Daniel Stevens and Gerard Andrews Charged in Coconut Cartel Murder of 85-year-old

Daniel Stevens and Gerard Andrews are charged with kidnapping and murdering 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian after he was taken from his North Ryde home, authorities allege. The case has been framed by investigators as gang-related and a case of mistaken identity linked to a group identified as the "Coconut Cartel."

Baghsarian, 85, was abducted from his North Ryde residence and later found dead; his remains were recovered near Pitt Town golf club, according to investigative findings. The discovery of human remains at that location transformed a missing-person inquiry into a homicide investigation and prompted the charging of Stevens and Andrews.

Prosecutors have laid counts of kidnapping and murder against Daniel Stevens and Gerard Andrews in connection with the abduction from the North Ryde property and the later recovery of Baghsarian’s remains near Pitt Town golf club. The charges allege the killing was not aimed at Baghsarian personally but arose from a mistaken identity tied to the Coconut Cartel’s activities.

The Coconut Cartel name appears centrally in the investigation as the overarching gang context for the attack, with law enforcement treating the incident as related to cartel disputes rather than a private dispute. Investigators say that mistaken identity within that cartel’s conflict led to the targeting of Baghsarian, who was 85 at the time of the abduction.

The movement of Baghsarian’s remains to the area near Pitt Town golf club is a key element of the case file that prosecutors will rely on in court proceedings. The connection between the North Ryde abduction and the recovery site at Pitt Town is under continued forensic and investigative examination as charges proceed against Stevens and Andrews.

The charging of Daniel Stevens and Gerard Andrews marks a major step in a case that began with the disappearance of an elderly man from his North Ryde home and ended with his remains found near Pitt Town golf club. With kidnapping and murder counts now filed and the Coconut Cartel named in the alleged motive, the investigation will move into court while detectives continue to piece together the sequence of events that led to Baghsarian’s death.