A fugitive who allegedly shot dead his heavily pregnant ex-girlfriend and two others could be receiving help from others to remain in hiding, as the large-scale manhunt ramps up.
Julian Ingram, 37, allegedly gunned down his ex Sophie Quinn, 25, in a black Suzuki hatchback, alongside her new boyfriend John Harris, 32, in Lake Cargelligo, 600km west of Sydney on Thursday.
He then allegedly went to another residence and killed her aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, and seriously injured her 19‑year‑old neighbour, Kaleb MacQueen.
Ingram has been on the run since the alleged murders, with about 100 police officers searching for him in the surrounding areas.
Ms Quinn, who separated from Ingram last year and was in a relationship with Mr Harris at the time of her death, was due to give birth in March to a baby boy.
Ingram remains on the run on Saturday as the large-scale search involving 100 police widened.
‘We attended two premises in Euabalong last night and unfortunately, were unable to locate the offender,’ NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Holland told reporters.
‘At this point, our area is widening, and we are looking at other locations in the broader districts from information supplied to police.’
The desperate manhunt for an alleged gunman widened on Saturday. Pictured are police in Lake Cargelligo on Friday
Mum-to-be Sophie Quinn, 25, was allegedly murdered by Julian Ingram on Thursday
Police haven’t ruled out that Julian Ingram could be receiving help to remain in hiding
Police haven’t ruled out the theory that Ingram could be receiving assistance to remain on the run.
‘That’s one of the avenues of our investigation,’ Holland said.
‘As we said before, Mr Ingram has worked in the area for a long time.
‘He was known to a lot of people in the area, and he’s well known among the community.
‘It is possible he is seeking help from people he knows, and we’re making contact with known associates, trying to cut down those possibilities.
‘But I can’t confirm whether he has access to anyone else, but there is the possibility that people are assisting him to obviously avoid police apprehension.’
He added that the locals have been ‘fantastic’ in their assistance with ongoing police investigations.
‘We’ve got multiple lines of inquiry coming through,’ Holland said.
‘There is the possibility that the people are assisting him to obviously avoid police apprehension,’ Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said
Police specialists will ramp up the manhunt on Saturday
He reiterated that Lake Cargelligo is not in lockdown and that locals are free to move about the town.
‘They just need to use extreme caution with the knowledge in the back of their minds that this offender is still on the loose, Holland said.
‘He is still armed we believe, and that there is a possibility they could come across him.’
Ingram is described as between 165cm and 170cm tall, with a medium build, short dark hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen driving a Ford Ranger utility with NSW registration DM-07-GZ, which has council signage, a metal tray back, high-visibility side markings and an emergency light bar on the roof.
Police haven’t ruled out the possibility that Ingram may have since switched vehicles.
Anyone who sees Ingram is urged not to approach him and to contact Triple Zero immediately.
It comes after it was revealed that Ingram appeared at Lake Cargelligo Local Court on December 3 over allegations he stalked, intimidated and assaulted Ms Quinn and damaged her property.
About 100 police officers are involved in the manhunt for Julian Ingram
Court records, obtained by the Daily Mail, show he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on the condition that he report to Lake Cargelligo Police Station every day and not go within 100m of her home or workplace.
Records also show Ingram was a known domestic violence offender at the time, having pleaded guilty in 2021 to assaulting another woman in Griffith.
When a reporter asked Holland during a press conference on Friday why Ingram was granted bail, he replied: ‘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, therefore, deemed fit.
‘Where we can, we obviously grant people bail. We don’t want to keep them in custody. With strict bail conditions and AVO in place, it’s deemed suitable.’
