Julian Ingram and Dezi Freeman: Psychologist breaks down why killer fugitives are still eluding police

By the time New South Wales Police released images this week of a council-branded Ford Ranger believed to be driven by Julian Ingram, the hunt for the alleged triple-murderer had entered a critical — and now somewhat familiar — phase.

Almost a week after three people were fatally shot in Lake Cargelligo, in the Central West of NSW, Ingram remained at large — armed, comfortable in his remote environment and determined to avoid arrest.

Meanwhile, some 470 kilometres south, another fugitive case continues to haunt authorities and an entire rural community.

More than five months after the fatal shooting of two police officers at Porepunkah in Victoria’s Alpine region, Desmond Freeman — also known as Desmond Filby or Dezi — also remains at large.

While the circumstances of the two cases differ, criminologist Tim Watson-Munro says the psychology underpinning both men’s decisions to flee is strikingly similar: control, entitlement and a refusal to face consequences.

A familiar pattern: the Freeman case

The decision to flee places Ingram in a small but troubling group of alleged offenders — one that includes Freeman and former fugitive Malcolm John Naden, who spent seven years on the run before his arrest for murder in 2012.

Freeman is wanted over the fatal shooting of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart during the execution of a warrant at a property at Porepunkah in August last year. A third officer was seriously injured and survived.

The 56-year-old fled into surrounding bushland and has not been seen since.

Watson-Munro said while the motivations differed — Freeman’s alleged crime being linked to sovereign-citizen ideology and hostility toward police — the psychology of flight overlapped.

“They’ve both allegedly killed innocent people,” he said.

“They’re not mad. They know what they’re doing.”

Control, not chaos

Ingram is wanted on an outstanding warrant for three murders after police allege he fatally shot his former girlfriend, 25-year-old Sophie Quinn, pictured, who was seven months pregnant, and her partner John Harris, 32, in a vehicle.

The 37-year-old is also accused of fatally shooting Ms Quinn’s 50-year-old aunt Nerida.

Kaleb Macqueen was seriously injured but has since been discharged from hospital. The 19-year-old survivor is now a key witness.

Watson-Munro said the alleged violence bore the hallmarks of coercive control escalating at the point of relationship breakdown — a pattern repeatedly seen in domestic-violence homicides.

“The most dangerous time for women is when they flag they’re going to leave, or when they do leave, the relationship,” he said.

“We now have Ms Quinn deceased, her foetus killed, her new partner and her aunt killed.”

The author and academic said the violence — which police allege unfolded across multiple locations — pointed to planning rather than impulsivity.

Watson-Munro said perpetrators of domestic violence are often consumed by a desire for “revenge and control and punishment”.

“Their immediate mindset is ‘if I can’t have you, nobody will’ and here’s the punishment for the guy who has dared to have a relationship with her,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s about passion or love at all. It’s about violence and control.

“We obviously don’t know, but it may well be the case that there was a pattern of coercive control during the course of the relationship which may have led to her leaving because that’s generally the pattern.”

Bail, risk and hindsight

Court records show Ingram appeared in Lake Cargelligo Local Court on December 3 over allegations he stalked, intimidated and assaulted Ms Quinn and damaged her property, according to the Daily Mail.

Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, pleaded not guilty and was granted bail under strict conditions, including daily reporting to police and an order barring him from approaching her home or workplace.

An apprehended violence order was in place at the time of the alleged shootings.

The bail decision has since drawn scrutiny.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said a risk assessment had been conducted and Ingram had not committed a violent offence in the preceding five years, making him eligible for release under existing laws.

Why flee?

The fact police allege Ingram moved between locations, accessed a firearm and then fled, Watson-Munro said, pointed to planning rather than emotional collapse.

“He wanted to have it all,” he said.

“He appears to be capable of considerable forward planning. He’s capable of affecting the alleged crimes and affecting his escape.

“That is not the sort of organisation of somebody who’s suffering some sort of psychotic delusion.”

Watson-Munro, who has assessed and profiled some of Australia’s most violent offenders, said those who flee after allegedly committing serious crimes often share psychological traits such as narcissism and entitlement.

“Ingram’s clearly narcissistic. The only person in the world that matters is him,” he said.

“Generally, narcissists don’t tend to kill themselves unless it’s suicide by cop.”

Public attention, he said, can bolster that ego.

“They like to read about themselves,” he said.

“He’ll likely go out in a blaze of glory so it’ll be all over newspapers for other people to read about.”

Staying ahead of police

NSW Police say Ingram was last seen driving a white dual-cab Ford Ranger utility with NSW registration DM-07-GZ, possibly bearing a Lachlan Shire Council magnet in front of the driver’s door and may have the numbers 1947 above the magnet.

The ute also has an emergency orange light bar on the roof and the utility’s tray may contain work tools and a silver toolbox.

Ingram is described as being Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, about 165cm-170cm tall, of a medium build with short dark hair and brown eyes.

Authorities have warned the public not to approach him and to call Triple-0 if he or the vehicle is sighted.

Watson-Munro said evading detection remains possible — particularly in regional Australia — if fugitives minimise digital footprints and rely on environmental knowledge.

“I think he’s very cunning,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to evade detection because of technology, so I would think that he’s not using a phone.

“He lives in the bush, so he would have a pretty good knowledge of the environment he’s hiding out in, and you couldn’t rule out the possibility that he’s being assisted by others.”

Dead, hidden or gone?

Meanwhile, Victoria Police have acknowledged that more recent targeted searches have focused on locating evidence or Freeman’s body, rather than solely pursuing an active offender.

Watson-Munro said survival in alpine terrain over months would be difficult without preparation or assistance, but stressed the lack of confirmed sightings left all scenarios open.

“It’s really hard to say,” he said. “There’s been no sightings of him.

“It’s quite possible that he escaped out of the jurisdiction shortly after the alleged crimes, or it may be the case that he’s being protected by the people in his life.”

Surrender unlikely

In Lake Cargelligo, residents remain on edge as the search for Ingram continues across surrounding districts.

Watson-Munro said it was unlikely, based on profiling, that Ingram would surrender voluntarily.

“Maybe with the passage of time he’s cooled down a bit,” he said.

“But there would still be an incredible lot of adrenaline pumping through his system on the basis of what he’s allegedly done and that there’s now a massive manhunt focused on finding him.”

The 72-year-old, who has practised psychology since 1978, said prolonged stress, lack of sleep and fatigue could erode Ingram’s judgement over time — but that does not necessarily diminish a person’s capacity for violence.

“He might be a danger to the police and to anyone who might recognise him,” he said.

“There’s no chance in hell that he’ll surrender.”

Watson-Munro said Ingram would run from police for as long as he could.

“He will keep this going for as long as he can because he won’t want to go to prison,” he said.

“Psychopaths have a very high threshold for anxiety. That’s why they’re able to do what they do with impunity. It doesn’t matter to them.

“All that matters to him now, I suspect, is his freedom.”