Former couple plead not guilty to murder over Danielle's brutal death

BREAKTHROUGH: Justin Dilosa in handcuffs after he was arrested at Cardiff on September 19, 2019, and a Mitsubishi Delica was seized by police. Carol McHenry was also arrested at Holmesville about an hour later. Pictures: NSW Police

THE former couple accused of murdering young mother Danielle Easey before transporting her body around in a "makeshift coffin" and dumping it in Cockle Creek have pleaded not guilty and will face a trial in the NSW Supreme Court.

Justin Kent Dilosa, 35, and Carol Marie McHenry, 33, appeared in Gosford Local Court on Friday charged with murder over the death of Ms Easey, who detectives allege was stabbed in the back and neck and beaten with a hammer at a home on the Central Coast on August 17, 2019.

And after her brutal death and before her body was found wrapped in plastic and partially submerged in a murky creek two weeks later, Ms McHenry pretended to be Ms Easey and messaged her mother via Facebook to ask for money.

TRAGIC: Danielle Easey was murdered and her body dumped in Cockle Creek. The three people charged over her death appeared in Gosford Local Court on Friday.

Mr Dilosa, who is represented by solicitor Kate Maher, appeared in court on Friday via audio visual link from jail where he pleaded not guilty to murder and was committed for trial to the NSW Supreme Court.

He will next appear in Sydney Supreme Court in May when it is expected he will get a trial date sometime in 2022.

Mr Dilosa was charged with Ms Easey's murder in September 2019 and is alleged to have stabbed and bludgeoned the mother-of-two with a hammer in the bedroom of a home at Reeves Street, Narara.

Ms McHenry also appeared in court via audio visual link from jail where she pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder.

She will also next appear in Sydney Supreme Court in May. The Newcastle Herald revealed last year that Ms McHenry, long accused of being an accessory after the fact to the murder of Ms Easey would have her charges upgraded to murder.

The DPP finalised the charges in December and now allege Ms Easey's former "friend" not only tried to conceal and profit from Ms Easey's death but that she was responsible for it as part of a joint criminal enterprise with her then partner, Mr Dilosa.

Ms McHenry also pleaded guilty on Friday to dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception for posing as Ms Easey and defrauding Ms Easey's mother, Jennifer Collier, of $50 on August 30, the day before Ms Easey's body was found.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Aaron Princehorn also appeared in court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to concealing a serious indictable offence over the murder of Ms Easey.

ACCUSED: Jeremy Aaron Princehorn leaving Belmont Local Court in January last year. He has pleaded guilty to concealing the murder of Danielle Easey.