Police offer $250,000 to catch accused triple murderer Julian Ingram
Updated ,first published
Warning: This story contains names and images of deceased Indigenous people.
Police are offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of suspected triple murderer Julian Ingram, who authorities believe was helped to evade capture.
Ingram had been on the run since January 22, when he allegedly shot and killed his heavily pregnant ex-partner Sophie Quinn, 25, her friend John Harris, 32, and her aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, in the Mid-West NSW town of Lake Cargelligo. Ingram also allegedly shot and seriously injured 20-year-old Kaleb Macqueen, who was 19 at the time of the attack.
An extensive search of Lake Cargelligo and its surrounding areas could not locate Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, who was last seen leaving the town shortly after the shootings. He was seen heading north towards Euabalong, a nearby town of about 80 people where he grew up and lived until about a decade ago, locals said. Police have not ruled out the possibility that Ingram may be dead.
“At this point we believe there are individuals – a person on a person – who have information that could lead to his arrest and we are appealing to those individuals or that individual,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos told ABC Radio on Tuesday morning.
In the days after the shootings, numerous Ingram sightings were reported, including in Mount Hope, an isolated town about an hour from Lake Cargelligo. Current exploration efforts are focused on Lake Cargelligo and its surroundings.
Pisanos said police received about 280 separate pieces of information and searched 60,000 hectares of bush and farmland around Lake Cargelligo.
“We’ve effectively tried to leave no stone unturned. There’s a huge amount of land where he could be found. We’ve responded to every piece of information we’ve received from the community to date,” Pisanos said.
Police released Ingram on bail last November on domestic violence charges after he allegedly attacked Quinn around the time the pair broke up. Ingram was charged with stalking or intimidation, intent to create fear or cause physical harm, and common assault.
Ingram denied the accusations. Police said he had not breached a domestic violence order for protecting Sophie Quinn before the shootings and was released on bail in November after not committing a violent crime for several years.
Sophie Quinn was expected to give birth to a boy in March. His family said they would name the boy after his father, Troy, who died when he was two years old.
Interactions between local police and Ingram in the months before the shooting are the subject of an ongoing critical incident investigation overseen by the state’s police watchdog. The investigation is examining Ingram and Sophie Quinn’s ongoing relationship before the shooting, Ingram’s access to firearms and how the 37-year-old, who has never held a gun license in NSW, gained access to the gun believed to have been used in the shooting.
Ingram is considered an expert forester who worked as a brush cutter in the Midwest for several years, surviving with limited resources in isolated bush. He has not used his phone or accessed his bank accounts since the shootings.
There have been no confirmed sightings of Ingram since he was reportedly seen near Mount Hope on January 25. Many unconfirmed sightings were reported to police.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley said “even the smallest piece of information” could have helped police find Ingram.
“If you know anything about his whereabouts, now is the time to speak up,” he said.
Support is available from: National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Domestic Violence Counseling Service From (1800RESPECT) 1800 737 732.
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