New charges laid over death of Danielle Easey
Homicide Squad detectives have charged a third person in relation to the murder of Danielle Easey, whose body was found wrapped in plastic and dumped in a creek near Newcastle earlier this year.
Newcastle
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Forensic detectives spent several hours on Friday sifting through the ashes of a backyard fire at Cardiff where police allege the weapons used to brutally kill Danielle Easey were destroyed.
Strike Force Furzer investigators arrested a 37-year-old man at the Merewether St home about 7am on Friday and later charged him with concealing a serious indictable offence.
Police will allege the man helped his friend Justin Dilosa burn the knife and hammer Dilosa had allegedly used to murder Ms Easey at a Narara home on or about August 17.
The Cardiff home is also where a Mitsubishi Delica was seized when Dilosa, 33, and his ex-girlfriend, Carol Dawson McHenry, 32, were arrested over Ms Easey’s murder in September.
Detectives allege that Dilosa murdered Ms Easey at the Central Coast address before transporting her remains around in a makeshift coffin inside the van for a period of time.
Her body, wrapped tightly in black plastic, was finally dumped in Cockle Creek, near Killingworth where it was found by a passing motorist on August 31, police have alleged in court documents.
The brutal nature of the death of Ms Easey, a Lake Macquarie mother who had battled drug addiction, rocked parts of the region.
Police have also alleged in court documents Dawson McHenry sent Ms Easey’s mother a message using the dead woman’s social media account to get money.
“OK mum I need some money, I’m stressing out hard. Trying to get into rehab it will be the only way,’’ the message said.
Ms Easey’s mother transferred the money to Dawson McHenry’s bank less than two hours before her daughter’s body was found, and two weeks after she was allegedly murdered, the court heard.
Dawson McHenry is charged with being an accessory after the fact after allegedly telling police she woke to see Dilosa stab and bash Ms Easey.
Strike Force Furzer continued after the initial arrests and resulted in today’s latest raid.
Detectives swooped on the Cardiff property about 7am. Crime scene experts spent hours sifting through ashes from an old fire in the backyard.
Police will allege that the hammer and knife used to kill Ms Easey, as well as other items, were burnt following the killing.
The man was charged at Belmont police station and granted strict conditional bail to appear in Belmont Local Court on January 8.