Source : Perth Now news
Former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly told friends he would delete messages on his ex-boyfriend’s phone from men he perceived to be “romantic rivals”, a jury has been told.
Mr Lamarre-Condon is accused of disguising himself as an Uber Eats rider and using his NSW Police pistol to murder his former boyfriend and TV presenter Jesse Baird, along with Mr Baird’s new boyfriend Luke Davies, at the journalist’s home in Paddington, Sydney on February 19, 2024.
The killing of Mr Baird in his kitchen was described as “execution-style” by Crown Prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC during the first day of the former police officer’s trial before the NSW Supreme Court on Monday.
The jury was also told Mr Lamarre-Condon shot Mr Davies through a door as he tried to call triple-0.
Mr Lamarre-Condon is further accused of stealing Mr Baird’s wallet and phone after he broke into the man’s home the year prior, with a jury told how the TV presenter woke up to see the intruder, who he did not realise was Mr Lamarre-Condon, standing next to his bed in August 2023.
The former police officer has entered pleas of not guilty to all three charges.
Mr Lamarre-Condon and Mr Baird met in late 2022 and were in a relationship, regarded as “somewhat casual” by Mr Baird, until about April 2023 when the TV presenter broke things off.
The pair got back together in September that year, but Mr Baird in November broke up with the former police officer after discovering he had allegedly accessed his phone to delete messages and block people, Mr Hatfield told the jury.
“The accused admitted to a number of people … that he on a number of occasions surreptitiously accessed Mr Baird’s phone so he could monitor whether Mr Baird was exchanging messages with other men,” Mr Hatfield told the jury.
“(Mr Lamarre-Condon allegedly) admitted … he would delete messages from people he believed to be romantic rivals and would block those people.”
The former police officer developed an “obsessive and jealous infatuation” with Mr Baird and allegedly stalked him throughout 2023 and 2024, the jury was told.
The trial will continue on Tuesday.
