A neighbor has spoken out about the tattooed tradie accused of murdering teacher Molly Ticehurst, after her quiet enclave in a small rural town was transformed into a gruesome crime scene.
Police found the body of Ticehurst, 28, inside a house on Young Street in Forbes, about 370 kilometers west of Sydney, shortly before 2am on Monday.
Her estranged ex-partner Daniel Billings, who was out on bail on 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 WhatsNew2Day Australia the street was quiet until the 29-year-old moved into a house with his mother-of-one about a year ago.
The neighbor, who did not want to be named, said he often heard loud noises coming from the house, but did not hear any suspicious noises on the street in the early hours of Monday, when Billings allegedly murdered Ms Ticehurst in a ” violent’ way.
“He often heard voices coming from his place, but not that night,” the neighbor said.
‘She [Molly] She seemed polite, I didn’t know her, she kept to herself, but that tattooed guy was always cursing and muttering to himself.
Daniel Billings has been charged with the murder of Forbes wife Molly Ticehurst
Molly Ticehurst was found dead in a home in Forbes on Monday morning.
It emerged Tuesday night that Billings was previously married.
The neighbor recounted the strange behavior he witnessed from the amateur boxer.
“The turkey walked up and down the street during the winter when it was zero degrees outside, puffing out his chest and looking at his tattoos,” they said.
“I often saw the little one [Molly’s child]Luckily he was out with his dad. [not Billings] when all this fell apart.’
News emerged Tuesday night that Billings was previously married, with a wedding video showing him shadow boxing while preparing for their nuptials.
A clip shows Billings again shadow boxing in front of guests while waiting for his girlfriend to arrive.
The shocked and saddened community laid floral tributes on the sidewalk in front of the house on Tuesday, where coroners continued to gather evidence at the scene.
The front window of the home was smashed between a car seat, a clothes dryer and a pet carrier.
A wedding video shows Billings shadow boxing while preparing for their nuptials.
Coroners were seen leaving the property with bags of evidence on Tuesday afternoon.
Floral tributes were laid outside the house as coroners continued to gather evidence.
A floral tribute left by Molly’s father, Tony.
A forensic team is seen looking through a broken window at the front of the ramshackle house.
Forensic officers took numerous fingerprints on the exterior front of the house while the children’s toys lay scattered around the yard.
While the victims’ immaculate Ford Everest vehicle, with a personalized license plate spelling out their name, was parked next to the dilapidated property.
Court documents show he was out on bail at the time of the murder on a series of charges against Ms Ticehurst.
Billings, 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 Magistrate David Day formally refused it.
Ms. Ticehurst’s vehicle had personalized plates spelling out her name.
Daniel Billings did not appear when his case was briefly mentioned in Orange Local Court on Tuesday morning.
The mother 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 recklessly destroying a car window and a pedestal fan in her home and with aggravated animal cruelty against her 12-week-old dachshund puppy.
Day also revoked Billings’ bail on the previous charges, including three counts of sexual intercourse without consent and four counts of stalking and intimidating Ticehurst in recent months.
The previous charges also included two counts of recklessly destroying a car window and a pedestal fan in her home and aggravated animal cruelty against her 12-week-old dachshund puppy.
Billings had not entered proper pleas to those charges, the court heard. “That’s not enough,” Day said.
Billings remained in custody at Parkes police station after detectives spent the morning searching another property where he resided and seizing several items, including his mobile phone.
Before appearing in court, Inspector Jason Darcy described the murder as “brutal” and added that it had left Ticehurst’s family devastated. “Naturally, they’re just distraught,” he told reporters Monday.
The case has raised wider concerns about why Billings was released on bail and the strength of the violence orders held.
Premier Chris Minns said these were “legitimate questions” and the government would work to answer them.
Details of a review of the case were finalized Tuesday night and will be announced Wednesday.
“A family has lost their daughter and the circumstances are horrible for that community and that family,” he told reporters Tuesday.
“Listening to his father… it breaks your heart for him, he’s justifiably angry, he’s completely heartbroken, he wants answers about what happened.”