Just days after NSW Police confirmed the heartbreaking news that mistakenly kidnapped grandfather Chris Baghsarian had died, two men have been arrested and charged with his murder.
Last night, Daniel Stevens and Gerard Andrews were charged with kidnapping and murdering the 85-year-old grandfather, who was snatched from his North Ryde home early on the morning of February 13.
Speaking on behalf of Andrews, his lawyer Paul McGirr said he was not a “mastermind” in the allegeded kidnapping plot.
“Certainly, from what I can gather, my client was no mastermind in respect to his involvement in this particular matter, but we’ll wait for a brief and we’ll take it from there,” he said after Stevens and Andrews appeared in Blacktown local court on February 26.
“Of course, it’s not lost on me the sensitive nature of this particular matter for the victim’s family, but… I have a job to do, and that’s very hard in this particular moment in time for me to do that job having read the fact sheet.”
“The investigation is still ongoing and in that particular respect, I will wait for a brief of evidence which we should get within eight weeks and I’ll go from there.”
Stevens, 24, and Andrews, 29, both did not apply for bail and their cases have been adjourned until April 17.
GENTLE, CHEERFUL AND KIND
As police continue searching for other people involved in Chris’ alleged kidnapping and murder, his heartbroken family and friends are remembering the “gentle, cheerful and kind” grandfather.
“It hurts inside, as if a dagger hits your heart… he was such a peaceful man,” Chris’ childhood friend Michael Aprahamian told 10 News+.
“We’re going to miss him a lot. He’ll have a big funeral, the whole community.”
While the family have requested privacy, they said they were living a nightmare in a statement released by NSW Police last week.
“Chris is a devoted father, brother, uncle and grandfather,” the statement read.
“He is deeply loved, gentle and the kindest person we know – someone who would never hurt a fly.”
“It feels surreal, and we are struggling to make sense of the fact that he has been taken and that our family has been caught up in something that has nothing to do with us.”
