter.
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