‘We believe he is being supported’: $250,000 reward to help police find accused triple murderer Julian Ingram | Australia news
Police in New South Wales have offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of suspected triple murderer Julian Ingram, who is accused of fatally shooting his pregnant ex-partner, her boyfriend and his aunt at Lake Cargelligo in January.
Authorities have been searching for Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, since January 22. The 37-year-old man was last seen driving his Ford Ranger vehicle with a municipal sign on it.
Ingram is accused of murdering 25-year-old Sophie Quinn and her unborn child; John Harris, 32; and Nerida Quinn, 50. It was claimed that a 19-year-old man was also seriously injured in the attack.
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Police said multiple teams, including search and rescue and tactical operations, have been searching the Cargelligo Lake area for nearly two months. Officials said the reward reflects the need for broader community support to help find Ingram.
Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said on Tuesday: “To anyone who knows his whereabouts – let this reward be an incentive for you to break your silence and help the police.”
“We believe he was supported by someone in the community,” Holland told reporters in Dubbo.
“Seven weeks in the arid country… he’ll need backup. He didn’t have access to any cell phones or bank accounts or anything like that.”
Sophie and Nerida Quinn’s funeral services will be held this week, Holland said. “There will be a large police presence at these funerals to make sure the community is safe and that Ingram will not return,” the deputy commissioner said.
Paul Pisanos, assistant commissioner of regional field operations for NSW police, said: “We are urging the public to come forward with what they know to help police find this man and help shut down Lake Cargelligo and surrounding communities.”
The state’s police minister, Yasmin Catley, said in a statement: “This was a shocking and brutal act of violence that left families in agony and shook the community deeply.”
“NSW police force will not stop working to locate Julian Ingram and this $250,000 reward is intended to encourage anyone with information to come forward,” Catley said.
“If you know anything about his whereabouts, now is the time to speak up. Even the smallest piece of information could help police find him and bring those responsible for this horrific crime to justice.”
Police came under scrutiny after Ingram was granted bail for allegedly attacking Sophie Quinn two months before the alleged murders.
Authorities argue that a risk assessment at the time found that he did not pose an unacceptable risk and had complied with court orders in the past.
Four years before he allegedly killed three people, Ingram was convicted of grabbing a family member by the throat after she made a comment about his children.
He further told his former partner that he had a “gun and a hole” for a man he assumed was his new partner, and made threats against her, her children and her mother a decade ago, according to court documents.
