Accused triple murderer bailed on domestic violence charges weeks before death of ‘gentle’ mother-to-be

Warning: This story contains the names and images of Indigenous people who have died.

Lake Cargelligo: Police granted a man facing domestic violence charges bail weeks before he allegedly murdered three people, including his heavily pregnant former partner, who was due to give birth to a son named after her father in less than two months.

A large-scale manhunt is under way for Julian Ingram, who allegedly shot and killed Sophie Quinn, 24, and her friend, John Harris, 32, while they were driving a car at Lake Cargelligo in the NSW Central West on Thursday afternoon.

He is then alleged to have travelled to a home in the town, where he shot Quinn’s aunt, Nerida Quinn, 50, and seriously injured 19-year-old Kaleb Macqueen, who was shot standing in the driveway. Macqueen was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

A warrant was issued for Ingram’s arrest on Friday.

This masthead can reveal police granted Ingram bail on November 30 after he allegedly assaulted Quinn around the time the pair had separated.

Ingram was charged with stalking or intimidating intending to cause fear or physical harm and common assault. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was due to face Lake Cargelligo Local Court on February 3.

Under his bail conditions, Ingram was required to report to local police daily. Quinn’s family was not critical of the police effort to protect the 24-year-old.

On December 3, police took out an interim Apprehended Domestic Violence Order against Ingram on behalf of Quinn. Under the interim order, Ingram was prohibited from approaching or contacting Quinn or going within 100 metres of her home or workplace. The order was due to be reviewed in court on February 3.

Ingram, a Lachlan Shire Council gardener, was also charged with driving a vehicle in a manner that menaces others, negligent driving and destroying or damaging less than $2000 worth of property.

Quinn’s mother, Cathy Quinn, told this masthead that her daughter was gentle, loving and caring and that she had “not a mean bone in her”. She loved fishing, pig hunting and her dogs, Cathy said.

“[She was] just a fun girl to be around,” she said at the Quinn family’s home on Friday.

She said the 24-year-old – her “black swan” – was due to give birth to a son in March. The child was to be named after Quinn’s father Troy, who died when she was two years old.

This masthead has published Sophie and Nerida Quinn’s names and photographs with the family’s permission.

Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, is described by police as being Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, about 165cm to 170cm tall, of a medium build with short dark hair and brown eyes.

He was last seen leaving town shortly after the shooting in a Ford Ranger utility with NSW registration DM-07-GZ and Lachlan Shire Council signage, a metal tray back, high visibility markings on the side and an emergency light bar on the roof.

The public has been told not to approach him but to call Triple Zero if he is spotted as he may be armed and dangerous.

Harris’ cousin, Josie King, told this masthead the shooting was “devastating” for the town.

“It’s such a small community, and everyone knows everyone,” she said.

“I still can’t believe it.”

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andy Holland on Friday said Ingram had been granted bail on the domestic violence charges because of a lack of recent violent offending when he had been arrested in November. Ingram had complied with the apprehended domestic violence order since it was put in place, Holland said.

“A risk assessment would have been done at the time. At that time, he had not committed a violent offence in the last five years and [was] therefore deemed fit,” Holland said.

“Where we can, we obviously grant people [bail]. We don’t want to keep them in custody, and obviously with strict bail conditions and an AVO in place, it was deemed suitable.”

Ingram does not have a firearms licence in the state. How he obtained the firearm used in the shootings would form part of the investigation into the incident, Holland said.

Several evidence markers were laid out on Bokhara Street, beside spent shotgun shells on Friday morning.

On Friday morning, fragments of glass could be seen on the street near Quinn’s black Suzuki hatchback, with bullet holes in its windscreen. Forensic investigators examined Quinn and Harris’ bodies, which were removed from Bokhara Street just before midday Friday. Police removed crime scene tape from the street on Friday afternoon.

Police have also set up a website appealing for footage of the area to be submitted as they search for Ingram.

“Any death in a small country town is confronting, but a scene where you have people shot by firearms is obviously going to make people very, very tense and very concerned,” Holland said earlier.

Police resources from neighbouring districts were dispatched to the town on Thursday night, while Defence Force helicopters flew in heavily armed tactical police, negotiators and homicide investigators overnight.

More than 100 police are in the area supporting the search on Friday, and police were working with local Indigenous communities Ingram was known to have visited.

Residents at Murrin Bridge, an Indigenous community about 15 kilometres north of Lake Cargelligo, said Ingram had friends in the community, where he was considered well-liked.

Police searched an area on the outskirts of the community before reopening the only road in or out of the small township on Friday afternoon. Holland said police were liaising with members of the local Indigenous community to track Ingram down.

Holland urged Lake Cargelligo residents to stay indoors and away from windows and to report any suspicious behaviour, including suspicious movement in their backyards or suspicious vehicles, to police.

Locals said Ingram was an experienced bushman who knew the area well and would be capable of surviving for a long period of time in the bush with limited resources.

“He’d have a good idea of the local area. It would be feasible that he could obviously maintain an extended period in the local area without being detected,” Holland said.

The temperature in Lake Cargelligo was forecast to reach 35 degrees on Friday before climbing to at least 45 degrees for five consecutive days from Sunday.

Independent MP and the member for Barwon, Roy Butler, said the situation was “horrific” for the “small and close” community.

“The tragic circumstances will affect everyone in town and across NSW and Australia. We don’t have much detail, but it seems in devastating news, three people are dead, one, sadly a pregnant woman,” Butler said.

“I am in close contact with police and other members of the community.”

Lake Cargelligo is a small town west of Forbes and north of Griffith. The town has a population of about 1400, according to the 2021 census.

“You don’t think of something like this happening out in a community like this,” Lachlan Shire Council Mayor John Medcalf said.

“This community, they didn’t deserve what has happened. I’d certainly put my condolences out to their families, their friends and also condolences to the whole community.”

Medcalf said some council vehicles were fitted with GPS tracking devices, but not the ute Ingram was driving, which he believed was a 2024 model Ford Ranger.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the shooting was a “terrible crime”.

Federal member for Parkes, Nationals MP Jamie Chaffey, said he was focused on getting those affected the support they needed.

“We’ll deal with this horrible event, as a community, and get the care that more people are going to need following this incident,” he said.

Chaffey voted against more stringent gun laws after the Bondi terror attack, saying guns are “an essential part of business” for farmers and those in regional areas; however, he said it was too early to comment on legislation after Thursday’s shooting.

“After the police investigation, we will know a lot more about how this incident happened. It’s a truly, truly tragic event that’s happened overnight and still ongoing.”

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Central West Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service (1800RESPECT) on 1800 737 732.

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