Search widens for accused triple killer Julian Ingram in NSW town Lake Cargelligo
Updated ,first published
Warning: This story contains names and images of deceased Indigenous people.
Lake Cargelligo: Police have expanded the search for suspected triple murderer Julian Ingram and are investigating the possibility that associates may have been helping him evade authorities.
Ingram, 37, has been on the run since Thursday afternoon after he allegedly shot and killed his heavily pregnant ex-partner Sophie Quinn, 24, and her friend John Harris, 32, as they drove along Bokhara Street in Lake Cargelligo in the NSW Central West about 4.10pm.
Ingram then went to Walker Street; Here he allegedly shot and killed Sophie’s aunt, Nerida Quinn (50), and also shot and seriously injured 19-year-old Kaleb Macqueen. Macqueen remains in a serious but stable condition in a hospital in Canberra.
Ingram, a gardener at Lachlan Shire Council, was last seen leaving Cargelligo Lake at the council. Police are seeking information to locate the vehicle, which is a Ford Ranger with registration DM-07-GZ, a municipal sign, a metal tray back, high visibility markings on the side and an emergency light bar on the roof. Police are investigating the possibility that Ingram may have ditched the vehicle and switched vehicles.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Andy Holland said police cleared several properties on Friday and would expand the search area over the weekend. About 100 officers, including local police and members of the Tactical Operations Unit, are searching for Ingram.
Ingram is considered an experienced forester who can survive in remote areas for long periods of time with limited resources.
“Mr. Ingram had worked in the area for a long time. Many people in the area knew him,” Holland said.
“He may be reaching out to people, and we’re obviously contacting known associates, trying to eliminate those possibilities… There’s a possibility that people are helping him.”
Holland said it was unclear what type of firearm Ingram, who had never held a gun license in NSW, could have carried. Numerous spent shotgun shells were visible on Bokhara Street, near where Sophie Quinn and Harris were shot dead. Holland said it was unclear how Ingram obtained the gun.
Police released Ingram on bail after the 37-year-old allegedly attacked Sophie Quinn in November. Three days later, a temporary domestic violence arrest warrant was issued to protect the 24-year-old from Ingram.
Holland said Ingram complied with the order and complied with bail conditions, which require him to report daily to the Cargelligo Lake police station. Holland said Ingram reported him to police at 8:12 a.m. Thursday. Ingram’s bail conditions did not require him to be electronically monitored.
Holland said Lake Cargelligo residents were free to leave their homes but urged them to exercise “extreme caution” and not approach Ingram.
“We still believe he is armed and there is a possibility they may encounter him,” Holland said.
“This [alleged] “We cannot say what the criminal will do in the future, what he will do next.”
Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, is described by police as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, approximately 165 to 170cm tall, of medium build, with short black hair and brown eyes.
“There’s a possibility he changed vehicles,” Holland said.
“We want to know the location of the original vehicle – the municipal vehicle – and whether it was also dumped somewhere, hidden in a shed somewhere,” Holland said.
Cathy Quinn, Sophie’s mother, told this imprint: She said her daughter was kind, loving and caring and “not a bad bone in her.” Cathy said he loved fishing, hog hunting and his dogs.
“[She was] she’s just a fun girl to be around,” Quinn said Friday at her parents’ home.
The 24-year-old said her “black swan” will be giving birth to a boy in March. The child was to be named after Quinn’s father, Troy, who died when he was two years old.
The streets where clashes took place were reopened on Saturday morning. Three bunches of flowers were left on the roadside where Sophie Quinn and Harris were killed.
Support is available from: National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Domestic Violence Counseling Service From (1800RESPECT) 1800 737 732.
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