'Widow of Walcha' sentenced to at least 30 years in jail for murder of Mathew Dunbar
There's been a major development with A Current Affair's investigation into the woman dubbed "the Widow of Walcha" after the death of her boyfriend in the small New South Wales farming town more than four years ago.
Today, Natasha Beth Darcy, 46, was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in jail after a jury found she had poisoned and drugged Walcha grazier, Mathew Dunbar, 42, with a cocktail of drugs in August 2017.
"She was callous, relentless and heartless to get rid of Mathew … greed was her motive, deception, lies and manipulation were glibly applied before and after she killed him," Justice Julia Lonergan said.
Natasha Beth Darcy and Mathew Dunbar pictured together. A Current Affair
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"Her lies towards the end were stupid, clumsy and ugly but were sadly successful in achieving Mathew's death."
Darcy murdered Mr Dunbar after he made her the sole beneficiary of his multi-million-dollar sheep farm.
Mr Dunbar's closest friend Lance Partridge previously told A Current Affair that when the late farmer met Darcy, he had "wanted a family … and he wanted to be loved".
Natasha Beth Darcy, 46. A Current Affair
Justice Julia Lonergan. A Current Affair
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"He wanted somebody at home in his house," he said.
But while Mr Dunbar was looking for love, Darcy had a reputation for seeking out wealthy men.
Darcy's former partner Fred Nicholson previously revealed to A Current Affair he felt like he "dodged a bullet" after hearing about what happened to Mr Dunbar.
Natasha Beth Darcy was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in jail today. A Current Affair
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"I was a mullet, but Mathew Dunbar was a marlin. I had a smaller property, and he had a lot more money," Mr Nicholson said.
Mr Nicholson claimed he had fallen victim to Darcy when she spent thousands on a credit card she stole from him.
She then moved on to what appeared to be her next target and from the moment she moved into Mr Dunbar's property, she began Googling ways to kill him.
Darcy still denies killing the farmer but staged his death to look like suicide. She will be in her late 70s when she's eligible for parole in 2047.
Nine reporter Emma Partridge has written a book about the case, called The Widow of Walcha, which can be found at all good bookstores from May 3.
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