Danielle Easey’s body left in bedroom, van for days, jury in murder trial told

A woman whose body was found dumped in a creek in NSW had been dead for about two weeks, a jury has been told.

A young woman was allegedly stabbed and bludgeoned to death in a friend’s home before her body was left to rot for several days, first in a bedroom and then the back of a van, a court has been told.

The body of Danielle Louise Easey, 29, was found on August 31, 2019 with severe wounds after being dumped in Cockle Creek, south of Newcastle.

Police allege she had been dead for up to two weeks, since August 17, with her body first left in a bedroom at the Narara home where she was killed before being moved to a Cardiff property in a van.

Danielle Easey, whose body was found in a creek near Newcastle in August 2019.

Justin Kent Dilosa and his former partner Carol Marie McHenry are standing trial in the NSW Supreme Court charged with Ms Easey’s murder.

Both pleaded not guilty to murder before a jury empanelment at the Newcastle courthouse on Thursday morning.

Ms McHenry, however, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder on the allegation that she harboured and assisted Mr Dilosa, 36, knowing that he had killed Ms Easey.

A jury has been empanelled and the trial expected to last five weeks will begin on Monday.

Justin Kent Dilosa upon his arrest. Picture: NSW Police

His ex-girlfriend Carol McHenry.

The court was told that Ms McHenry, 34, allegedly “adopted the persona” of Ms Easey and pretended to be the woman known affectionately as “Del” on her social media profiles following her death.

She is accused of sending messages to Ms Easey’s loved ones, including her mother, the court was told.

Crown prosecutor John Stanhope told the jury during the empanelment that Ms Easey had allegedly been with Mr Dilosa and Ms McHenry on the day it was alleged she was murdered.

The trio travelled to a jail at Nowra to visit a mutual friend before returning to the Narara home connected to Ms McHenry, the court was told.

Mr Stanhope said the jury would hear evidence that Ms Easey was killed sometime during the evening of August 17 before her body was placed on a bed in one of the Central Coast home’s bedrooms.

Danielle Easey was 29 when she died.

The jury was told medical evidence would suggest that she had been stabbed and hit with a blunt object.

After a few days Mr Dilosa allegedly took the body in a van he used and drove it to Cardiff before leaving the body inside the van for several days, Mr Stanhope said.

There it sat in the back of the vehicle for days before Mr Dilosa allegedly drove the body to the creek near Killingworth and dumped it in the water.

The court was told Ms Easey and her alleged killers used “ice”’ together and that some witnesses set to be called in the trial had links to criminal activity.

Police phone taps would also be played to the court during the trial, Mr Stanhope said.

Justice Helen Wilson released the jury members for the weekend and told them opening arguments would begin on Monday.

Originally published as Danielle Easey’s body left in bedroom, van for days, jury in murder trial told