Arrests and charges in Sydney grandfather’s mistaken-identity kidnapping and murder case
Consensus Summary
Police have arrested Deklin James Donnelly, 23, as the alleged ringleader in the kidnapping and murder of Chris Baghsarian, an 85-year-old Sydney grandfather mistakenly targeted in a botched abduction plot. Donnelly was charged with murder, kidnapping, and multiple firearms and drug offenses after police found an sawn-off shotgun and prohibited drugs at his Seven Hills home. Baghsarian was abducted from North Ryde on February 13 and his body was discovered near Pitt Town 11 days later. Investigators believe up to nine people were involved, with Donnelly allegedly recruiting others like Daniel Stevens and Gerard Andrews, who were charged separately. The kidnapping was a case of mistaken identity, targeting a relative of Dimitri Stepanyan instead. Donnelly’s girlfriend, Jenessa Thurston, was arrested for an unrelated violence order breach and sentenced to 10 months in prison. Police allege Donnelly was captured on CCTV during the abduction and later near a Dural location where Baghsarian was allegedly tortured. The case remains under investigation, with Donnelly due to return to court in May without bail.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Deklin James Donnelly, 23, was arrested on March 6 at a Seven Hills home and charged with murder and kidnapping of Chris Baghsarian, an 85-year-old grandfather abducted from North Ryde on February 13
- Baghsarian’s body was found near a golf course in Pitt Town, Sydney’s northwest, on February 24 (11 days after abduction)
- Donnelly was found wearing only his underwear during the arrest, with an sawn-off shotgun allegedly hidden under his bed
- Police allege Donnelly was a ringleader in the kidnapping plot, recruiting others including Daniel Stevens (24) and Gerard Andrews (29), who were charged separately on March 5
- Jenessa Thurston, 23, Donnelly’s girlfriend, was arrested alongside him for an apprehended violence order breach and sentenced to 10 months imprisonment (non-parole period of 6 months)
- Donnelly was denied bail and will next appear in Blacktown Local Court on May 22
- Police seized illegal firearms, ammunition, and prohibited drugs (heroin, methylamphetamine, cocaine, cannabis) at Donnelly’s Seven Hills property
- Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Marks confirmed Donnelly was captured on CCTV at Baghsarian’s home during the abduction and later near an abandoned Dural home where Baghsarian was allegedly tortured
- Police believe up to nine people were involved in the kidnapping and murder, with investigations ongoing into possible offshore involvement
- The kidnapping was a case of mistaken identity, targeting Dimitri Stepanyan’s father (a relative of Sydney businessman Dimitri Stepanyan) instead of Baghsarian
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Donnelly allegedly murdered Baghsarian between February 13 morning and 9pm on February 14, with the body disposed of shortly after captors realized the wrong man was taken
- Donnelly’s charges include ‘take/detain in company with intent to ransom occasion actual bodily harm’ and three counts of supply prohibited drug
- Gerard Andrews and Daniel Stevens were charged last month (not ‘the following day’ as per ABC) with murder and kidnapping
- Thurston was sentenced for a 2025 matter involving assaulting a police officer during duty execution
- Donnelly allegedly updated his Facebook profile picture on February 16 (two days after body was dumped and while police were searching for Baghsarian)
- Neighbors described Donnelly and Thurston as ‘very quiet’ and rarely seen before their arrests
- Detective Marks stated Donnelly was ‘contracted to kidnap’ Stepanyan’s father but ‘mistakenly abducted Baghsarian’
- Police allege Donnelly was captured on CCTV at Baghsarian’s home and later near an abandoned Dural home where torture occurred
- Baghsarian’s family is described as having ‘no links to organised crime’ and is ‘distraught’ over his death
- No mention of Donnelly’s Facebook profile picture update or neighbor descriptions
- Superintendent Marks’ quote about Donnelly ‘conveying Baghsarian to the stronghold in Dural’ is attributed to ABC but not verbatim in other sources
- No explicit mention of the ‘botched kidnapping’ term used by SMH, instead focusing on ‘mistaken identity’
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- NEWSCOMAU states Donnelly allegedly murdered Baghsarian between February 13 morning and 9pm on February 14, while SMH does not specify a timeframe for the murder
- ABC omits the detail that Donnelly updated his Facebook profile picture on February 16, which SMH explicitly reports
- NEWSCOMAU says Thurston was sentenced for a 2025 matter involving assaulting a police officer, while SMH states she was serving a community corrections order for the assault and an earlier AVO breach
- SMH claims Donnelly was ‘contracted to kidnap’ Stepanyan’s father, while NEWSCOMAU does not use the word ‘contracted’ and instead describes him as an alleged ringleader
- NEWSCOMAU states Stevens and Andrews were charged last month, while ABC says they were charged the following day after Donnelly’s arrest
Source Articles
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