Michael Carroll stabbing: Taylah McDonald pleads not guilty to helping Maddison Hickson cover up alleged murder

A woman has pleaded not guilty to helping her 22-year-old friend allegedly cover up the murder of her violent father by misleading police about evidence.

A young woman has pleaded not guilty to helping to cover up the murder of her friend’s father.

The crown alleges 26-year-old Taylah Renae McDonald knew her 22-year-old friend Maddison Hickson had murdered her dad, standover man Michael John Carroll, who died from knife wounds to the heart on January 16 last year.

McDonald is accused of assisting Hickson, who earlier pleaded not guilty to murder at a Tenambit home, by moving the knife Hickson allegedly used to injure Carroll and misleading police about the weapon with intent to hinder the discovery of evidence.

In the NSW Supreme Court, McDonald pleaded not guilty to the evidence charge and being an accessory after the fact to murder.

Taylor McDonald (l) is accused of helping cover up the alleged murder of Michael Carroll (r)

Documents earlier tendered to Newcastle Local Court alleged a violent Carroll and Hickson had became embroiled in an argument in the living room McDonald shared with another friend before a knife was produced.

The facts alleged that immediately after the stabbing, McDonald rang triple-0 and told an operator “there’s been a domestic and a male has blood everywhere’’.

Maddison Hickson, 23, has denied stabbing her father, Michael John Carroll, 51, to death

McDonald, whose bail was continued, appeared via video link to the NSW Supreme Court as she entered her not guilty plea.

She and Hickson will face a trial at the Newcastle Supreme Court on October 17.

Justice Helen Wilson extended the time the Crown can file and serve its case statement and disclosure material to September 16.