Justin Kent Dilosa and Carol Marie McHenry on trial for the murder of Danielle Easey in 2019

A court has heard an ex-couple accused of murdering young mum Danielle Easey were using ice when they met and had a “pretty intense” relationship early on.

The scene where Danielle Easey’s body was found wrapped in plastic. Picture: Peter Lorimer

On trial for the murder of young mum Danielle Easey, Justin Kent Dilosa has described to a jury the “pretty intense” relationship he had with co-accused Carol Marie McHenry.

Giving evidence in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, Dilosa, 34, said the pair had met in late 2017 and quickly commenced an intimate relationship in early 2018, before he moved into McHenry’s Narara home on the Central Coast.

“Very early on Carol expressed a lot of interest, within a month wanted to get engaged, within two months I bought an engagement ring, told her parents and within three months planning a wedding,” Dilosa said.

Carol McHenry is on trial over the death of Danielle Easey. Picture: Facebook

Justin Dilosa on the day of his arrest, also charged with the murder of Ms Easey. Picture: NSW Police.

He also revealed to the jury the pair would frequently use drugs and “eat ice”, which in eight to ten months would ultimately lead to the demise of their relationship.

“I was using ice when I met Carol, she was using ice,” he said.

Dilosa’s defence barrister Angus Webb asked his client, “the impact of the ice was bad?”, to which he replied, “definitely”.

Referring to when things had changed in the relationship, Dilosa told the court ice was a “big thing” as well as mental health and disagreements.

Dilosa and his former partner are on trial after they both pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Easey more than three years ago.

Ms Easey was allegedly stabbed to death at a Narara home before her body was dumped in a creek.

It’s alleged Ms Easey was stabbed to death in the Narara home on August 17, 2019 before her body was wrapped in plastic and two weeks later dumped at Cockle Creek near Killingworth, west of Newcastle, where she was later found by a passing motorist.

In the alternate, McHenry has entered a plea of guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact, accepting she did assist Dilosa after he had killed Ms Easey, claiming she was scared to go to police fearing what he would do.

Giving evidence about their relationship, Dilosa said the pair became closer when they talked about McHenry’s mental health and how she was dealing with bipolar.

He told the jury McHenry wanted to get off the medications and he became a support for her medical needs.

The Narara home Dilosa and McHenry lived together at, which began a crime scene as police investigated the death of Ms Easey.

The former Cardiff chicken processing plant, where Dilosa lived, also became a crime scene. Picture: Peter Lorimer.

“When we got together Carol wanted to get off the medications,” he said.

He also revealed how the pair often talked about getting off the drugs, and would have breaks in using ice because they wanted to have a “better life”.

“We were in a good place. It was instant love, it was beautiful,” he said.

The court heard when the relationship broke down he moved out of the Narara property and moved back with his father for a period of time before acquiring accommodation at the old Inghams chicken processing plant at Cardiff.

During the trial, several witnesses – friends of the co-accused – have given evidence that both of the accused had made admissions to the killing.

One witness recounted that Dilosa had conversations with him on two occasions and made confessions about what he had done to Ms Easey.

He told the jury Dilosa explained that it was “all good until the crack ran out” and said that Ms Easey was going “to hurt his friends” before he stabbed her in the head and back.

The court heard Dilosa had asked how to destroy a knife, the one police allege was used to stab Ms Easey to death, before it was thrown into a fire pit.

Another witness, who admitted to lying on the stand about her ex-boyfriend who had seen the dead body of Ms Easey, also disclosed to the jury that she told police McHenry had been involved in drug supply and Ms Easey’s alleged murder.

The trial continues.