An aboriginal fugitive who went on the run after shooting dead four people in Lake Cargelligo has been found dead beside his abandoned council ute.
Julian Ingram, 37, also known as Julian Pierpoint and nicknamed “Hoolio”, shot dead his heavily pregnant ex Sophie Isabelle Quinn, 24, her new boyfriend John Harris, 32, and her aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, in the NSW town on January 22. Another man, Kaleb Macqueen, 19, was also allegedly shot but survived.
NSW Police said on Monday a body had been discovered at Roundhill Nature Reserve in Mount Hope, NSW, about 50km from Lake Cargelligo, and while identification was yet to be formally confirmed it was believed to belong to Ingram.
Andrew Holland, Western Region Commander, said on Monday evening the vehicle was confirmed to be Ingram’s Lachlan Shire Council work ute, the body was in an advanced state of decomposition and “appeared to have been there for some time”, and a firearm was found next to the body.
He said that although the body was not formally identified, clothing worn by the deceased and identification found in the vehicle indicated it was Ingram.
Police are also yet to determine whether the firearm located next to the body was the murder weapon.
A $250,000 reward was offered for information leading to Ingram’s arrest in March, after a massive manhunt in the Lake Cargelligo area, which at one point focused on Mount Hope following a reported sighting.
Police sparked controversy during the investigation by describing Ingram as being of aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, with some members of the local indigenous community saying he was White.
Rumours that Ingram was a “fake aboriginal” led Mr Holland to confirm Ingram had always identified himself to police as aboriginal, and that his heritage had been confirmed by the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
Some locals said the hundreds of heavily armed police sent to find Ingram, who fled in his Lachlan Shire Council ute, would struggle to locate in him in 40C heat as he was an experienced bushman capable of surviving long periods in the harsh terrain, which he was familiar with due to his work as a brush cutter.
A man describing himself as Ingram’s “good friend” defended him on Facebook after the shootings, writing “I’m sure Hoolio has his reasons”, and describing him as loyal, a hard worker, and good father.
Header image: Left, Julian Ingram. Right, his council ute (NSW Police).
The post Aboriginal quadruple killer found dead next to abandoned ute in remote town first appeared on The Noticer.
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