Lamarre-Condon in the witness box
Warning: Graphic content
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of former NSW police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon’s double murder trial in the Supreme Court in Sydney.
Today marks the beginning of the defence case after more than six weeks of evidence from the Crown.
The accused killer and former NSW police officer will give evidence about what he says happened on the day Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies died of gunshot wounds from his police-issued Glock pistol.
Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder over the deaths of Baird, 26, a former TV presenter, and Davies, 29, a Qantas flight attendant, in Paddington on February 19, 2024. His case is that he acted in self-defence, the 15-person jury has been told.
He has also pleaded not guilty to an aggravated charge of breaking into Baird’s home six months earlier on August 17, 2023, and stealing his mobile phone and wallet.
The Crown alleges Lamarre-Condon developed an obsessive and jealous infatuation with Baird that escalated when Baird ended their casual romantic relationship in November 2023.
The prosecution case is that he planned to kill Baird and took a number of preparatory steps, including practising shooting his police weapon in a national park to experiment with the sound of gunshots and buying a surfboard bag to dispose of his body. The Crown alleges the accused killed Davies spontaneously to eliminate a witness to the crime.
The defence case is that Lamarre-Condon went to Baird’s home disguised as an Uber Eats delivery rider to collect some of his belongings and that his gun went off twice during a struggle with Baird, wounding him fatally, and that Davies shot himself during a second struggle.
There is no dispute that Lamarre-Condon cleaned Baird’s share house while his housemates were out and disposed of the men’s bodies.
Baird had been due to move out of the home that week, the court has heard. The Crown alleges he sent messages from Baird’s phone to the housemates’ group chat to give the impression he was still alive and in the process of packing.
As to the charge of aggravated break and enter, the defence says Lamarre-Condon used a key Baird had given him to enter his home at night.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, said in his opening address to the jury in September that Lamarre-Condon had “indicated that he pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of Jesse Baird”.
“He’s entitled to enter a plea in those terms, but it’s not accepted by the Crown,” Hatfield said.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
Alleged killer says he could have obtained a gun easily
Lamarre-Condon tells the court that “you cannot attach a silencer to a police Glock pistol”, following evidence from one of his friends that he tried to obtain a silencer before the alleged murders.
He says he could also obtain a gun other than his police-issued weapon “so easily” because he worked with “youth gangs” as a police officer working in programs to engage young people.
“I could easily go to any of these kids that actually look up to me [to get a weapon],” he says.
It would be equally easy to use a 3D printer to manufacture a silencer, he says.
Accused admits putting water in Baird’s fuel tank
Lamarre-Condon says that on November 18, 2023, he saw “scratch marks on the rims of my Tesla” and while he “did not see him do this” he suspected it might have been Baird.
“I know tit-for-tat isn’t right, but I … poured water in the petrol tank [of Baird’s ute],” he says.
The court has heard Baird’s ute broke down on a trip to Victoria over the summer.
The flowers Instagram post
Lamarre-Condon has told the court that he eventually admitted to Jesse Baird in November 2023 that he posted an image of flowers on Instagram to “insinuate” that they were from Baird.
He says he initially “denied, denied, denied” but “ten hours after denying it I came clean” in a voice note and told him about the post and said he had also blocked a man Baird had been dating on Baird’s phone.
“I felt bad that I originally lied to Jesse,” he says. “I decided I wanted to go there with flowers and also a card.” Text messages of Lamarre-Condon’s denials have been tendered in court.
He says that when he got to Paddington, where Baird lived, he saw him with another man and they were “holding hands, and they were walking up the road”. He says he left and gave the flowers to his mother.
The court has heard Baird messaged Lamarre-Condon and ceased all contact after the Instagram post.
Accused gives tearful evidence about mental health
Lamarre-Condon gives tearful evidence that he had thoughts of taking his own life in October 2023 because of work-related trauma.
“This had nothing to do with anything in my personal life,” he says. “Jesse and I were doing great.
“We were definitely back to seeing each other in October.”
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‘I put the bobby pin in the door’
Lamarre-Condon is being asked about the night of August 17, 2023, when the Crown alleges he broke into Baird’s home and stole his phone and wallet.
The accused has pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated break and enter in relation to this alleged incident.
He says Baird had invited him to come over that night.
“He said he would leave the key out in the letterbox if I chose to come over,” he says. Lamarre-Condon says he came over “after 10pm at some point”.
‘Detective Beau’s on the case’
Lamarre-Condon is being asked about CCTV footage the court has heard was found on his iCloud account after his arrest.
It is taken from the Royal Hotel in Paddington on May 19, 2023, and shows Baird was on a date with another man. The accused says he came across the footage during his policing duties, following an alleged assault, and it was coincidental that he spotted Baird at the hotel.
“I actually sent this to Jesse,” he says. He says he said something like: “Detective Beau’s on the case. Spotted you.”
This snippet was “filmed by me on my phone”, he says, and the actual footage requested by him in his official duties did not depict Baird.
“I didn’t save that footage to my phone or my computer,” Lamarre-Condon says. He says it “got onto my phone through WhatsApp” automatically saving it.
Accused killer denies taking photo of Baird through bedroom window
Lamarre-Condon is asked about evidence given by one of his former friends that he sent her a photo of Baird having sex with another man, taken from outside his bedroom window.
He says that during his April 17 “break-up” conversation with Baird he asked to come and collect some things.
He says he “approached the front door” and “Jesse’s bedroom light was on, and he has sheer curtains so you can completely see through”.
“I thought I would just knock on his window … to get his attention. I saw Jesse having sex with a male,” he says. “I kind of froze in a bit of a shock. I did not stay and watch like a little creep.”
He says he didn’t take a photo and “I actually laughed about it with friends”.
“We were no longer together, there was no reason to be mad about it,” he says.
‘It was very, very civil’
Lamarre-Condon says he met with Baird and the TV presenter told him he was not ready for a relationship “with anyone”, and not just him.
He said Baird wanted them to be able to see each other again, albeit not exclusively, and told him: “‘Please let me know when you’re ready to hang out again.’
“It was very amicable. Jesse was very emotional. He was crying. It was very, very civil.”
The accused’s message to Baird
The court hears Lamarre-Condon sent Baird a long message in the morning on April 17, 2023, saying he felt “feel hurt and sick all over again and I’m over feeling like this”.
He asked when Baird might be free in the afternoon to talk and said he wanted to have an “open and honest conversation”.
Lamarre-Condon told a friend: “Ending it with him this arvo.” He agrees in court that this was a reference to Baird.
The key in the letterbox
Lamarre-Condon says that “Jesse and I would spend a lot of time together at his place” and Baird would leave a key out in his letterbox so that he could let himself in.
He says Baird did this because Lamarre-Condon finished work earlier than the TV presenter.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
