ARMED with a baseball bat, Daniel William Mahoney was one of three men who climbed through an open window into small-time drug dealer Philip Steele's Whitebridge home in the early hours of December 17, 2018.
What happened next was a chaotic scene, a wild melee with arms, machetes and bats flailing that left Mr Steele dead and triggered a wild police chase through the streets of Whitebridge and Charlestown.
"All this for $2000," Mr Steele, 60, who was known to supply cannabis and keep cash on the premises, said before he died. "Save my arm at least." On Wednesday, Mahoney, now 20, appeared in Newcastle Local Court via audio visual link from jail and pleaded guilty to murder over the violent home invasion death of Mr Steele.
He will next appear in Sydney Supreme Court on March 6 to get a sentence date. Two other men, Luke Jones and Jeremy Garvey, have previously pleaded not guilty to murder and will also be arraigned in Sydney Supreme Court on March 6.
Detectives allege Mr Jones and Mr Garvey went to Mr Steele's house at 2.25pm on December 16 - 12 hours before the alleged home invasion.
The pair are accused of impersonating police officers and snatching Mr Steele's wallet when they asked him for identification.
They allegedly returned to the house in Lonus Avenue at 2.25am on December 17 and broke in through an open and unlocked window.
Mr Garvey was allegedly armed with a machete while Mr Jones and Mr Mahoney had a baseball bat.
One of Mr Steele's brothers saw them coming through the window and called out, prompting Mr Steele to jump out of bed and confront the trio.
Mr Steele grabbed hold of Mr Garvey by the neck and tried to force him out of the home, but Mr Garvey allegedly stabbed and slashed Mr Steele with the machete.
All this for $2000. Save my arm at least.
Philip Steele said after he was attacked in his home at Whitebridge in the early hours of December 17, 2018.
