A man who allegedly shot dead his heavily pregnant ex-girlfriend and her new partner was ‘tripped’ by the news he might not be the baby’s father, a resident has claimed.
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 – who is also known as Julian Pierpoint – has been on the run since, 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 boy named Troy.
A resident in Lake Cargelligo has now claimed DNA test results showing Ingram was not the father of Ms Quinn’s baby triggered his alleged spree.
‘Sophie was his partner at one point,’ they told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.
‘The thing that really tripped him in the last week, I think, before this event, the baby that she was carrying… was confirmed not (to be) his child. That’s the final straw.’
Mum-to-be Sophie Quinn, 25, was allegedly murdered by Julian Ingram on Thursday
Julian Ingram, who is wanted on an outstanding warrant for murder, allegedly discovered he was not the father of Ms Quinn’s baby the week before the deaths
Ms Quinn’s new boyfriend John Harris was also allegedly gunned down on Thursday
Only last Friday, Mr Harris’ cousin, Derek, told the Daily Mail it was unclear who the biological father of Ms Quinn’s unborn baby was.
‘It could have been Julian’s, it could have been John’s. I suppose we’ll never know now,’ he said.
‘She told Julian a few months ago she doesn’t want to go with him no more. She was seeing John before Julian, and then got back with John.’
A close friend of Ingram has previously said that along with being a pig hunter and gardener, he was also a tree-feller who ‘knows his way around the bush’.
‘He knows who’s who, who’s friendly with who, who might put him up if he makes his way into town, what they think of this or that,’ the long-term resident told the Telegraph.
‘A lot of information he gathered would, you might say, set him up for the position he’s in now. It’s become very important to him.
‘He doesn’t need a GPS or anything to find his way from A to B.’
The resident claimed some locals are worried Ingram may return to the area to come after anyone he feels has slighted him.
Mr Harris’ cousin, Derek, has previously told the Daily Mail it was unclear who the biological father of Ms Quinn’s unborn baby was
Pictured is the house where Ms Quinn and Mr Harris were shot dead as they sat in a car
‘They’ll be thinking “I did wrong by him, will I be next?”, they said.
‘He’s too proud to give himself up and too proud to commit suicide.’
NSW Police have said the town is not in lockdown and that locals are free to move about.
However, the streets have been quiet aside from the police presence – which has also been the case for Mount Hope, an hour’s drive from Lake Cargelligo, as officers search the surrounding rural area.
Owners of Mount Hope’s Royal Hotel, Chris and Leanne Frankel, have claimed they cannot sleep there due to fears that Ingram is still in the region.
Chris told The Daily Telegraph he had been given a stark warning by police: ‘If you don’t need to be here, you shouldn’t.’
The couple have been living on a rural property since and are hopeful the manhunt will soon come to an end.
Ingram, who remains on the run, is described as between 165cm and 170cm tall, with a medium build, short dark hair and brown eyes.
Police have released a new photo of the Ford Ranger utility that Ingram was last seen driving
The couple who run Royal Hotel in Mount Hope, where a search of the rural area is ongoing, said they cannot sleep at the venue due to fear while the manhunt is ongoing
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 he 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.
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.’
