Teenager charged with murder, kidnap
A teenager was accused of kidnapping and murdering Chris Baghsarian; More than two months after the 85-year-old widower was abducted from his North Ryde home and tortured and killed in a suspected case of identity fraud.
Detectives from Strike Force Chabot’s robbery and serious crime squad arrested a 19-year-old at Mount Druitt Police Station on Tuesday morning. He was later charged with murder, detained a person in the company with the intention of obtaining ransom and inflicting actual bodily harm.
The man is the fourth person accused of kidnapping and killing Baghsarian, who was allegedly snatched from his bed just after 5 a.m. on Feb. 13. Footage of Baghsarian’s torture at an abandoned Dural property leaked into Sydney’s underworld and police issued a public appeal for the grandfather’s safe return.
Baghsarian’s body was found on the outskirts of Pitt Town golf club in Sydney’s north-western tip on February 24. Detectives believe Baghsarian’s body was dumped on the golf course on February 14, one day after the kidnapping.
He was refused bail on Tuesday and will appear at Mount Druitt Local Court on Wednesday.
His arrest comes a month after police charged 23-year-old Deklin James Donnelly, who they allege was the ringleader behind the botched kidnapping and murder. Detectives will allege he conspired with Donnelly to kidnap the father of 37-year-old armed robber Dmitry Stepanyan, who lived three doors down from Baghsarian but accidentally kidnapped the 85-year-old.
A $50 million ransom was demanded from the Stepanyan family, and the Stepanyan family told the kidnappers that they had kidnapped the wrong man. Stepanyan, who has ties to the Alameddine crime family, is not accused of any involvement in Baghsarian’s death.
Donnelly is alleged to have recruited several people, including Daniel Stevens, 24, and Gerard Andrews, 29, to help with the kidnapping plot.
Stevens and Andrews were charged with kidnapping and murdering Baghsarian, a day after police found Baghsarian’s remains, as heavily armed police officers stormed the couple’s parents’ homes in Kenthurst and Castle Hill.
Donnelly is accused of kidnapping and murdering Baghsarian, as well as unauthorized possession of a firearm and ammunition and drug supply.
Detectives believe nine people were involved in Baghsarian’s kidnapping and murder and continue to investigate whether the kidnapping plot was ordered offshore. At least one key player in the plot He is thought to have left the country In the days after Baghsarian’s death.
In a statement in February, Baghsarian’s family described him as a beloved and devoted father, brother, uncle and grandfather, the kindest person they knew and someone who would never hurt a fly.
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Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously ran The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s national news live blog.Connect via email.
