The jury in the trial of former NSW Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon has heard a Triple Zero call made from Luke Davies’ phone and evidence about messages allegedly sent from Jesse Baird’s phone after the couple died.
The murder trial of former NSW Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon has heard further evidence about the deaths of Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, including a Triple Zero call, messages allegedly sent after Baird’s death and questions Lamarre-Condon reportedly asked fellow police officers before the shootings.
Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break and enter.
The Crown alleges he fatally shot Baird, 26, and Davies, 29, with his police service pistol inside Baird’s Paddington home in Sydney on 19 February 2024. His defence says the men died during two separate struggles involving the firearm, with Lamarre-Condon acting in self-defence.
Baird and Davies were in a relatively new relationship at the time of their deaths. Baird’s mother previously told the NSW Supreme Court the pair were “smitten” with each other. Their deaths in 2024 prompted widespread grief within Australia’s LGBTQ+ communities.
Messages allegedly sent after Baird’s death
Baird’s former housemate, identified during proceedings as Belinda Smith, has given evidence about messages sent from his phone as the household expected him to move out.
The Crown alleges Lamarre-Condon used Baird’s phone after his death to make his housemates believe he was still alive.
One message said Baird had hired someone through Airtasker to collect his possessions and might travel to Perth before returning later in the week.
Smith told the court she arrived home at around 5.30pm on 19 February and noticed two surfboard bags covered by a blue tarpaulin in the courtyard, with red liquid beneath them.
She told the jury she believed the liquid was rusty water from outdoor furniture.
The Crown alleges the bags contained Baird and Davies’ bodies. Smith said she noticed the bags were gone by the following day.
The men’s bodies were subsequently found inside surfboard bags in a rural area near Bungonia, south-west of Sydney.
Questions to police colleagues before the deaths
The jury has also heard evidence from former police colleagues about questions Lamarre-Condon allegedly asked before Baird and Davies died.
Former police officer Ben Higginson told the court Lamarre-Condon spoke to him the day before the shootings about the investigation into the murder of Sydney school staff member Lilie James.
According to Higginson, Lamarre-Condon asked whether James’ killer, Paul Thijssen, could have avoided detection had he survived.
Higginson described Lamarre-Condon’s manner during the conversation as “blasé”.
Another former police colleague, Alexandra Scobie, previously told the jury Lamarre-Condon had asked questions about whether hire cars could be tracked and whether call charge records would reveal activity when a mobile phone was switched off.
Scobie recalled him telling her not to “freak out” because he was “just asking”.
The significance of those conversations is a matter for the jury to determine.
Triple Zero call played to jury
The jury has also been played a Triple Zero call made from Luke Davies’ phone on the morning the two men died.
According to ABC News, the call was made between the second and third gunshot sounds captured by CCTV at a neighbouring property. Police later attempted to call Davies’ phone back twice, but the calls went to voicemail.
The prosecution and defence offer different accounts of what was happening when the call was made.
The Crown alleges Baird was shot twice before Davies, who was in a bedroom attempting to contact emergency services, was deliberately shot to prevent him from becoming a witness.
During his opening address, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC told jurors the recording was muffled but said the Crown contends a male voice can be heard telling someone to get out.
The defence disputes that account.
Defence barrister John Stratton SC has told the jury Lamarre-Condon’s case is that he went to Baird’s home to retrieve possessions and became involved in a struggle with Baird over his service weapon.
According to the defence case, the pistol discharged twice and fatally injured Baird. Stratton said Lamarre-Condon then began making a Triple Zero call before encountering Davies, after which there was a second struggle involving the gun and Davies fatally shot himself.
Forensic evidence presented
Jurors have also been shown photographs of bloodstained items recovered from a skip bin at Cronulla, including clothing, bedding and personal belongings.
Evidence presented during the trial has included blood found throughout Baird’s Paddington home, a fired cartridge case discovered above a kitchen cabinet and damage to the kitchen floor consistent with a bullet strike.
Crime scene officer Senior Sergeant Bronwyn Lansley has also given evidence about DNA obtained from Lamarre-Condon’s police pistol.
Reporting of her evidence states that a swab of the trigger contained DNA from at least three people. Davies could not be excluded as a major contributor, while Lamarre-Condon could not be excluded as a minor contributor. The meaning and significance of that forensic evidence remains a matter for the jury.
Lamarre-Condon’s lawyers maintain he acted in self-defence and panicked after the deaths.
The Crown alleges the killings were deliberate and that Lamarre-Condon subsequently attempted to conceal what had happened.
The trial, before Justice Natalie Adams in the NSW Supreme Court, is continuing.
