A MAN accused of murdering Danielle Easey and dumping her body in Cockle Creek in 2019 allegedly made a number of admissions to associates, including telling one man: "that chick was no good. She was going to hurt my friends. I killed her and I'll do it again."
Justin Kent Dilosa, now 37, is also accused of showing another associate Ms Easey's body in the bedroom of a home at Narara and burning a knife in a bonfire in the backyard of a home at Cardiff.
"Everything was fine until the crack ran out," Mr Dilosa allegedly told an associate. "She started to lose it. "She was saying she was gonna bring everyone down. Then it happened. I stabbed her in the head and in the back."
Ms Easey, 29, was stabbed in the back and struck in the head with a blunt object, similar to a hammer, in a home in Reeves Street at Narara on the night of August 17, 2019.
Her body was found wrapped in plastic and duct tape and dumped in Cockle Creek at Killingworth on August 31.
Mr Dilosa on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to murder and faced the first day of an estimated six-week trial in NSW Supreme Court.
He denies being involved in Ms Easey's killing, but admits to participating in the cover-up and dumping of Ms Easey's body and has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact.
During his opening address on Thursday, Crown prosecutor John Stanhope told the jury there would be no dispute that Mr Dilosa's ex-partner, Carol McHenry, "had a part to play in the killing of Danielle Easey".
But he said the prosecution case is that both Ms McHenry and Mr Dilosa were "directly involved" in Ms Easey's death and Mr Dilosa stabbed Ms Easey in the home at Narara on August 17, 2019.
The trial will focus on the evidence of several former associates of Ms McHenry and Mr Dilosa, who Mr Stanhope said were involved in using methamphetamine, and who say the pair made a number of admissions about murdering Ms Easey.
Mr Stanhope said Ms Easey, Ms McHenry and Mr Dilosa were together in the days before Ms Easey's death and were spotted on CCTV at several locations, including a service station and a hotel.
On the morning of August 17, the group travelled down to Nowra to visit a man in jail and then returned to the Central Coast.
But by that night, Ms Easey was dead and Mr Dilosa and Ms McHenry had left her body at the home at Narara and travelled to Cardiff.
Over the next few days, Mr Dilosa is alleged to have made a number of admissions to associates about his involvement in Ms Easey's murder.
One associate claims he could smell something pungent coming from Mr Dilosa's black Mitsubishi Delica and when he asked Mr Dilosa about it he said he needed to dispose of what was in the back of the van.
In another conversation, the man claims Mr Dilosa told him: "The drugs ran out, she started to run her mouth off about doing something with the list and I couldn't allow that."
Mr Stanhope said any reason or motive for Ms Easey being killed would probably never emerge, but the closest the evidence might come is "paranoia" about "lists" and Ms Easey having "names on lists".
During his opening address, Public Defender Angus Webb told the jury the prosecution case relied on what were said to be admissions made by Mr Dilosa. But he said he would challenge those witnesses about what they claim they heard.
"The case for the accused is that the evidence does not establish that he was involved in the killing of Danielle Easey," Mr Webb said.
The trial, before Justice Deborah Sweeney, continues.
To see more stories and read today's paper download the Newcastle Herald news app here.
