Trial of Beau Lamarre-Condon for alleged double murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies

Consensus Summary

Beau Lamarre-Condon, a 31-year-old former NSW police officer, is on trial for the alleged double murder of Jesse Baird (26), a former TV presenter, and Luke Davies (29), a Qantas flight attendant, on 19 February 2024. Prosecutors claim Lamarre-Condon shot both men with his police-issued Glock pistol in Baird’s Paddington home before attempting to dispose of their bodies in rural Bungonia, south-west of Sydney. The bodies were found eight days later, on 27 February, in surfboard bags near a monastery. Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty, arguing the deaths occurred during struggles in which he acted in self-defence, though the Crown alleges premeditated murder driven by an obsessive infatuation with Baird, whom Lamarre-Condon had stalked and broken into Baird’s home to steal his phone in August 2023.

The trial has revealed a pattern of concerning behaviour leading up to the alleged murders. Text messages read in court show Lamarre-Condon repeatedly pursued Baird for a relationship, despite Baird’s clear disinterest, including a text exchange in August 2023 where Baird’s reply was dismissive. The Crown argues Lamarre-Condon’s jealousy escalated after Baird ended their relationship permanently in November 2023, culminating in the shootings. Defence witnesses, however, portray Lamarre-Condon as erratic but not necessarily premeditative, with a former friend describing his obsession with celebrities and his erratic behaviour in the days after the killings. CCTV footage has become a key piece of evidence, showing Lamarre-Condon purchasing cleaning supplies, concrete, and surfboard bags—items later linked to the disposal attempt—while also visiting hospitals for surgery and dining with friends as if nothing were amiss.

Key figures in the case include Lamarre-Condon’s friend and fellow police officer, Dayna Schagen, who testified about his erratic behaviour, including a March 2024 phone call where he claimed ‘not everything in the news is true.’ Schagen also revealed Lamarre-Condon had asked her about police protocols for false gunshot reports just days before the murders. Another witness, Elizabeth Kennedy, described Lamarre-Condon’s bizarre actions in the days after the killings, including a two-hour drive to Bungonia where he allegedly attempted to sink the bodies in a dam using cement and weights. Kennedy denied knowing about the bodies but admitted the van smelled of cleaning products and that Lamarre-Condon played Taylor Swift’s *No Body, No Crime* during the trip, a detail the defence suggested was deliberate. Ballistics evidence, including a bullet hole in Baird’s bedroom door, has been presented to support the prosecution’s claim that Davies was shot while trying to call emergency services.

While the core facts—such as the dates of the murders, Lamarre-Condon’s surgery, and the disposal attempt—are consistent across sources, discrepancies emerge in witness accounts and the defence’s framing. The Guardian and ABC highlight Lamarre-Condon’s purchases of disposal items and his movements via CCTV, but the ABC’s Kennedy disputes the defence’s version of events, such as whether Lamarre-Condon showed her Baird’s body or discussed hiding evidence. The Crown’s case hinges on Lamarre-Condon’s alleged premeditation and obsession, while the defence argues the killings were accidental during a self-defence struggle. The trial has also exposed Lamarre-Condon’s history of stalking and deception, including using photos to falsely claim friendships with celebrities and accessing Baird’s phone without consent, further complicating his credibility.

As the trial enters its fifth week, the jury has heard extensive evidence, including CCTV compilations spanning five hours and testimony from Lamarre-Condon’s friends and medical professionals. The defence continues to argue panic and self-defence, while prosecutors paint a picture of a calculated cover-up. The next phase of the trial will likely focus on Lamarre-Condon’s state of mind and the reliability of witness accounts, with the jury expected to weigh the Crown’s circumstantial evidence against the defence’s claims of accidental shootings. The outcome will hinge on whether the jury believes Lamarre-Condon acted with intent or in a moment of uncontrolled violence, a distinction that could determine his fate in the NSW Supreme Court.