Source : the age
Good evening and thank you for reading our live coverage of Beau Lamarre-Condon’s criminal trial.
The former police officer has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29, on February 19, 2024.
He has also pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated breaking and entering Baird’s home in August 2023 and stealing a mobile phone and wallet belonging to Baird.
A 15-person jury was empanelled on Monday for the trial, which is expected to run for up to 12 weeks. In the event all 15 jurors are still present at the end of the trial, a ballot will be conducted to reduce their number to 12.
Today, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, delivered his opening address to the jury. This sets out the Crown’s case and is not evidence, but it is a guide to the evidence it expects to call in the months ahead.
Lamarre-Condon is entitled to the presumption of innocence and his barrister John Stratton, SC, will deliver an opening address on Tuesday after Hatfield.
During his opening this afternoon, Hatfield alleged that Lamarre-Condon developed an “an obsessive and jealous infatuation” with Baird after a short relationship that started in late 2022 and was ended for the first time by Baird in April 2023.
After a brief resumption of their relationship later that year, it was “firmly and irretrievably ended” by Baird in November 2023, the Crown alleges.
The Crown case is that the murder of Baird was premeditated but that he killed Davies, Baird’s new boyfriend, to eliminate a witness to his crime. This is the Crown’s alleged timeline of events.
- Late 2022: The accused and Jesse Baird met and started a casual relationship.
- April 2023: Baird sent the accused a “sympathetic” message saying he wasn’t ready for a relationship.
- May 19, 2023: The accused allegedly used his authority as a police officer to obtain CCTV footage of Jesse Baird on a date with a man in Paddington.
- June 24, 2023: The accused allegedly showed up uninvited to a meeting Baird had with two men.
- August 17, 2023: The accused allegedly breaks into Baird’s home and steals his mobile phone and wallet while Baird is home. Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to this charge.
- September 2023: The accused and Jesse Baird re-start their relationship.
- November 2023: The pair break up for the final time after Baird allegedly discovers the accused had allegedly accessed his phone to delete messages and block people; and had posted a photograph on Instagram that falsely gave the impression Baird had sent him flowers.
- New Year’s Eve 2023/January 2024: Jesse Baird meets Luke Davies and their relationship developed quickly. They post photos of themselves on social media, making their relationship “insta-official” around the end of January.
- February 17, 2024: Lamarre-Condon visits a sports store at Miranda Westfield with a friend to buy a surfboard cover. CCTV captures the accused examining the sizes of surfboard covers
- February 19, 2024: The accused allegedly shoots dead Jesse Baird and Luke Davies at Baird’s share-house in Paddington using his police-issued firearm.
- February 21, 2024: A groundskeeper finds items related to the alleged killings in bin at Cronulla Bowls Club.
- February 22, 2024: The accused becomes aware the police investigation into the double murder is “closing in on him”.
- February 23, 2024: The accused hands himself into Bondi police station. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
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.
Rocco Fazzari has been observing the proceedings from the historic King Street court complex in Sydney and filed this sketch of the accused.
The jury has left the courtroom.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC’s opening address to the jury will continue on Tuesday, followed by an address from John Stratton, SC, acting for Beau Lamarre-Condon.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, says Lamarre-Condon engaged in a number of preparatory steps in the early hours of February 19, 2024, before he murdered Jessie Baird and Luke Davies in Paddington.
At 5.07am, Lamarre-Condon either switched off his mobile phone or switched in onto aeroplane mode and started using a burner phone, the Crown alleges.
He allegedly switched from his Tesla to a rented Mazda on the drive to Baird’s Paddington home.
Two days before Lamarre-Condon allegedly murdered Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, the Crown alleges he bought a surfboard cover to help dispose of Baird’s body.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, alleges Lamarre-Condon told a friend he needed to stop at Westfield Miranda shopping centre, and he bought one cover at a sporting goods store. Their movements were picked up on CCTV, Hatfield says.
Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly faked a cancer diagnosis after breaking up with Jesse Baird, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, says in his opening address.
Hatfield alleged Lamarre-Condon had told Baird he was “completely done with you” in November 2023 after Baird ended their relationship. However, he allegedly used his friend’s Instagram account to send Baird a message that was “over 16000 words long”, Hatfield says.
The message claimed Lamarre-Condon had been diagnosed with a cancerous growth in his shoulder which could end with his arm amputated, the court hears.
“He always has spoken so highly of you Jesse and I know there is deep love there … It definitely won’t happen overnight but can 100% come back,” Lamarre-Condon allegedly wrote while masquerading as his friend. Hatfield said it was not true, and Lamarre-Condon did not have cancer.
The Crown has foreshadowed there will be evidence in the trial that Lamarre-Condon stalked Baird after their break-up in 2023 and interfered in his life, including by cutting his tyres and adding water to the engine of his diesel ute.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, says there was evidence Lamarre-Condon told one friend that he had “had Baird’s tyres cut on his car” and asked another friend “what would happen if someone added water to a diesel engine”.
There was evidence Baird had bought a diesel ute, the court heard. Baird’s mechanic is expected to give evidence that Baird’s car broke down on Boxing Day 2023, with water having caused it to break down.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, says Lamarre-Condon sent a lengthy text message to Jesse Baird in November 2023 when the latter ended their relationship.
“You intentionally hurt people,” Lamarre-Condon said in the message.
Hatfield says that “the accused did not stand by his words that he was done with Baird” and, two days later, on November 20, 2023, Lamarre-Condon sent screenshots to two of his friends depicting him using a website that allowed him to access Baird’s Instagram account.
Baird had blocked him on Instagram, Hatfield says in his opening address.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, has alleged a double murder “in five parts” while delivering his opening remarks against Beau Lamarre-Condon.
The opening statement is not evidence, but foreshadows evidence the Crown expects will be given in the trial. Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
1. The relationship
- Lamarre-Condon had a brief, romantic and sexual relationship with Jesse Baird from late 2022, extending into 2023. The Crown alleges he developed “an obsessive and jealous infatuation” with Baird.
- The relationship ended for the first time around April 2023 with what the Crown described as a long and sympathetic message from Baird.
- Lamarre-Condon is accused of breaking into Baird’s Paddington home in August 2023 and stealing Baird’s phone and wallet. He has pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of aggravated break and enter.
- The relationship, which was “somewhat casual” from the perspective of Baird, was “firmly and irretrievably ended” by Baird in November 2023, Hatfield says.
Beau Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in February 2024 as well as breaking into Baird’s Paddington home months earlier in August 2023.
The Crown alleges the then NSW police officer stole Baird’s mobile phone and wallet during the 2023 break-in, and Hatfield says in his opening address that a bobby pin had been wedged in the lock of the front door.
