The case against the man who murdered Molly Ticehurst has been hit with yet another delay, after a psychiatrist raised the possibility he could be tried for manslaughter due to mental illness.
Ms Ticehurst, a 28-year-old childcare educator, was found dead in her home at Forbes, in the state's central west, in the early hours of April 22, 2024.
Daniel Billings stabbed her 15 times in a ferocious attack that lasted less than a minute, after repeatedly threatening to break into her bedroom and kill her in the weeks and months before.
He had been charged with several counts of raping Ms Ticehurst and a string of domestic violence offences on April 5, 2024, but was freed on bail by a local court registrar the next day.
Police had taken out a provisional apprehended violence order against Billings.
After 18 months of legal delays, Billings pleaded guilty at Forbes Local Court on November 14, 2025 to Ms Ticehurst's domestic violence murder.
He was due to face a two-day sentencing hearing in Orange on June 1.
But on Friday, NSW Supreme Court Justice Natalie Adams was told a forensic psychiatrist found Billings was affected by a depressive illness at the time of the murder.
The condition could be considered a "substantial impairment" and satisfy a partial defence to murder, allowing Billings to be tried for manslaughter instead, according to the psychiatrist's report.
Defence barrister Sarah Talbert said Billings wanted to proceed on the murder charge and only rely on the psychiatric evidence to be taken into account when the judge considered the sentence.
Crown prosecutor Lee Carr SC filed a motion to delay Billings' sentencing so prosecutors could engage their own expert.
The crown expert would assess Billings using 1200 pages of medical information because he did not consent to seeing another psychiatrist, the court was told.
Justice Adams tentatively set down a new sentence hearing date for September 7.
"It's highly unlikely that anyone would be able to get on that material and write a report in the next five days," Justice Adams said of the crown expert's availability.
Billings quietly watched proceedings from the supermax wing of Goulburn jail.
Legal delays have long frustrated Ms Ticehurst's family.
When the case was adjourned for the final time before the pleas in the local court, Ms Ticehurst's father Tony Ticehurst said the long wait had caused their family deep distress.
"It seems to me that in life, the system let Molly down and in death continues the same route," Mr Ticehurst told reporters in Forbes.
"Instead of getting closure, all we get is anxiety, sadness and heartache."
The sexual assault charges against Billings were dropped when he pleaded guilty to murder.
Charges of property damage, animal cruelty offences and breaching the apprehended violence order will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced.
The matter will be mentioned again in August.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
