{
  "id": 5476812,
  "title": "Molly Ticehurst’s killer called woman he’d met on Tinder after stabbing and said ‘I’m sorry I murdered her’, court hears",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/molly-ticehursts-killer-called-woman-hed-met-on-tinder-after-stabbing",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T03:08:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian Australia",
    "slug": "the-guardian-australia",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/04/molly-ticehurst-killer-called-tinder-date-after-stabbing-sorry-i-murdered-her-ntwnfb"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two hours after Daniel Billings brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend Molly Ticehurst, he called a woman he had met on the dating app Tinder, telling her \"I'm sorry I murdered her,\" according to testimony at his sentencing hearing. The woman, who he met in early 2022, expressed shock at hearing of the stabbing during their brief phone conversation. Billings made the call from a friend's house where he had fled after the bloodbath. Just before midnight on April 21, 2024, Billings broke into Molly's bedroom in her Forbes home, stabbing her 15 times. He pleaded guilty to the murder in November 2025 after 18 months of legal proceedings. The attack came after Billings was released on bail by a local court registrar two weeks prior, following a series of sexual assault and domestic violence charges against Molly. During the two-day sentencing hearing, forensic psychiatrist Olav Nielssen said many of Billings' videos could be interpreted as \"goodbye videos\" and that he was suffering significant depression. However, the crown's expert David Greenberg argued that Billings' threats of suicide were part of his months of domestic abuse against Molly. Victim impact statements from Molly's family were heard on Thursday, with her father Tony Ticehurst stating, \"When she died, part of me died with her.\"",
  "summary": "Daniel Billings said ‘I did what I did’ in call from friend’s house after 2024 domestic violence murder Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Two hours after Daniel Billings murdered his ex-girlfriend Molly Ticehurst in a frenzied stabbing he spoke to a woman he had met on Tinder. “I’m sorry I murdered her,” Billings…",
  "key_points": [
    "Daniel Billings stabbed Molly Ticehurst 15 times after breaking into her home.",
    "Billings called a Tinder acquaintance two hours later, saying \"I'm sorry I murdered her.\"",
    "Billings pleaded guilty to the murder in November 2025 after 18 months of legal proceedings."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The call to a Tinder acquaintance shows Billings' attempt to seek connection and confess his crime, highlighting his state of mind after the murder and his need for human interaction.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian",
        "title": "Molly Ticehurst’s killer called woman he’d met on Tinder after stabbing and said ‘I’m sorry I murdered her’, court hears",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/molly-ticehursts-killer-called-woman-hed-met-on-tinder-after-stabbing-5482696",
        "published": "2026-09-04T03:08:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "Sitting in court with Molly Ticehurst's killer 'extremely confronting'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sitting-in-court-with-molly-ticehursts-killer-extremely-confronting",
        "published": "2026-09-04T05:32:22.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}