Man charged with murder of Chris Baghsarian in Sydney likely ‘no mastermind’, lawyer says

Two men charged with the kidnapping and murder of 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian have not applied for bail with a lawyer acting for one of the men stating it appeared his client was “no mastermind”.

Daniel Stevens, 24 and Gerard Andrews, 29, were charged on Wednesday evening with murder and taking or detaining in company with intent to ransom, occasioning actual bodily harm, police said in a statement.

They appeared in Blacktown local court via video link on Thursday morning. Neither man applied for bail, and both cases were adjourned until 17 April.

Andrews’ lawyer, Paul McGirr, told reporters outside court his client had not orchestrated the kidnapping and murder of the grandfather and widower.

“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,” McGirr told reporters.

“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 it’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.”

The men, who were previously known to police for “insignificant matters”, were arrested on Wednesday at addresses in Kenthurst and Castle Hill, respectively, where police said they had been living at their family homes.

A further search warrant was executed at a property in Lake Macquarie, where it was believed one of the alleged kidnappers had travelled after the alleged offence.

Police said on Wednesday that “our work is not done” as the search continued to find “other people involved” in the alleged kidnapping and murder of Baghsarian.

Fronting the media on Wednesday afternoon, Det Acting Supt Andrew Marks said he believed the men had been part of a “joint criminal enterprise” with others to kidnap Baghsarian and reiterated the 85-year-old was taken in a case of mistaken identity.

“I suspect the intended target was going to be kidnapped, where a ransom was going to be asked for,” he said, confirming media reports that the figure to be requested was $50m. “We know that there are others involved.”

Stevens’ lawyer, Javid Faiz, requested that his client receive medication and medical attention for an ongoing case of shingles he had been infected with, which he said was continuing to cause him discomfort.

“Since he’s been in custody, it’s been affecting him,” Faiz told the court on Thursday morning. “He should have taken [the medication].”

Stevens told the court he wasn’t contagious any more – he just “hadn’t showered” in 24 hours.

“It’s just an antiviral,” he said via video link of the medication. “I don’t know the exact name, but it’s a generic version.”

Speaking to the media outside the court on Thursday morning, Faiz said Baghsarian’s death was a “tragic incident”, but he wouldn’t make further comment while it was before the court.

“I have spoken to [Stevens],” he said. “He understands the seriousness of the matter and is taking the matter seriously.”

The arrests of the duo came 12 days after Baghsarian disappeared from his North Ryde home, and a day after police found the man’s body near a golf club in Pitt Town, about 45km north-west of the Sydney CBD.