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Triple murderer Julian Ingram’s body was so decomposed when it was discovered by police that investigators suspect the 37-year-old had been alive no more than a few days after his killing rampage in the NSW Central West.
Ingram fled Lake Cargelligo after shooting dead his heavily pregnant former partner Sophie Quinn, 25, her friend John Harris, 32, her aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, and seriously injuring 20-year-old Kaleb Macqueen, who was 19 at the time of the attack on January 22.
The murders triggered one of the largest manhunts in the state’s history. That came to a close on Monday when police found Ingram’s body next to his abandoned Lachlan Shire Council ute in Round Hill Nature Reserve, about 100 kilometres north-west of Lake Cargelligo. He is believed to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Two firearms – a rifle and a shotgun – were found with the body. Ingram’s licence was found in the ute, and the body was dressed in clothes matching those Ingram was wearing on January 22.
Western Region Commander Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said preliminary investigations suggested Ingram went “directly” to the Round Hill Nature Reserve after fleeing Lake Cargelligo and died either on the same day of the murders or “sometime very shortly after that”.
“We are looking at how much the body has deteriorated over time,” Holland said, which suggested there was no evidence Ingram received assistance after skipping town. “The injuries appear self-inflicted.”
Detectives had been investigating whether Ingram had help while on the run.
Ingram’s body was found between the two main search areas of the manhunt, which involved over 100 police canvassing 60,000 acres around Lake Cargelligo and the remote township of Mount Hope.
The crime scene established at the Round Hill Nature Reserve closed on Tuesday afternoon, as Ingram’s body is prepared for its post-mortem. Formal identification is expected early next week.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the manhunt, including the length of time for his body to be discovered, would continue to be probed.
“We are talking about hundreds of kilometres of land out there, really vast properties that have sheds that we’ve had to search,” Lanyon said.
“Yesterday’s outcome we hope does bring some closure for the families of the victims … When I was out at Lake Cargelligo, there was fear in the community of what Mr Ingram may do, so we hope that there is some calm and reassurance given to the community.”
Cathy Quinn, Sophie Quinn’s mother, told this masthead on Monday that Ingram was “gutless”, and that her family were “still grieving, but justice will be served”.
Interactions between police and Ingram in the months before the shooting are the subject of an ongoing critical incident investigation examining Ingram and Sophie Quinn’s ongoing relationship in the lead-up to the killings, Ingram’s access to firearms, and how the 37-year-old, who never held a gun licence in NSW, accessed the weapon used in the shootings.
Local police granted Ingram bail on domestic violence charges last November after he allegedly assaulted Sophie Quinn around the time the pair separated.
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