Woman pleads guilty to hindering 'Donnie' murder investigation

Zachery Davies-Scott (left) and police at the scene in Heddon Greta (right).

A WESTON woman who misled police and directed people to destroy evidence relating to the alleged home invasion shooting murder of Zachary Davies-Scott at Heddon Greta has pleaded guilty to hindering the investigation in Kurri Kurri Local Court.

Sarah Jane Stackman, now 33, had in January pleaded not guilty to a charge of hindering an investigation into a serious indictable offence and indicated she intended to take the matter to a hearing.

But on Tuesday, Stackman changed her plea to guilty and she will now be sentenced in April.

Three men - Jarryd Nickerson, Talon Dean and Gino Ricardo Delpiero - have all been charged with murder over the home invasion shooting of 25-year-old Mr Davies-Scott, known as "Donnie".

Those men remain behind bars and are all expected to appear in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday to see whether detectives have finished compiling the brief of evidence.

Police have said they were called to Traders Way at Heddon Greta about 10.50pm on December 27, 2022 after reports a man had been shot.

Paramedics treated Mr Davies-Scott, but he died at the scene.

The NSW Homicide Squad took over the investigation under Strike Force Roslyn and say they were told a group of people forced their way into the home before Mr Davies-Scott was shot in what is alleged to have been a "home invasion gone wrong".

A woman, 52, sustained minor injuries attempting to fight off the alleged invaders.

Other family members home at the time, including two children, aged two and four, and Mr Davies-Scott's pregnant partner - witnessed the incident, but were not injured, police have said.

Homicide Squad detectives made repeated appeals for information and released CCTV images of a car fleeing the scene before they seized a white 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander from Boolaroo in February last year.

The breakthrough came in October last year when Mr Dean, 25, was arrested at Boomerang Beach before Mr Nickerson, 24, was arrested at Cessnock in November and Mr Delpiero, 25, was picked up in Elermore Vale in January.

Ms Stackman, who court documents state was the ex-partner of Mr Nickerson, was arrested on January 5.

According to court documents, she hindered the police investigation between June 14 last year and the date of her arrest.

Investigations under Strike Force Roslyn continue.